Spaniards celebrate San Juan festival with beach bonfires

STORY: The traditional festival of San Juan, or St John's, falls on the night of the 23 to 24 of June, when St John the Baptist was born according to the Bible. But the festival celebrated in Spain sees more pagan rituals being carried out during celebrations, including building bonfires and jumping over it as purification, getting rid of evil spirits and protection from fire for the rest of the year.

San Juan also celebrates the beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.

Local emergency authorities expected 100,000 people to attend the celebrations in A Coruna.

Revellers were dancing, socializing and jumping over bonfires on the beaches into the early hours of Friday (June 24).