The origin of the Midsummer Bonfires is associated with pagan festivals which worshiped the sun by making large bonfires for the summer solstice.

This tradition was continued for many years until the Second World War. It was not until 1947 that it was restored by “El Cercle dels Joves” in Catalonia. Since then, every year, bonfires are lit by the “canigó flame” on June 23. Since the summer solstice is the shortest day of the year, fires are present in all the villages of the Pyrénées-Orientales (P-O) department to light them until dawn. They symbolize the light that overcomes darkness and purifies populations.
This “canigó flame” was created thanks to a ray of sunlight at the top of Castillet in Perpignan, in 1963 by J.Iglesis, J.Deloncle, and M.Mestre, members of the “Cercle dels Joves”. It has since been kept there all year round. As it is an old state prison where Catalans were tortured for wanting to preserve their Catalan identity, the creators of the flame wanted “this prison of hatred to become for the flame, a house of love . »
Subsequently, in 1966, the flame was brought to the Ares Pass, on the border between Northern Catalonia and Southern Catalonia in order to reunite them. It reached Barcelona, Montserrat and Valencia in 1967. And in 1972, Jean Iglésis initiated the climb of fagots, called "la Trobada del Canigó", to the peak of the sacred mountain of the Catalans, the Canigó, the day before Saint-Jean, by each commune of the P-O. Since 1980, the flame has become the symbol of the “Festa Nacional dels Països Catalans”.
Since then, each year, three mountaineers have been designated to transmit this flame to all the villages in the P-O department. The flame, when distributed, is accompanied by a message of fraternity and love.

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic which significantly modified the organization of this celebration, the members of the Circle of the “Flame of Canigou” still wanted to celebrate this tradition in this year 2020. The third phase of deconfinement having been launched on June 22, gatherings of people were once again possible but with the duty to respect barrier gestures as much as possible.