The celebration known as St. John's Eve occurs the night before the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist.
The Gospel of Luke states that John was born about six months before Jesus. Consequently, the feast of John the Baptist is observed on June 24, six months before Christmas. St. John's Eve is the night before, or June 23.
The Fires of St. John's
Fire is often associated with Saint John's Eve celebrations, as a form of giving thanks for bountiful harvests.
Bonfires on the eve of St. John's Day may have originated with the ancient Druids, who built fires at the Summer Solstice in celebration of the sun god.
In France, Fête de la Saint-Jean is celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean) reminiscent of Midsummer's rituals. In some towns, a tall bonfire is constructed and ignited on St John's Day.
The Voodoo of St. John's Eve
Midsummer rituals common in pre-Christian Britain carried over into St. John’s Day celebrations. The veil between the living and the dead is particularly porous during solstices and the Eve of St. John is a time when the dead rise up and walk and mischievous fairies are most powerful.
In New Orleans, voodoo baptisms are performed on the banks of Bayou St. John the night of June 23, a tradition traced to Marie Laveau, the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. During a head-washing ceremony, participants dress all in white, including a white head scarf, and present an offering to the spirit of the Voodoo Queen to ensure a propitious year.
St. John the Baptist Water, used to keep enemies away from your door, is collected on St. John's Eve, preferably from from the Bayou St. John in New Orleans. A vial of the water is placed on its side with the top pointing toward the door. When the enemy knocks or approaches, roll the vial toward the door with your foot. Once the person leaves, use your foot to roll the bottle back to its original position. The vial must remain in position and never, ever be emptied.
St. John's Wort, imbued with the power of the sun, is hung over doors and windows to repel witches and evil spirits.
St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain
Modest Mussorgsky's 1867 composition "Night on Bald Mountain" in Walt Disney’s Fantasia was originally "St. John’s Night on the Bare Mountain." In its haunting ending a church bell announces the dawn and daybreak chases away the evil spirits.