The Night of the Witches

St John the Baptist by Simeon Drouin, St Peter's Basilica

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June 24th is the Feast of the Nativity of St John the Baptist, the preacher who announced the coming of Christ. 

In art, St John the Baptist's attributes are a lamb and a reed cross (a cross with a long slender stem). There is often a banner attached to the cross bearing the words 'Ecce Agnus Dei', a reference to the Gospel of St John (1:36): 'And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!'. St John the Baptist is invariably depicted pointing up to heaven. 

The sole biblical account of the birth of John the Baptist comes from the Gospel of Luke. 

The day of a saint's death is usually celebrated as his or her feast day, as it marks their dies natalis (day of birth) into eternal life. To this rule there are two notable exceptions: the nativity of the Virgin Mary (September 8th) and that of John the Baptist. 

The cathedral of Rome, San Giovanni in Laterano (St John Lateran), is jointly dedicated to Christ the Saviour, St John the Baptist and St John the Evangelist. 

The night before the Feast Day of St John the Baptist is known as the Notte degli Streghe (Night of the Witches). On this night, according to legend, witches were summoned to the meadows around St John Lateran by the ghosts of Herodias and her daughter Salome, who were damned for causing the saint's beheading. 

The witches were warded off by the lighting of bonfires and the eating of snails and garlic. People, armed with horns, trumpets, bells and firecrackers, would also gather in large numbers to make as much of a din as possible in order to chase away the evil spirits. 

St John the Baptist (1612-15) by Pietro Bernini, S. Andrea della Valle

St John the Baptist (1858) by Giuseppe Obici, S. M. sopra Minerva

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