I swear there’s another “Puente” every other week. Puente literally means bridge in Spanish, but that’s the word they use for a three-day weekend. This time it was for St. John’s day, el día de Sant Joan here in Catalunya. Boy was I surprised the first time I saw this holiday celebration. It takes fireworks to a whole new level, and I don’t mean in the way of a professional fireworks show. I mean families, including small children, jumping over burning logs! The celebrations take place on the eve of Saint John’s Day, known as the Nit de Sant Joan or la Revetlla de Sant Joan in honor of St. John the Baptist’s birthday and also the summer solstice. Fire features in many of the celebrations, with people gathering together and creating large bonfires from any kind of wood, such as old furniture, and sharing food and drinks while teens and children jump over the fires.The bonfires are lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southward again.
Each municipality will usually put on their own fiesta including not just fireworks and bonfires, but other performances. Traditionally, they also partake of a special cake known as coca de Sant Joan, a large, flat pastry which is very sweet and is typically made of candied fruits, marzipan or cream.
If you have the patience, I’ve added some videos I shot from Sant Joan day in Arties, Spain in 2019, the first time I’d ever heard of it.
One day I’d like to experience Sant Joan in Menorca where live horses play a role. Like the burning logs, this looks super dangerous too.
This Día de Sant Joan, as often happens, I was not clued in on what was happening when or where. I thought that there was going to be a celebration at a beach nearby similar to the one I experienced in Arties, but the festivities were a bit of a dud — no bonfire and a long walk home. Later, after most people were asleep, the fireworks in the neighborhood began. They were sooo loud! Cam slept on my head. Poor thing, he was terrified.
I did get one surprise that night, however — COVID!
I believe I was exposed to it four days earlier at my yoga class. The man on the mat next to mine, who is a regular, looked awful. I asked him if he was ok and he said that he wasn’t feeling well, but that he’d tested negative. Well…I don’t know about that…
My case was light. I had a sore throat, headache and fever for a couple of days, and after that nothing. Except, I kept testing positive on home tests, and on an antigen test and a PCR test I took at a clinic. I wanted OUT of quarantine!! I should feel lucky that I was not sicker and did not suffer as much as many people have, but I was terribly disappointed not to be able to enjoy my last week in Begur to the fullest, seeing friends and visiting favorite spots before leaving for France and the USA.
Since I’ve continued to test positive, now it is day 9, I can’t stay with my friend in France, so I’m staying in a trailer (it’s actually pretty nice) at a campground in the village. Just my speed, right? Eff’ing COVID!! I feel like a leper. And I’m really tired of pushing a stick up my nose!
Susie's Senior Year Abroad 
oh my goodness. just read your post and watched the videos. hope you are feeling better by now.
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