A bit of the history of Saint onh´s bonfire and whre to exchange your curre
From Eurochange, we want to give you the chance of exchanging your currencies for euros, but not just in Alicante, but also in El Campello or Benidorm, locations near alicante where the bonfires will take place.
If you have sterling pounds or American dollars, come to one of our offices and check out our amazing exchange rates and the best customer service out there. But not just pounds and dollars, at Eurochange we buy most of the currencies and we will love to exchange them for Euros with excellent rates. But let´s talk a bit more about the Hogueras de San Juan.
Every year during June 24th´s night in Alicante takes place an original celebration involving Fire and Water, but mostly fire. The Hogueras (or bonfires) date back to the early 19th century and this tradition has been developing to get where they are nowadays.
There are many stories about the origins of this festivities. The most accepted is the one that dates the origins of this festival many many centuries ago when Spanish towns and villages celebrated the Summer Solstice with purifying bonfires. In the Alicante area, the agricultural workers celebrated the longest day of the year for harvesting and the shortest night with fires to scare bad spirits that could possibly come and harm them. Others stories tell that the origin lies in the tradition of burning useless objects with the arrival of the summer solstice. There are even stories about how the big stick figures were built to make fun of unwanted neighbors and then set on fire to show them they were not welcome .
But nowadays the Alicantinos work all year around to build and place throughout the city over 200 large satirical papier mâché statues that are lit on fire on the night of the 24th.
And the tradition continues after the figures are burned with popular “midnight rain”, where firefighters water everybody around the statues to help them cope with the high temperatures and also for the fun of it.
But this is not all Alicante has to offer during the Hogueras festivities. Along with the statues being place and receiving thousands of visits during the week, many others activities are taking place everyday around the city. The daily Mascletàs” (a stunning fireworks and firecrackers competition held from the 20th to the 24th in the Plaza de los Luceros square at 2pm), the proclamation known as the Pregón, the procession of the effigies known as the Cabalgata del Ninot, and parades, with a special floral tribute to the Virgen del Remedio are just some of the many things to see around the city those days.
These festivities attract people from all over the world. And in Eurochange we are here to help you with your money exchange. If you are from the UK come check our great rates on the pound to euro exchange at one of our Alicante locations. And if you are from Alicante and just want to get out of the city during these busy days, why don´t plan a small getaway? Check out our daily offers to be able to buy foreign currencies with the best rates. Maybe thinking of using your time off for a bigger trip? Buy your US dollars at an excellent price in Eurochange.
But either way, make sure you use this summer dates to enjoy yourself and all Alicante has to offer. From all the Eurochange family we wish you a great Summer.
