Fire is traditionally related to purification, in order to stages
The bonfires on June 23 are associated with the birth of Saint John the Baptist (June 24)
The next day June 21 begins the summer, and like every year, it is not only synonymous with heat and beach. It is also of San Juans night, one of the most anticipated days of the year. As you well know, on the night of June 23rd this festivity is celebrated, which also becomes one of the most magical days. However, Do you know what its historical origin is? Why do we light fires?
The history of the bonfires on the Night of San Juan
On the one hand, fire symbolizes purification, the closing of a stage and the end of something old, to start something new and better. But we must go back to the birth of Saint John the Baptist, on June 24, to find out why the night before, June 23, bonfires are lit. And it is that before this biblical character was born, Zacarías, his father, ordered to light a huge bonfire in honor of the next coming.
This tradition converted a pagan rite into a Christian one, and has survived intact to this day. Of course, it is true that it has remained closely linked to the coasts and has not been taken as such in the cities and towns of the interior. That is why in Catalonia and in the Valencian Community especially they are one of the most important moments of the year.