This Sunday the most magical and short night of the year is going to be celebrated. The night of San Juan is an appointment marked on the calendar which welcomes summer in an atmosphere of enjoyment among friends and family. Concerts, parties, parades… There are many acts that a wide variety of municipalities develop for this celebration, in which the most characteristic ones are the well-known bonfires that will flood the beaches of the province.
Fire and water, symbols of the sun and the sea, are the main protagonists of this festive event; fire is the symbol of purification while water is a source of health and fertility.
Why do we celebrate the night of San Juan? Everything indicates that we continue repeating the tradition inherited from our ancestors for centuries. History tells us that San Juan is a Christian festival of pagan origin in which their traditional bonfire dates back to the Roman Empire times and to the tribute to the goddess Minerva. The night of San Juan is located not only in the coast, since several municipalities of the interior will also have their party. We can expect different parties depending on whether we are in Malaga, Granada, Córdoba or Madrid.
In Malaga there is the night of the júas, some rag dolls, made by the people of Malaga with their own hands with old materials such as furniture or fabrics. At 12 they get burnt and it’s time to jump the bonfire and enjoy the colorful and spectacular fireworks invading the sky. Celebrating San Juan in Malaga is exciting because everyone goes to the beaches to light large fires. They also write their wishes on paper in order to burn them, and they wet them in the sea because it brings luck.
In the province of Granada, with its Arab tradition and history, water is one of the main protagonists in its celebrations. The celebrations are very diverse along the geography of Granada. In most of the towns of the coast they celebrate with fire and a swim in the sea under the moon. Salobreña and Motril deserve a special mention, since there you burn all the evil and make three wishes on the side of the fire. In the city the tradition of celebrating this magical night has been lost a bit, although in some neighborhoods, especially those in the Alhambra, they still try to pull it off.
In the common imaginary, the celebration of the night of San Juan is strictly related to the local feast of the town of Lanjarón, because it represents the most typical feast. Its traditional Water Race will bring 
together approximately 15,000 people from different points of the map, who hours will run through the streets of the municipality from midnight on, while throwing water from windows and balconies. For an hour, from midnight on the eve until one o’clock in the morning of San Juan, nobody gets rid of the dips that get you wet with balloons, hoses and even water pistols, creating a night full of pure fun in a childhood style.
All of this makes this night unforgettable. On the night of San Juan the triumph of light over darkness is commemorated. More than ever, the sun will resist going away. It will be ten o’clock at night and there will still be a faint clarity. It will be an evening in which fire is the main element. Making a wish, for example that a new love relationship flourish or strengthen, and ward off bad omens are many of the rituals performed.
Don’t miss this fun-filled and amazing night, iNMSOL guarantees you won’t regret it!
