June stretches out the evenings. Asturias may offer bright, mild days, but rain and cool weather remain part of summer, especially by the sea and in the mountains. Around the solstice comes the night of San Xuan, one of the best-known celebrations in the local calendar.

The month: long light, changing weather

Meadows are green and plants make use of the long daylight. Clouds may drift in from the sea along the coast; conditions change quickly at higher elevations. Astronomical summer begins with the solstice, the longest day of the year, which usually falls on 20 or 21 June.

The celebration: San Xuan

San Xuan is the Asturian name for Saint John. Many places celebrate around 23 and 24 June with bonfires, music, food or gatherings, according to local custom. There is no single way of celebrating across Asturias. Some communities also have customs connected with springs and water.

The Christian feast of Saint John is close to the solstice, but it is not the same as the astronomical event. Bonfires or a date near the change of season do not by themselves prove a direct Celtic origin. To understand a celebration, it matters to listen to the history told by the community itself.

The Xana and Simivisonnios

The Xana, a figure in Asturian legends associated with springs and rivers, appears here as an image of water. Simivisonnios is a name from the Coligny calendar, a Gaulish inscription found in France; its meaning and connection with June are uncertain. Neither explains the origin of San Xuan.