Fire Jumping

Moving across the ocean is not for the faint of heart.  We had to jump through hoops to make this happen.  It is a wonderful opportunity, and while I am not running from my problems, I do want to leave my worries behind.  I am ready for a change, and celebrate this opportunity to rejuvenate my life. 

Valencianos celebrate everything. The Night of San Juan, held on June 23, was our first opportunity to party with them.

All over the world there are rituals surrounding this shortest night of the year. Pagan cultures believe that certain gods, for instance, make themselves visible during this night while others see it as an opportunity to leave their problems behind and seek fulfillment.  We evaluate changing our lives while the seasons change direction.

Welcome to La Noche de San Juan, a fiesta all about change: night and day; fire and water. Fire destroys, defeats, and disinfects, and leaves behind the opportunity for water to recuperate, refresh, and rejuvenate.

Bonfires illuminate and define the night.  After dark, young and old, families and friends dig holes and build fires in the sands of La Malvarrosa, a wide, urban beach located in Valencia on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.  According to tradition, people jump over the fire to be cleansed and purified, and have their problems burned away.  At midnight, everyone heads into the water to cleanse themselves of the past, and perhaps soothe any burns that resulted from any bonfire-jumping miscalculations.

We want to participate in everything while we are here.  So we went, we jumped and we bathed.  While all my worries did not go up in smoke, at least I have no burns on my feet, only sand in my shoes, which is a problem I am happy to live with for a year.