Solstice Celebrations and Heavenly Places

(Photo credit: Kelly R.F., "Butterfly House Shot")

Between sacred and profane the eternal story of our beautiful traditions in Italy 

The night beween June 23rd and June 24th is very well known to our ancestors for one of the most important celebrations of the year: the wedding of the Sun (fire) with the Moon (water) captured by the summer solstice when the sun reaches his maximum positive inclination entering the constellation of the sign of Cancer, symbol of water and dominated by the moon. The month of June is a blast of flowers and fruits, a beautiful expression of this magic marriage.

In Italy the original pagan solemnity of the Summer Solstice has been translated by Christianity into St. John's Feast Day:  fire and water are the elements with which Saint John the Baptist practiced his christenings, this is why in our countryside this midsummer night is called "La notte di San Giovanni" (tr.St. John's Night).

Holiday dress of a little girl
 in the 1800s

Despite the fact that Saint John the Baptist is a very important Saint for the Christianity - he is the only Saint besides the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ being celebrated on the day of their birth, while the Catholic Church celebrates the rest of the Saints upon the day of their bodily death, which is called as a matter of fact in Latin "Dies Natalis" (tr."the day of birth") because the belief is that we are born to true life after death only - I want to think that there are beautiful social actions that make us eternal, also known as rituals, indeed remembering  the ritual traditions of our ancestors is something that highly cherishes my heart.

As an example this is what my great-grand mother Diamante Niccacci (1883-1970) would do for St. John's Day as a very simple ritual that she would do as a little girl under the supervision of her mother and later on for her family:

• June 23rd: pick up all sorts of flowers ("fiorellini" tr.little flowers, we use diminutives a lot in Italian, they give us the sense of tenderness, thinking of a little girl in this case) in pristine places; 
• deep the flowers into a basin filled with fresh, cold water; 
• place the basin with flowers outside her sleeping room window all night;  
• filter the water early in the morning of June 24th;
• wash eyes and face with this water called "Acqua Odorosa" (tr."fragrant water") which was supposed to be purifing her body, heal her eyes and when it was time to get married, bless her to fertility. It was considered as a miraculous water!

Simple dress of a little
girl in the 1800s

Her mother in turn would prepare additional scented water for the rest of the family in separate bowls by following the same steps as above. Because of her knowledge of plants and herbs she could prepare a more elaborate water, this is why this scented water is also known as "Acqua delle Cento Erbe" (tr."one hundred herbs water"), mothers could pick up up to one hundred different flowers and herbs. The ritual of the scented water was extended to the whole family and everybody participated with great piety and excitement. 

If you wish to do the scented water for the Day of Saint John, these are the main flowers and herbs to use: 

Rose petals, lavender leaves and flowers, violets, hypericum flowers (St. John's Wort), hawthorn, sage, marjoram, rosemary, garlic, camomile, onion,  wormwood, rue (the lucky plant of Deruta!), strawberry  tree (arbutus unedo, a magic fruit for the Romans), blackcurrant, walnut leaves, fennel, thyme, laurel, geranium, wild mint, daisies and all your favorite flowers and herbs.

Do not forget to leave your bowl of water outside the window or it will not work...Saint John is supposed to scroll in the streets all night blessing basins of fragrant water!

The ritual of the fragrant water was part of several other traditions which go under the name of "Lustral Ceremonies", solstice auspicious celebrations which involved fire and water, ancestral marriages of sacred and profane on their turn, wishing health, love, prosperity and wealth to the family and especially dedicated to young girls and brides to be.

...to be continued...

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

If you are in Umbria and you are a Friends of Cama member, I will be happy to send you the list of my favorite places where the tradition of scented water is being celebrated this year. For inquiries write to friendsofcama@gmail.com 

A traditional basin of  scented water from the countryside in Umbria.
(photo credit: Banca del Tempo)