Religion, Bonfires and Fireworks
There are three countries here all of the above always come
together in one way or another. In the first of a series of three stories we 'll take
a look at some of the traditions involving Spain, Malta and
Mexico. We'll start with Spain.
Alicante's Bonfires of Saint John - Hogueras
Sporting many names (Noche de San Juan, Hogueras de San Juan, Fogueras,
Bonfires of Saint John), the modern Hogueras de San Juan festival is an
amalgamation of the ancient pagan celebration of the summer solstice,
and the Christian feast of San Juan. The festival is celebrated between
June 19th - 24th, and it marks the most important festival in the city
of Alicante.
The History
Prior to 1928, this fiesta was celebrated much the same in Alicante as
the rest of Europe, which saw people gathering together and burning
objects like old furniture. However for that fateful year, an Alicante
man by the name of Jose María Py adopted the idea for a similar fiesta
held in Valencia (Fallas). Within three months the first Hogueras de
San Juan were organized and took place, and thusly the tradition was
born.
Children walking in a typical Hogueras parade. These parades seem to be an endless stream of people...
The Festival Today
The heart of the festival is the Día de San Juan, June 24th, where
giant cardboard, wood and paper maché effigies are burnt to the ground.
But of course there is much more to this fiesta...
No shortage of fun
The lead up to Día de San Juan is marked by colourful parades, the
Flower Offerings to Our Lady of Remedy, a bull fighting festival,
endless musical concerts, all night street partying and daily choruses
of deafening mascletás (firecrackers).
Some participants, the belleza del Mercado Central, in fact, taking photos next to the iglesia San Nicolas.
Unveiling of the years Hogueras
In the midst of the insanity, artisans representing each of Alicante’s
86 barrios (neighbourhoods) manage to raise their hogueras in the
streets. Some of these giant satirical effigies are as much a testament
to cardboard and papermache as they are to art.
The public hits the streets during the week to tour around Alicante and
view the masterful works that will be torched on the 24th. The local
transit even sets up a free Hogueras bus that tours the streets to take
in all of the main Hogueras and some of the minor ones.
The beautiful (and massive, 3m+ tall) glistening blue mermaid of the Alicante Government.
It all goes to smoke at midnight
When the clock strikes twelve on the night of San Juan, a grandiose
firework display from the Castillo de Santa Bárbara lights the city and
signals the lighting of las hogueras. Soon the streets are aglow from
the rising flames, and the celebrations truly begin.
As the intensity of the fires and partying grows to a feverish pitch,
so does the temperature. At this point, the strange ritual of hurling
insults at the bomberos (firemen) begins. Once they have been
sufficiently 'motivated', the firemen unleash water onto the crowds.
On 'til the morning
In typical Alicante fashion, the party generally goes on until the sun
starts to peek up the next morning. The street bars and baracas (street
bars with music) generally go on until 4 am, after which people either
seek out churros (a local pastry) or hit the discotecas to finish the
night off.
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