Every year on the night of June 23rd, Galicia comes to a stop. San Juan is an official public holiday — businesses close, the region pauses. And when it gets dark, the fires are lit.
The festival officially marks the birth of John the Baptist on June 24th, but the roots go much deeper. The night of San Juan carries the atmosphere of ancient pagan festivals connected to the summer solstice a moment that has been marked with fire across Europe since pre-Christian times. In Galicia especially, those older layers are still very much present.
The central tradition is the hoguera a bonfire lit after midnight to welcome the summer. You don’t just stand around it. The ritual is to jump over the fire nine times, shouting ¡Meiga fóra! “Witches, out!” with each leap. People also burn old clothes and belongings they want to leave behind, a way of clearing out the old before the new season begins.
Herbs play their own role in the evening. Most Galician communities prepare a bundle containing St. John’s wort, ferns, mallow, rosemary, fennel and shallot, left outside overnight alongside a bowl of water — a tradition known as facer o cacho. The herbs are believed to carry special properties on this particular night, though what exactly you are supposed to do with them depends on who you ask.
Then there is the queimada. It is made from orujo a local spirit combined with sugar, citrus peel and coffee beans, prepared in an earthenware bowl and set alight. While it burns, those present recite a spell together. Often someone dresses as a witch to lead the ritual. The spell is a centuries-old text, dramatic in tone, invoking serpents, hellfire and evil spirits. It is recited in complete seriousness. The queimada is drunk to preserve friendships and keep evil at bay. At some point the fire dies down and food appears: cachelos unpeeled potatoes roasted in the embers and grilled sardines.
We have been living in Galicia for a while now, but this will be our first San Juan. Our neighbours knocked on the door a few days ago. June 23rd, they said. Come along. They were matter-of-fact about it, the way you’d invite someone for coffee, and left it at that. We said yes, closed the door, and immediately started googling.
We don’t know exactly what is coming, more or less but we will find out soon enough.
