Butter Waves and Fertility

Spain has been an experience for me. I have hablared some spanish, ate some pretty weird food and watched futbol games with some pretty crazy fans. One privilege I have had here is participating in the endless supply of festivals and random holidays that float around Spain. A few weeks ago San Juan graced us with his holiday and let me tell you San Juan knows how to throw the party. So Im not sure what kind of saint San Fermin was but he was a wierd one or at least the people who celebrate him see him in a strange way.

The tradition is to wait until midnight and at the stroke of twelve dash into the Mediterranean's butter smooth waves and jump over the waves. Every time you successfully jump over a way you are granted purity. That's right! I have been deemed pure by jumping waves at midnight! Thanks San Juan!

Now the great thing about this holiday is that you get two things out of it, Purity and fertility. Im not sure how these two are related but they are. Before or after waves are jumped the participant seeking fertility must leap over a fire. Fires are lit all over the beach and people can be seen leaping through the flames. Jump a flame and you're fertile until the next San Juan day. Personally it seems like this tradition would cause more infertility than fertility but what do I know.

Our little band of rag tag Americans decided we too wanted to be fertile and pure. People were jumping over flames, whootin' hollerin and having a good time. One of my friends walked up to me and asked me why I hadnt jumped the flames. I told him I had a bad ankle and I didnt want to hurt it anymore, (its all better now, thanks Dr. Wilkens!:) Before I knew it he and another guy were carrying me over the flames....Phew, I dont know what I would do if I had to wait to the next San Juan day. So now I am pure and fertile....awkward.