The German name for the midsummer bonfire traditionally lit on Saint John’s Eve is Johannisfeuer.
The word combines Johannis, meaning “John’s,” with Feuer, meaning “fire.” Johannisfeuer refers to bonfires associated with the eve of Saint John the Baptist’s feast day, observed on June 24. The fires are part of a broad European midsummer tradition that adapted older solstice customs to the Christian calendar.
Communities may gather around the fire for singing, food, dancing, and social celebrations. In some areas, participants traditionally jump over the flames or carry out other customs intended to mark purification, protection, or good fortune.
Johannisfeuer should not be confused with Sonnwendfeuer, a German term for solstice fires more directly tied to the astronomical turning point. The two traditions can overlap in timing and appearance, but Johannisfeuer specifically emphasizes Saint John’s Eve.