Fogueres de Sant Joan, the fiesta of fires. A night full of explosion, community and togetherness. Xabía, a spanish town celebrated their 75th anniversary of the festival, with their traditional festivities. The celebration runs from the 20th till the 24th of June, annually, with the biggest celebrations being on the 23rd.

The festival is in honour of Saint Joan, the patron saint of the municipality. The day of the 23rd begins with the children’s ceremony known as the bonfire cremà, and is followed by a parade, with large floats where women sit to represent the 75 years of Fogueres. They sit with straw baskets on their lap filled with confetti and sweets to throw out into the tens of thousands people lining the streets, with children (and myself) making a mad dash to collect as many sweets as possible, with some even bringing shopping bags to fill to the brim.

The festival has its roots in the 1950s but only gained popularity in the town in the 70s, when it became knows as ‘Nit dels Focs’. Throughout the 23rd of June, piles of Clemmatis Flammula, a white flower native to southern Europe, are placed in key areas around the old town, where fires will be lit. Locals rush to collect the plant to make headdresses, which are said to bring luck. A few hours after the parade the bonfires begin.

From the hours of 8:30pm and 11:30pm, Xabía’s old town is mobbed, people filled with anticipation for the continuation of evening festivities, many take this time to have dinner and drinks, continuing the celebration. I’d advise you book a table at a restaurant in advance, unless you want to end up like my family who walked around the town multiple times before finding a spare table. Around 11pm, everyone makes their way to Portal del Clot, where police estimated over 19,000 people stood just this year, to watch the Fogueres queen, light the first bonfire of the night, and take the first jump.

Jumping through the flames of the fire has its roots in old Pagan beliefs, to mark the summer solstice, it acts as a way to leave behind your troubles of the past and renew. Jumping through the fire, was something I felt so confident doing, until I was actually nearing the front of the line. Although there were so many people, there were playful pushes and shoves towards the front however everyone was respectful in waiting for their turn. I panicked last minute when I watched my dad and brother jump 2 meters high through the flames, and a stranger behind me confirmed that I might die when I said I didn’t know how fire proof my clothes were, his sarcasm was not appreciated in that moment as I turned back to my mum and told her to let go of my hand out of nerves. A girl not too far in front of me fell when making the jump, however she swiftly got up and fire fighters ran over to keep the crowd back while they ensured she had nothing more than a small knee scrape, and then it was my turn.

You don’t get much time to think it through, as everyone is waiting to go. You just have to run, jump and close your eyes. Landing at the other side, I was filled with adrenaline but all I could think about, was how hot my ankles felt, which didn’t go away until I woke up the next morning.

The night continues on, with everyone following the trail leading to more fires to be lit and jumped over, until the crowd reaches Raval del Baix, where a huge pile of old wooden furniture, rubbish and “old junk” is set ablaze. People take their headdresses and throw them in amongst the junk, believing it brings good luck and new beginnings. At 1am, firefighters use massive hoses to put out all the fires, with many locals taking the opportunity to bask in the cooling water after also feeling they have hot ankles. Before letting the final celebration begin, a party in the square, usually complete with a DJ going on until the early hours of the next morning.

The festival overall is a unique experience, and it’s not everyday you can say you jumped through fire and enjoyed it. Xabía is slowly becoming more touristy, with the festival drawing in people from all surrounding towns. Celebrating another countries annual traditions, can feel scary at first, however all the locals are incredibly welcoming, giving you an interesting and one of a kind opportunity.

Not only will I associate Xabía as a town full of culture and scenery, but now as a place where you leave with hot ankles and a lot more luck than I started with.