San Juan night's celebration
San Juan 2006
On the 23rd of June, a Friday afternoon, we all met at the Plaza del Charco to buy enough snacks and supplies to get us through the upcoming night. Packed with beach towels, Beachwear, Candles and cram-full shoppingbags we walked towards Palya Jardín around 5 pm.
Having arrived there it wasn’t easy to find a free space that was big enough for all of us. A group of about 20 people, all students and interns at 
the Formación FU, deployed in search of a good place and finally found one.
A bit aside the main stage but still near enough to see the upcoming theaterplay, we sat in a big circle. Like everyone else around us we had candles with us and placed them neatly in the sand decorated with some stones and flowers.
San Juan is one of the most important public holiday in Spain and corresponds to our Midsummer Night. Everywhere huge bonfires are being lit and at midnight everyone is going to swim in the ocean.
With them they take a little piece of paper with all their wishes for the next year written on it. With the 7th wave they consign it to the sea while huge fireworks are exploding in the starlit sky. As soon as you leave the water you take a second piece of paper with everything bad that happened to you written on it and burn it in the bondfires or a candle in order for the negative things to end in smoke. After this beautiful ceremony you continue partying.
Each one of us wrote on two pieces of paper and paid close attention to take the right one into the water. But before the bath we watched the theater performance (it was a bit kitchy) that took place on a huge wooden framework. After that traditional Spanish songs were played on a second stage until midnight.
The main part of our group went into the sea at midnight – and the whole crowd joined us. It almost had something surreal with all those masses of people along the shore.
After the quite refreshing bath we hurried back to our place to get some warm cloth on and to burn the second piece of paper.
It was a great night that gave us a good insight on the Spanish traditions – and party habits...we continued until 5 am the next morning.