St John's Night
- noun
- UK
:
Noche de San Juan
- On St John's Night, the whole village gathered to light bonfires and celebrate together.
Examples
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In many countries, St John's Night is associated with ancient rituals and the celebration of midsummer.
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Traditional songs and dances marked the festivities on St John's Night.
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Many people celebrate St John's Night with bonfires.
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Do you know when St John's Night occurs?
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On St John's Night, families come together to enjoy food, music, and festivities as they celebrate the start of summer.
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In parts of Europe, St John's Night features fire-jumping and other traditional customs to mark the summer solstice.
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The villagers lit candles and shared stories around the fire during the joyous celebration of St John's Night.
Synonyms
1
8.4
The evening before Midsummer Day when people celebrate with bonfires and dances
1
6.8
A night around the longest day of the year when people celebrate with fires and dancing
The evening before Midsummer Day when people light bonfires and celebrate
The night before Midsummer Day when people in some countries celebrate with bonfires and festivals
Surface Forms
Morphology
St + John's + night
The components literally yield 'the night associated with Saint John', so a learner who knows 'St', 'John's' and 'night' can infer it refers to a night tied to the saint. However, the specific cultural sense (Midsummer eve, local customs and bonfires) is conventional and requires cultural or lexical knowledge beyond the words themselves, so the relation is not fully predictable.
Etymology
The name St John's Night comes from the old Christian feast for St John the Baptist held at midsummer. People lit big bonfires, sang and danced on that night, so the phrase now means 'the night before Midsummer Day' and a time for summer celebrations.