The first day of Summer is celebrated around France with the Feux de la St Jean (Bonfires of St Jean).
One event I was not aware of until today is La Trobada Del Canigo…
Many people from around Catalonia meet atop the summit of Canigou in the Pyrenees, each person bringing their own stack of wood to contribute to the bonfire.
On June 22nd, "troops of walkers and representatives of villages
and towns throughout Catalonia, meet up on the Plateau des Cortalets,
where they set up tents and prepare for a sleepless night! The ultimate
goal of the Trobada is to get up to the peak at 2,784m high, with
bunches of wood to contribute to the huge bonfire prepared on the
summit. This gathering is known as the "Trobada" (a catalan word
meaning "meeting" or "reunion")", then "At midnight a flaming torch, kept throughout the
year at the Castillet in Perpignan, is carried to the top of the
mountain the and used to light a bonfire which can be seen all over the
Conflent. The next day, relay runners carry the "flamme du Canigou"
down onto the plain to all the villages they pass through on the way to
Perpignan and in the evening, these flames light the "Focs de la Sant
Joan" or "Feux de la Saint Jean", fires that have been prepared in
towns and villages all over the region".
I gathered all these details thanks to Les Feux de la Saint-Jean & La Trobada du Canigou (on Anglophone Direct).
The Feux de la St Jean site gives some historical and cultural background on the Canigou celebration.
They also contributed the video above on Daily Motion.
I know that similar celebrations take place in Brazil.
Are any other countries following this tradition?
Related: A ride on the ‘Little Yellow Train’ (in the Pyrenees Mountains)