Midsummer Night and Dimonis

his Sunday was the eve of Saint John's Eve. A night celebrated by tradition, of pagan origins, but with great fervour in many areas of Mallorca (and even more so in Menorca).

It is yet another example of the celebrations and festivities that await us on such a grandiose island, with such an important cultural heritage, where any tourist or visitor will find options and activities that seem to be tailor-made for them.

The bonfires of San Juan

This Sunday the key point was located on the beaches where the bonfires attract thousands of people. We are talking about the beaches of Can Pere Antoni and es Portitxol, which in a matter of hours became too small. The important thing is to gather there, celebrate the summer solstice and perform the rituals that tradition dictates. Moreover, nearby, in the Parc de la Mar, there is always a Correfoc.

The eve of Sant Joan is not exactly the shortest night of the year, although it is believed to be so. The real summer solstice is on 21 June, two days earlier, but both dates have an important cultural significance that goes back thousands of years.

On the beaches, the bonfires are lit in the tradition of celebrating the beginning of summer, and at the same time, some 10,000 people go to the Parc de la Mar to watch the spectacle of the 270 dimonis from seven different groups that enliven this particularly festive atmosphere.

The night of Sant Joan is centred on traditions. There is no lack of fire, and many take advantage of the occasion to have a small barbecue. Bonfires are present, as they are on Sant Sebastià and Sant Antoni, because people believe in the purifying power of fire.

Magical night by the sea

The beaches of Molinar, Can Pere Antoni, Cala Major, Portixol, Ciutat Jardí, Cala Estància and Platja de Palma will once again be the place thousands of people choose to spend the afternoon and wait for the night to come.

Although this is not without its problems. Because that night, the aim is to leave zero waste to prevent the beaches from being flooded with dirt after Sant Joan. Last year, Emaya workers, who reinforce their service in the early hours of the morning, collected around 12 tonnes of rubbish from Palma's bathing areas, and bearing in mind that the amount of waste had decreased compared to previous fiestas.

Fiesta by popular demand

On the initiative of the residents of Puig de Sant Pere, in 1976, Palma recovered the celebration of the Revetla de Sant Joan. It had not been held there for years. However, its success and the popular participation led the festival to be moved to the Parc de la Mar and the city's Federation of Neighbourhood Associations took charge of its organisation from 1988 onwards, with the support of the City Council.

The aim of the Federation of Neighbourhood Associations is to make the festival more meaningful for the people of Palma and that next year a large bonfire can be lit over the lake in the Parc de la Mar. In order to involve the citizens more in the celebration of Sant Joan, the organisers plan that the flame that lights it will travel through the streets of the different neighbourhoods of Palma the day before.

On your trip to Majorca you have many options available to you, and on the blog of the Hotel Palladium Palma we are here to help you discover them all. You can consult our search engine and categories, to have all the information you may need for your holidays at your fingertips.

Photo credits: ultimahora.es, diariodemallorca.es, abc-mallorca.es