Festival of St. John in Altea: Plantà de l´Arbret

The Festival of St. John in Altea is known as the "Plantà de l´Arbret" which comprises of a poplar tree from the locality of Benilloba, being taken to the square in front of the church in Altea, where it stays visible from every part of the municipality until the end of the summer.

This tradition has been repeated every year at the Festival of St. John in homage to the Celtic tradition of worshipping the fertility of the land and is seen as “extremely important part” of the traditions here about. 

However it is not for the squeamish or weak hearted and as always, yesterday involved a lot of drinking – ripped shirts and a magnificent throng of masculinity whilst parading the tree through the streets.

Traditional procession with a 20 metres long trunk

As the procession makes its way from the University of Fine Arts Carpark, young and old carry the popular tree on their shoulders to the highest point of the old part of the town of Altea. Here, in the Church Square,  it is laid down before “planting it” in a special hole. 

The trunk can be up to 20 metres long, and it is a real “labour of love” as the “Throng” carries it through the streets. No worries about the heat though. Tradition dictates that water is thrown from the balconies of houses in the streets onto the masses to keep them cool. 

The atmosphere is 100% carnival en-route and the revellers drink wine from “Porron Jugs” and usually end up completely drenched with their shirts ripped from their backs. 

Once in the square, the “trunk” is positioned in its hole and wires are fixed to keep it firmly in place. The “spunkier” (mainly youths), climb the tree and fix their shirts to it as high as they can and the tree can be seen here in the square for most of summer. 

It is an auspicious event and carries with it a wonderful feeling of “being alive” and living in Spain and why I love it here so much.

What comes next?

On Thursday 23rd June sees the San Juan Fiesta’s, a must for everyone who believes that a ceremonious “dip in the sea at Midnight”,  washes away the problems of the past year and brings a welcomed fresh hope and start for the new year. 

So Thursday, it’s down to the water’s edge and at midnight into that beautiful Mediterranean Sea  well it allows us another year to make some minor errors all to be recompensed the next year.

Image: información.es