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It’s time to celebrate the arrival of summer with rituals and fire dances.<\/p>\n
The night of 23\/24 June is filled with magic and ancestral rites. It is a deeply rooted celebration which has as its principal rite lighting a large bonfire to ward off evil spirits with the “purifying” effect of the fire. This custom is tied to the ancient ceremonies which celebrated the arrival of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere with the purpose of giving more power to the sun which began to wane in light, making days shorter until the winter solstice .<\/p>\n
In Mallorca, the Nit de Foc <\/em>or Nit de Bruixes<\/em> (night of fire or witch night) is surrounded by rites and superstitions. Beaches and coves become the scenery for bonfires and at the magic hour, 12 o’clock at night, we throw something old into the fire, or a paper with everything we would like to change written down. While they are burning in the flames, we jump three times for the spell to take effect. Another tradition is to throw three coins into the sea, backwards, and with each coin make a wish.<\/p>\n A famous legend in Mallorca tells that for that one night only, an herb appears called hierba uis<\/em> (eyes), which cures blindness. It is very hard to find as it takes many different forms, but on that night, it shines like a light, becoming visible. This herb is said to have been planted by the Saracens at the time they inhabited the island (XIII century).<\/p>\n The tradition continues in the streets, where the spirits light up with the arrival of the Dimonis<\/em>, Trafoc<\/em>, Enfocats<\/em>, Kimfumfa<\/em> and Endimoniants<\/em>. In these parades, known as correfoc<\/em>, people dressed as demons run, dance and jump among fireworks and pyrotechnics.<\/p>\n In Felanitx, it is customary to dance the dance of Sant Joan Pel\u00f3s, a character that represents St. John Baptist. Dressed in a costume of ancient origin and bright colors, his face covered with a mask, he walks through the village on the day of St. John, dancing to the music of primitive instruments. In Porto Colom, just 20 minutes away, you will find the BelleVue Belsana <\/strong>hotel, a beautiful place to relax and enjoy these popular festivities.<\/p>\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It’s time to celebrate the arrival of summer with rituals and fire dances. The night of 23\/24 June is filled with magic and ancestral rites. It is a deeply rooted …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4554,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[34],"yoast_head":"\n