Less cake but the same fun as always to celebrate the Eve of Saint John's Day
Bakers expect a 5% drop in the sale of cakes due to the economic crisis. Families have chosen smaller and cheaper sweets to celebrate the night, while the tradition of setting off firecrackers appears to be as strong as ever
Barcelona (ACN).-The night of the 23th of June is never calm in Catalonia. Thousands of people go out on to the streets to celebrate the Eve of the Saint John. Firecrackers are set off at every corner and on most beaches, while families come together for dinner and a party. Saint John’s festival is always a good business opportunity for cake sellers. This year cake makers expect to sell up to 16,000 of the so-called ‘Coca de Sant Joan’, a special Catalan cake eaten for the occasion on the day. The figure is 5% lower than last year, due to the effects of the economic crisis.
On the 24th families and friends reunite again to drink and eat the special cake made of sweetbread and candy fruits. Bakeries usually display the most amazing variety of cakes, from those with cracklings, to those made with jellied fruit and pine nuts, to a range of cakes with cream or other sweet ingredients. However, the President of the Catalan Association of Bakers, Joan Turull said that they only expect to sell 1.6 million cakes. However the cakes will be smaller, as consumers do not want to spend as much money on the festivities as they did in previous years.