How to prepare St. John’s water for June 24th?
The night between June 23rd and 24th has always been considered a magical night by the ancients because it is said that the dew of the Gods must be collected.
The night of June 23rd is indeed linked to the summer solstice when the most auspicious time of the year begins with nature reaching its peak splendor.
For this reason, propitiatory rites, prayers to ward off storms, droughts, and all atmospheric events that could ruin the crops have always been performed.
Thus, the dew of this night is collected in the flowers and it strengthens them, so the water obtained will bring luck, health, and serenity.
This year I also want to prepare St. John’s water and perhaps, given the difficult time we’ve just passed, gift it to the people I love, including my little one-month-old nephew named Giovanni.
To collect the dew on the miraculous night, during the vigil, cloths were spread in the meadows that absorbed the dew and early in the morning were wrung out, or a small container was placed in the grass; with the water, the eyes and face were washed to gain health for the eyesight and the whole body and to ward off evil. It was an act of purification before participating in liturgical ceremonies; the dew reminded of the baptism of the Baptist.
Wetting oneself with the dew of the holy night has a meaning of renewal, of rebirth; moreover, it will protect beauty and health throughout the year.
How to prepare St. John’s water
Which flowers are used to prepare St. John’s water?
With all the edible wildflowers and spontaneous herbs we find in this season. During my Sunday bike ride, I collected some edible flowers such as:
mallow,
poppy,
orange lily,
wisteria,
daisy,
snapdragon,
dog rose,
passionflower,
lavender,
poppy,
hibiscus,
chicory,
St. John’s wort.
I added herbs:
mint,
lemon verbena,
thyme,
sage,
rosemary,
St. John’s wort is also called St. John’s herb because it blooms around June 24th.
It is also known as devil’s chase. Legend had it that it was capable of driving away any evil spirit, particularly on St. John’s night.
So let’s also include St. John’s wort among the flowers, being careful not to drink this water but only to wash our faces with it. Even though they are edible, St. John’s wort, for example, is an antidepressant and must be taken under medical supervision.
If instead, you prefer to prepare a flower and herb salad, you can certainly bring that to the table!
For any information, do not hesitate to contact me on my Facebook Timo e lenticchie page where you can interact and ask me any question. Or you can join my group.
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- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
To prepare St. John’s water, just gather some wild or garden flowers blooming these days. Commonly used flowers: lavender, wisteria, St. John’s wort, rose, hibiscus, passionflower, poppy, snapdragon, yarrow, nasturtium, sulla, helichrysum, elderflower, clover, honeysuckle, chamomile, mallow, chicory, field daisy, … then add aromatic herbs such as mint, sage, rosemary, basil, thyme, marjoram, rue, pineapple sage, tarragon, wild fennel,
- 4 lavender flowers
- 4 St. John's wort flowers
- 10 mixed edible flowers
- 5 bunches aromatic herbs
Tools
- Bowl
Preparation
Collect if possible on June 23rd some edible flowers as described above. If you can find lavender and St. John’s wort even better.
Mix sage leaves, rosemary, and aromatic herbs.
In a glass bowl with water, gently place the flowers and on the evening of June 23rd move the bowl outside to catch the dew of St. John’s night.
The dew will intensify the fragrance of the flowers and this will end up in the water.
In the morning, wash your face and hands, refresh yourself and feel the sense of well-being, or collect the water in small bottles to gift during the day.
If you can’t get hold of the flowers, and you have a garden, you can always collect the dew on the lawn with a cloth and wet yourself with the cloth.
Here are the St. John’s waters from the Timo e lenticchie page
St. John’s water prepared together with the followers of Timo e lenticchie whom I sincerely thank.
Do not drink St. John’s water unless you are sure your flowers are all edible and collected in clean, smog-free areas. St. John’s wort is a plant used in herbal medicine but can interact with other types of medications. The trachelospermum or false jasmine, for example, releases a sap that could cause irritation. Be very careful!!
