St. John's Feast

St. John's Feast (in Dutch: Johannesfeest; Sant-Juan in Barzuna (language)) is a popular celebration in Brunant. The Feast of St. John coincides with the June solstice, also referred to as Midsummer, and is celebrated on the 23rd and 24th June. Unlike Mardigras or the Parade of the Dead, St. John's is celebrated across the whole country.

History
The Johannesfeest was practiced by the Catalan and Aragonese settlers from at least the 1200s, some 200 years before the Dutch had arrived (and 100 years before the Venetians). This tradition, not really celebrated by the Dutch or the Venetians, was quickly picked up by them. The feast became a celebration of St. John the Baptist, but also of the planting of the year's crops and the start of a new season. The The English and Scottish who came to Brunant in the 18th century (especially the Catholics) embraced it rather quickly, but St. Johns was celebrated by all as it lost its religious meaning.

Celebrations
St. John's was historically a religious festival where people would go to church and pray (usually on the Sunday beforehand), but since the 1700s it has become more secular and characterized for the parties, bonfires, feast and drinking.

On the 23rd, it is customary for to go out into the streets at night to dance and celebrate. Bonfires are lit in the streets or on the sand at beaches. Some rituals which are often practiced include jumping over the fire, bathing in the water under the moonlight. In some larger Cities and towns, there may be a fireworks display, though not as elaborate as on Independence Day. For many years now (a few centuries), it has become "tradition" for people to be drunk, and there may often be lots of fighting and occasional vandalism.

On the 24th, special meals are often served at lunchtime, and workers and students may be given time to go home and eat with their family. In many rural and small settlements, it is customary for people to eat in the streets together and drink (lots of) wine, which usually leads to more public drunkenness and arguing, even for trivial reasons (such as football). Tourists can often be seen participating in the feasts as well.

Drinking
The drinking and drunkenness, though frowned upon by many, is as much a part of the tradition as the bonfire and feast. Writer Emmanuel Berger once said that on this day "the village drunk pales in his drunken-ness when put up against the festive townsmen". An old saying goes "St. John's is twice as fun when drunk", but in recent years the police have taken to prevent this and arrest the drunks.