Fête de la Saint-Jean de Céret

The most Catalan night of the year in Céret

Every June 23rd, the eve of Saint-Jean, the town of Céret, capital of the Vallespir, celebrates the Feux de la Saint-Jean (Focs de Sant Joan), one of the oldest and most emblematic traditions of Catalan culture. This summer solstice festival, inscribed in the intangible heritage of Catalonia, brings together thousands of people in the town's streets.

The Canigou Flame

The festival begins with the reception of the Canigou flame, carried by relay runners from the summit of the sacred mountain of the Catalans. This flame, lit at the peak of Canigou during the Trobada a week earlier, symbolizes the unity of the Catalan people. Its arrival in Céret is welcomed by municipal authorities and the population in a solemn ceremony.

Sardanes, Bonfire, and Correfoc

The evening's program combines ancestral traditions and popular festivities:

• Sardanes dances in the town squares with cobla
• Lighting of the great bonfire (foc de Sant Joan) at dusk
• Correfoc: fire parade with devils and flame-spitting dragons
• Torchlight procession through the town streets
• Distribution of ramallets (Saint-Jean bouquets)
• Popular ball until the end of the night

A Living and Shared Tradition

The Fête de la Saint-Jean de Céret is much more than just a popular festival: it is the living symbol of Catalan identity in Roussillon. The transmission of the Canigou flame, the sharing of bread with the shepherds, the sardanes danced in a circle, and the great bonfire perpetuate ancient traditions that unite Catalans from France and Spain.