Yours truly had to get up nice and early this morning to see El Sol Que Balla (the dancing sun) rise and dance above the pueblo of Sant Joan in the centre of the island of Mallorca.

At 06h00 the village youth met at the Santuari de la Mare de Déu de Consolació just outside of Sant Joan to greet the Midsummer sun whilst the bells tolled from the església parroquial de Sant Joan Baptista. The small congregation was greeted by a spectacular display of nature when the sun came up behind the hills in the distance and started his glorious appearance.

The celebration appears to go back to pagan roots. It is not as overwhelming or spectacular as some others are elsewhere at this time of year, such as the one in Stonehenge but all told, I would count this festivity amongst the most joyful ones that I have ever participated in during my 22 years in Mallorca. I would recommend it to anybody. Maybe you could be enticed to get up at 05h00 on June 24th of next year.

The photos were taken near Sant Joan, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: June 24th, 2009. The time was 06:24:29 and 06:59:11, respectively.