Students from our Spanish school celebrate the night of San Juan

On Thursday 23rd June, some students from Instituto Hemingway hopped on the Metro and headed to the beach in Arrigunaga in Bidezabal, close to the end of the Bilbao Metro line. They met at 9pm with a few drinks and some food and walked down to the beach to join many other Spanish people in celebrating the night of San Juan.
This festival dates back to when records began and celebrates the shortest night of the year.

Bonfires are the theme of the night and, according to tradition, if you jump over a bonfire three times on San Juan, you will be purified and cleansed and your problems will all be burned away. The beach of Arrigunaga was turned into a campsite for the night, with many groups of young people bringing tents, games, music and enough food to see them through the night, and there was a brilliant atmosphere as the sun set.
It was only then, at nightfall, that the festivities really began, with guitars being strummed and people dancing around the bonfires and singing along.
Some people continue the tradition of burning dolls, which historically represented Judas Iscariot, but the majority of people were just burning whatever they could find to keep their bonfires going.
Some devoted students managed to stay until the sun rose, before catching the Metro back to Bilbao to be back in the city in time for classes to start! Certain festivals seem to summarise life in Spain, with its love of having a good time in the company of friends and loved ones and the night of San Juan is certainly one such event. Definitely a night for our students to remember!