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Tradition:

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Italy (Florence)

• Sagra di San Giovanni is the oldest historic event on Lake Como. Hundreds of tiny lamps float in the lake and there's a big fireworks display the evening. The following morning brings a boat parade with traditional boats decorated with flowers followed by folk dancing and flag throwing competitions. Events are held the weekend closest to Saint John's Day.

• San Giovanni Feast Day is celebrated in Florence the Sunday following June 24 with a medieval tournament followed by music, drinking, and feasting. In the evening on the Arno River, there is a palio of rowboats carrying lit candles followed by fireworks.

• Palio di San Giovanni is a 4-day event in Fabriano, in central Italy's Marche region, culminating on June 24 with a beautiful infiorata, tapestries made of flower petals. Events include traditional medieval competitions with participants dressed in period costume, flag throwing performances, and crafts and food stands. 

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Sicily

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The night before the birth of Saint John the Baptist is considered one full of blessings, and propitiatory and purifying rites are celebrated.  The blessing is linked to the summer solstice which marks the beginning of the new summer, but according to the legend it's necessary to make the right rites to avoid and to ward off adversities! 

 

Propitiatory bonfires are made that represent the sun and Saint John's water is prepared to collect the dew, or the dew of God, which symbolizes the moon. 

 

The water of San Giovanni or Saint John brings luck and prosperity thanks to the incredible power of the flowers and would be able to protect crops and warding off calamities. The legend says that the water of Saint John would bring luck and prosperity thanks to the incredible power of the flowers and would be able to protect crops and warding off calamities. This blessed water also possesses protective healing virtues and it brings health, luck, and love!

 

To prepare the blessed water:

Collect mixed herbs and wild flowers such as the flowers of hypericum, lavender, mugwort,  mallow flowers, and leaves of mint, rosemary, sage,   basil, thyme, cornflowers, poppies, rose petal, chamomile, brooms flowers, also leaves of Mary's wort, elderberries, amaranth, walnut, fennel and oats. ••••• Of course according to the blooms present in your territory and respecting nature take only the herbs and flowers you need and without uprooting the roots.

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AFTER SUNSET Place the collected herbs and flowers into a bowl of water, say the Lord's prayer and the Hail Mary prayer and leave outside for the entire night so that the mixture can absorb the morning dew. Once the mixture of herbs has collected the dew it will have acquired the blessing from God. On the morning of June 24th, which is the celebration day of Saint John, the water of San Giovanni  is used to wash one's hands and face in a sort of propitiatory and purification ritual that will bring love, luck, and health. ENJOY!

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Saint John’s Wort was carried in one's pocket and it would protect one from thunder. Smelling the leaves or drinking a mixture made from the plant would cure you of madness. In Medieval times, it was hung over doors, windows and religious icons to keep evil spirits away. 

 

 

Rome, Italy

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The night before Saint John's day it is called the night of the witches!  Indeed until the end of the 19th century on the 24th June one of the main religious holidays was Saint John’s Day. Saint John is also the patron Saint of Rome! This holiday begins the night before on the night of the witches.

 

According to a LEGEND, WITCHES were summoned to the Lateran meadows by the ghosts of HERODIAS and her daughter SALOME. They were damned for causing the beheading of Saint John. They would go around the city to capture souls so it was essential to resort to prayer, rituals and all kind of rites. One tradition was blessing one's bed and the front doors. The towns people would also walk about Rome holding lanterns and torch light so when they arrived at the main square they could lit bonfires to drive away the bad forces. They prayed and ate snails for protection as well.

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Some families would even bring snails from home in a a huge saucepan full of snails with sauce. According to the legend eating snails with horns or tentacles represented discord and distress was equivalent to defeating adversity. 

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Tradition also states that Saint John’s dew has healing powers while according to another legend,  if you don’t not buy garlic on Saint John's Day you will be poor all year round! During the night, the Tiber baths,  were also opened to the public and the inhabitants of the city could bathe in the FOUNTAIN OF SAN GIOVANNI it was believed that during the day of his feast the Saint would give more miracles than the rest of the year!!!! The people used to turn out in droves eating, drinking,  and celebrating with their horns, trumpets, bells, tambourines, and firecrackers so as to scare and ward off the bad spirits. The feast drew to a close when the Pope arrived at San Giovanni in Laterano to celebrate mass after which he threw from the cathedral’s loggia gold and silver coins to delight the wild crowds below!!!! Today the ancient traditional feast of Saint John has lost all of its early legendary background even though recently it's been revived some events thanks to the few historical organizations!

 

According to the folklore evil spirits would appear on the summer solstice! To ward off evil spirits people would wear protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of these plants was known as chase devil, today it’s called Saint John’s Wort! Because of its association with Saint John’s Day, the scientific name is Hypericum perforatum. One last summer solstice traditions hold that the ashes from a midsummer bonfire, when spread across one’s garden, will bring a beautiful harvest, ENJOY!

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In Spain

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Sain. John’s wort was also considered a special plant on this day because its bright yellow flowers looked like the sun, which was a significant coincidence around the longest day of the year. The flowers have five petals and long stamens that look like the rays of the sun. The stamens are topped with little golden balls of pollen giving the appearance that each flower is a sunburst. Also, it is said that the flowers are heliotropic, following the sun from east to west as it crosses the sky, which was considered a supernatural phenomenon in olden days. 

 

Saint John’s Eve is celebrated with bonfires and is marked with the gathering of the herbs of midsummer. In some Spanish villages, special bouquets called herbas de San Xoán are made up and sold for this day.

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In northern Spain’s Galicia, it is the custom for women to place Saint. John’s wort and other herbs in a bowl of water after sunset on Saint John’s Eve. The bowl must be left outside all evening so that dew can collect, adding its special elements to the water.

 

According to Lithuanian custom, the dew on Midsummer Day was said to make young girls beautiful and old people look younger. On Saint John’s Day, women splash the scented infusion on their face and let it dry. It is said the infusion will stop all wrinkles. The Spanish says that it won’t cure existing wrinkles but it will prevent future ones. Who knows if it works, but the women in the north of Spain, in Galicia are amazingly beautiful!

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