(For any scientists out there still searching for the missing link between the animal kingdom and homo erectus, I’m here to tell you that it is little boys. This tradition takes its name from the saint celebrated on 24th June, St John the Baptist . Washing the eyes with this water will assure protection against eye diseases. I go first, rinsing my face and hands (sure, I may not be a believer, but the powers of the water are supposed to be especially beneficial to the skin and … Assisi, 06081 (PG) Italy - Roughly between the ages of 3 and 30.) This 'acqua di San Giovanni' was a refreshing view! The data will be mainly processed at the mentioned head office by the people responsible for the website or by other people appointed for occasional maintenance operations, provided that their actions conform to of the guarantees enshrined in the Legislative Decree 196/2003. 196/2003 and held only for the time necessary to achieve the aim for which it has been collected. St. John the Baptist has a strong association with water, logicamente and on the vigil of his feast, farm friends Peppa, Rita, and Olga will be preparing the sacred acqua di San Giovanni. The data subjects are at any time entitled to obtain confirmation as to whether or not data relating to him are held, to know the contents and the origin, to check the correctness, to ask for integration, updating or change (art. Surely tied to ancient pagan beliefs surrounding the summer solstice and the increased potency of the four elements (earth, wind, fire and water) during that night, even today you hear the aforism: La guazza di Santo Gioanno fa guarì da ogni malanno or “St. In this data category there are IP addresses or domain names belonging to computers used by users who connect to the site, addresses with URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) notification of the requested resources, time of the request, used method in submitting the request to the server, dimension of the file obtained in replying, the numeric code mentioning the reply status given by the server (successful reply, error, etc?) Notify me of follow-up comments by email. The soaking flowers and herbs are left outside during the entire night preceding the feast day for two important reasons. But they come out smelling of flowers and herbs, tradition and belief, blessings and health. Fire? 3 Comments. It’s something we seem to have lost in the US, especially out West. The Body Shop in Perugia used to sell bath bombs that were in fun shapes like dolphins and bears, but they don’t make them anymore. And, second, it is imperitive that the infusion be moistened by the first dew the next morning. Read more la Festa del Fuoco e Guazza di San Giovanni, June 24th – time for a wash in the water of San Giovanni. There are numerous traditions tied to the supposed powers of St. John’s dew, which represents the tears of Salome crying over the death of John the Baptist. Failure to provide such data may be the cause of the inability to obtain the requested information from the company. Infants will be washed directly in the basin of the acqua di San Giovanni before the water is used by others. In accordance with the same article, they are entitled to obtain the erasure, conversion into anonymous form or freezing of all data used in breach of the law, to object, on legitimate grounds, to the processing of data relating to him. The feast day of John the Baptist—La Festa di San Giovanni Battista—falls on June 24th, and on the eve of this holy day we spend an hour walking the fields and meadows around our house along with our Umbrian neighbors gathering petals of wildflowers, snippets of herbs, and scented leaves (tradition holds that there should be one hundred varieties gathered, but we start to fudge our numbers about an hour into the project) which we then soak in water in a small tub overnight to prepare the traditional acqua di San Giovanni. My farm neighbors are puzzled when I ask them why the basin must be left out to receive the guazza. I absolutely love reading about the Italian traditions you blog about! Lei ci segue sempre per poi sfociare nei ... L'acqua che scorre è la vita. Ann took my daughter and I to Peppa’s farm for this celebration 3 years ago. Smiling faces ready for their bath. and other parameters referred to the operation system and to the user’s information environment. I stopped at Peppa’s on June 24th with Cara from Georgia who has been staying in our Assisi apartment to wash with the perfumed water. In many families, a ladleful of the acqua di San Giovanni is added to the bath water of each that day. The personal data is treated in compliance with the Legislative Decree no. Maybe this one will appeal to them: http://www.lush.it/main/product.php?node=51&doc=731. They beg, they plead, they cry, they bargain. In one way or another, Umbria’s June rural rites rotate around the summer solstice. It’s a shame, because they were fun and had a nice scent that wasn’t ovewhelming (though did overwhelm their little boy smell!). “Come for a wash in my perfumed water of San Giovanni!” invites Peppa. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Tel: +39-075-802334 - Except for the above mentioned navigation data, the user may be asked to supply his own personal data through queries or messages to the email addresses shown in the contact pages. In one way or another, Umbria’s June rural rites rotate around the summer solstice. - categories: Curiosities, Festivals, Folklore, Rural Life, Special Events - It must be curative- you look wonderful!? Date: June 27, 2014 @Saretta…you can always spread traditions out to new areas! The principal for data treatment is Anne Robichaud Pian della Pieve Assisi 06081 (PG) Italy. It sounded a bit odd and finding its origin in a rather generic Paganism didn't shock me at all. I, too, am the mother to two stinky little boys who don’t want to wash often enough! All this water worship has made me realize that the water back home is nowhere near ready for worship, I picked up the watersoftenerguide.com to inform myself on what I should do about it. The flower-filled water basins must never enter the home. This information is not collected with the purpose of identifying interested parties, but due to its very nature, the information could lead to user identification through processes and relations with data held by third parties. The bath is fun, the cleanup is not so fun…. They can only tell me that their ancestors “have always done so – and so must we”. Date: June 27, 2014 - categories: Curiosities, Festivals, Folklore, Rural Life, Special Events - 3 Comments. Your email address will not be published. For this reason alone I would have voted for his canonization. This data is used with the sole purpose of obtaining anonymous statistical information on the use of the site and to check the correct functioning; immediately after processing, the data is erased. Specific safety measures are taken to prevent any data loss, illicit or incorrect use and unauthorized access. The farm women will soak the flowers and plants all night in a basin – outdoors. It’s one of the things that I fell in love with when I came to Italy…I really felt that aspect was missing from my suburban midwest upbringing…. Nella nostra prima parte di vita siamo nel grembo della mamma a contatto con l'acqua. Pity, it looks like fun to take a bath in all those flowers! During site consultation, personal data referring to identified or identifiable persons can be processed. Keeping the basin out all night assures that the first guazza or dew will enter the water. Agenzia Viaggi Stoppini in Assisi handles all technical support for my guided visits (bus transportation, organization of meals, etc), Anne Robichaud - Too bad you can’t bottle the scent and make it into a bubble bath for them, though I guess they’re more excited about the flowers in the tub, than the scent. The guazza, or dew, which settles during the night of Saint John has long been thought to have mystical powers. The ancients believed that on the vigil of June 24th (later designated as the feast of St. John the Baptist by the Church), he elements of Nature – water, fire, earth, and air – were charged with particular powers. A miracle! Peppa demonstrates to an Atlanta visitor how to wash in the sacred water. E-mail: anne@annesitaly.com - Upon rising, everyone in the family will wash face and hands with the gloriously perfumed acqua di San Giovanni to keep the skin healthy and youthful and to ward off illness. First, tradition holds that during the night the Madonna and Saint John pass to leave their benediction on the profumed water, the power of which can stay curses, envy, and harmful charms—especially those directed towards children—and ward off demons and witches. John’s dew cures all ills”. Required fields are marked *. At sunset on June 23rd, they’ll tromp the fields and comb the hills gathering the cento erbe (literally, “one hundred grasses/plants”, though flowers too are picked..and who knows if they’ll find one hundred?). All requests have to be transmitted to the e-mail address anne@annesitaly.com. My children do not want to bathe. Under Article 13 of the Italian Legislative Decree no. http://www.lush.it/main/product.php?node=51&doc=731, Friendship: Just Add Water (Hot Spring Water, That Is), Local Flavor: The Best Restaurants in Assisi, A Perfect Day, A Perfect Hike: Spoleto’s Monteluco, The Humble Art of the Nativity Crèche in Umbria, Public Transportation: Getting to Assisi from Rome and Florence, Watching Over Amalfi's Legends | Ciao Amalfi, Common Myths and Misconceptions Regarding Italian Culture Fostered by Guidebooks.