St John's Eve Rituals: Fire, Water and Wishes

St John's Eve is the night before the feast of Saint John the Baptist, June 24. It falls two days after the summer solstice, so it took over the old Midsummer customs: bonfires on hills and beaches, herbs picked that night, water that was said to be extra blessed.

Today it is huge in Spain (the Noche de San Juan), in Portugal and Brazil (São João), in France and Québec (the feux de la Saint-Jean) and in the Nordic countries. Every place has its own rituals, and almost all of them use fire, water and wishes.

It is the turning point of summer. The sun has just peaked, and the night of June 23 is for burning away what you don't want to carry into the second half of the year, and calling in what you do.

You are always sending a signal, and the universe sends back what you send. On St John's Eve, the fire takes what you release and the water washes you clean. What is left is the signal you choose.

**Jump the fire.** On the beaches of Spain, people jump over the bonfire three, seven or nine times for luck. At home, step over a small candle on the floor.

**Burn what you let go.** Write what you want to leave behind on a paper and burn it in the fire at midnight. Then write your wishes on a second paper and keep it. The bay leaf ritual works the same way with a leaf.

**Bathe at midnight.** In Spain, many people walk into the sea at midnight and jump seven or nine waves, one wish per wave.

**Gather the herbs.** Herbs picked on St John's Eve, like St John's wort, rosemary and lavender, were said to be at their strongest. Make a small bunch and hang it by your door.

**Wash your face in flower water.** In Galicia, people leave a bowl of water with flowers and herbs out overnight, then wash their face with it at sunrise.

St John's Eve is a famous night for love. Write how you want love to feel on a paper and keep it under your pillow that night. In Brazil, many girls do simpatias for Santo Antônio, the saint of love, on June 13, and for São João on June 24. Whatever the custom, write your love wish as if it is already true. For more lines, here are some affirmations for calling in love.

Never jump a real bonfire at home, and never swim alone at night: the ritual works with a candle and a bowl of water too. Don't burn what you want to keep, only what you let go. And don't write what you fear in your wishes: write what you want.