Saint John's Eve

Saint John's Eve celebrations have existed for as long as communities have celebrated the feast of St. John the Baptist. Communities in northern Francia began participating in this tradition during the later Roman empire when the majority of inhabitents of the cities converted to Christianity. Solstice celebrations in the countryside pre-existed the advent of Christianity in the region, and as Christianity spread to the countryside, communities moved their festivities to the fixed date of the evening before the 24th of June.

Saint John's Eve is a festival of great celebration in which entire communities gather together in a central outdoor location for an evening of merriment. The hallmark of Saint John's Eve is singing and dancing. In larger communities, sometimes professional dancers and actors are hired to perform and lead the crowds in singing, that often extends late into the night.   In communities located near rivers, people reenact the baptisms John performed in the Jordan River by wading and dipping into the river. This is not a baptismal ritual itself, but rather a reenactment of a scene from from the life of John meant to commemorate the saint. Given the timing of the festival at the beginning of the summer, these dips in the river are often the first opportunity of the year people have for swimming and is a source of great fun for all ages.   Since the festival takes place near the longest day of the year, the majority of revelries take place in natural daylight. In some communities, however, revelry extends late into the night, necessitating the use of bonfires to provide light.   Although Saint John's Eve has singing, dancing, and revelry in common with many other feasts, particular to Saint John's Eve are the bonfires and dips in the river.