Palm trees, long lunches, and jumping fires for San Juan

Week 26

Hello!

How has your week 26 been?

This is our weekly post in which I tell you one thing that I noticed/did/smelt etc…that could only have happened during this particular week of the year, and then you tell me yours. At the end of the month - which is heading our way - I bundle them all up into a big beautiful poem.

Ridiculously, I was in Malaga this week, on the actual Mediterranean (a place I slightly forget is real, it’s just too good, surely?) for a 50th year celebration break with friends who are also reaching 50 this year, plus one young ‘un of a mere 47. We wandered among palm trees, ate long, delicious lunches, drank jugs of sangria, danced til 2 at a gig at the flamenco museum, strolled and laughed and lounged. It was pure magic.

But we also…

Jumped fires for San Juan

By pure chance we ended up in Malaga for La Noche de San Juan, St John’s Eve. St John’s Eve used to be celebrated in the UK as traditional midsummer, and along the Spanish coast it seems this tradition is still very much alive, with all of the beaches filled with party goers and lit up with bonfires and fireworks. It is a night full of rituals and omens to bring luck for the six months ahead: you write a note containing something you wish to let go of - bad times to leave behind you in the second half of the year - and throw it onto one of the beach fires, or hogueras; then you leap over a fire three times to see off any bad spirits; and at midnight you run into the sea to bring good luck and change your fortune. We did all of this, AND - very oddly - we found four tarot cards along the road on our walk there, each one falling into one of our paths. Really odd! But very good and mysterious. I got a cracker so I am hoping for some good stuff.

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Now over to you. What did you do/see/hear/leap over/run into this week that was particular to this week?

Please leave your comments below.