Sant Joan's Eve Cocas and Fireworks

One more year Catalonia and its capital Barcelona celebrate the arrival of summer with this traditional festivity known as Revetlla de Sant Joan /Verbena de San Juan / Saint John's Eve.

Sant Joan is a moment to share with family and friends and who made the first bonfire is certainly unknown since all the summer welcoming celebrations of history occurred once in a long gone night of mankind when it was time to thank the gods, make a toast for past victories, blessing crops and guarantee a better future. The longest day of the year, the solstice seems to be the perfect occasion to rejoice from dusk to dawn drinking and eating in the most pagan ways. Fortunately there is no need to sacrifice animals or virgins anymore.

Of course in spite of the 'tribal rituals' of the night there is also the feast that commemorates Saint John The Baptist's birth that no one seems to remember anymore. The fact is that bonfires made of bones and wood, something rather hard to find in Barcelona nowadays, are called St John's Fire and that was perfect to repel witches in the past, who knows if even today!

The bonfires can be seen along the Catalan geography by the thousands especially at the beach (a celebration that this year 2019 generated 20 tons of crap on the capital's waterfront)

Those who prefer to celebrate at home or on the city streets, limit themselves to fireworks of all sorts like the one on top that, as somebody suggested to me at the Barcelona Reddit, looks like one of Dr. Strange's portals.

The stars of the night are the famous Cocas de Sant Joan which are of different kinds according to the ingredients. Here is a Coca made of brioche, candied fruit, pine nut and cream filling.

Here is another Coca de Sant Joan known as Coca de Llardons, a flat pastry cake made with eggs, sugar, pork crackling (llardons) and pine nuts. What if you try a Coca de Llardons recipe?

Do not forget some nice Catalan cava as the perfect dressing of a memorable evening!

A Toast to Catalonia for New Year's Eve 2017

Cava Pink Cups by Juve i Camps

New Year's Eve 2017 is here and it well deserves a big toast for Catalonia in a turbulent year that has not been pleasant to anyone.

No matter what your political views are, you have to agree with me that this is a beautiful land that has done great things for this country, whatever you consider your country to be. 

vs

You may be on the Spanish side or the Catalan side. Perhaps you are somewhere in between, you feel Catalan and Spanish. You may believe in an independent republic or you may believe in a Catalonia that is part of Spain. You may trust in the Spanish constitution and its 155 article or you may not...and whatever your opinions, your beliefs you have the sovereign right to think so because this is a democracy, right? And you will certainly agree with me in that violence only generates violence, hatred only generates hatred, not only on governmental instances but at family level as well.

As I said before, Catalonia is a wonderful extension of land inhabited by extraordinary people that love to work hard to make ends meet and dream of a better society to live on so let's raise our cups in honor of our beloved territory with one of our best products Catalan cava!

Happy New Year's Eve 2017 and Happy New Year everyone!

Cava Bottles at Freixenet Cellars

Some cava bottles (Catalan 'champagne') on a rack, at Freixenet cellars in Sant Sadurni de Anoia. More to come in next posts.