Culture and History - The Feast of St. John
The cultural traditions in each country are unique, varied and interesting, so in VirtualVariety we want to share with you a tradition, a holiday that is celebrated today in Venezuela and it could be said that in other countries of the world, some consider them pagan, and others a unique, magical party, where different cultures come together in one place.
Every June 24th the Venezuelan streets are filled with joy and fun, especially in the states of Vargas, Miranda, Carabobo and Aragua, due to the Feast of San Juan Bautista, one of the biggest celebrations in the country, in this festivity some religious, cultural and musical activities take place, where thousands of parishioners attend, but you may wonder, what is so special about this day? It turns out that on a day like today, Saint John the Baptist was born, it turns out that this Saint is the only one whose birth is celebrated, accompanied by the baby Jesus, since June 1st, the drums begin to beat throughout Venezuela, indicating that the month of Saint John has arrived, between dances and joys, the preparation begins, When June 23rd arrives, the preparations begin in all the altars, they are adorned with beautiful flowers and many offerings, accompanied by the rhythm of the drums, dances and happiness, many wait anxiously for the dawn, to take the Saint to an interesting place.
When the 24th of June arrives, everyone gets up without further ado, to take San Juan to the church, the saint is prepared and taken out of the place where he was kept, accompanied by his guardian (the person in charge of carrying him), arrives at the temple, where a mass is held in his honor, at the end of this religious act, the bells begin to ring, and again the drum takes center stage in this festivity, so alive and heated, full of happy people, who dance with their souls, to the rhythm of the hides, forgetting any problem or concern, they simply focus on celebrating in honor of San Juan, a procession begins throughout the town where it is being celebrated, accompanied by such exquisite rhythms, in every place where they stop, the saint receives offerings, thanks and more, says a popular saying "If San Juan has it, San Juan gives it to you", so many take the opportunity to ask him for a favor or miracle, to solve any situation for which they are going through.
The curious thing about this festivity is that it has many years of tradition, according to historical data, it begins in the time of the African slaves, who arrived to Venezuelan lands, the bosses said that it was a pagan act, because on the nights of June 24, they gathered at a bonfire, to the rhythm of the drums, they danced around the fire in honor of the saint, One of the places where these festivities are known throughout Venezuela, is in the town of Curiepe, Miranda State, in colonial times, was the territory of "free" slaves, Africans who managed to escape from their slavers, and began to live in that town. The festivities of San Juan are magical and enchanting, everyone who has the opportunity to live and enjoy them, is in love, in some coasts of the country, they celebrate this incredible festivity by the sea, accompanied by the most varied rhythms of the drum. Undoubtedly the traditions and cultures of the world, can not be finished, we hope you liked this short post about this peculiar festival celebrated in Venezuela.
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Las fiestas de San Juan tienen, en cierto modo, un vínculo con algunas festividades paganas de Europa, en especial las relacionadas con la fertilidad. Si bien las fechas son muy dispares, me atrevo a pensar que tienen vínculo con el Beltane celta, celebrada en mayo; es como una suerte de versión cristiana de esa fiesta.
Interesante artículo, compañero. ¡Saludos!