John the Baptist

==Commemoration==
===Denominational festivals===
Christian festivals associated with Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner are celebrated at various days by different denominations and are dedicated to his conception, [[Nativity of Saint John the Baptist|birth]], and [[Beheading of Saint John the Baptist|death]], as well as in correlation to the [[baptism of Jesus]]. The Eastern Church has feast days for the finding of his head (first, second, and third finding), as well as for his parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah. In the Russian Orthodox Church there is a feast day of the Transfer of the Right Hand of the Forerunner from Malta to Gatchina.{{refn|For more see in this article at "Religious views: Christianity", under "Catholic Church" and "Eastern Christianity".|group=note}}

===Association with summer solstice===
The Feast of Saint John closely coincides with the [[June solstice]], also referred to as Midsummer in the Northern Hemisphere. The Christian holy day is fixed at 24 June; but in most countries festivities are mostly held the night before, on Saint John's Eve. "In England, 'Saint John's Tide' is combined with a midsummer celebration. Instead of the date of the summer solstice, they chose June 24. This may be because of the Baptist's own words, 'He must increase, but I must decrease' (John 3:30). John was, of course, referring to Jesus. John's day comes at the time when the sun is beginning to decrease..."<ref name="McNamara2000">{{cite book|last=McNamara|first=Beth Branigan|title=Christian Beginnings|year=2000|publisher=Our Sunday Visitor|language=en|isbn=9780879730765}}</ref>

===Patron saint and local festivals===
{{Main category|Saint John's Day}}

====Middle East====
[[File:Ein Kerem Church of St John the Baptist by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|Catholic church at his traditional birthplace in [[Ein Kerem]]]]

Saint John the Baptist's beheading is said to have taken place in [[Machaerus]], in central Jordan.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Castle of Herod the Great {{!}} Mukawir, Jordan Attractions|url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/jordan/mukawir/attractions/castle-of-herod-the-great/a/poi-sig/1443203/1299086|access-date=27 September 2021|website=Lonely Planet|language=en|archive-date=27 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210927123751/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/jordan/mukawir/attractions/castle-of-herod-the-great/a/poi-sig/1443203/1299086|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Vörös|first=Győző|title=Machaerus: The Golgotha of Saint John the Baptist|date=2012|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/44092160|journal=Revue Biblique|volume=119|issue=2|pages=232–270|jstor=44092160|via=JSTOR|access-date=23 December 2020|archive-date=6 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406140212/https://www.jstor.org/stable/44092160|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=6 June 2020|title=Machaerus: Beyond the Beheading of John the Baptist|url=https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/machaerus-beyond-the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist/|access-date=27 September 2021|website=Biblical Archaeology Society|language=en|archive-date=25 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925180305/https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/machaerus-beyond-the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Europe====
[[File:St John the Baptist Titular Statue of Xewkija Gozo, Malta.jpg|thumb|Wooden statue. [[Pietro Paolo Azzopardi]], 1845, [[Xewkija]].]]

In Spain, Saint John was venerated during the feast of the [[Alhansara]] in [[Granada]], and also in [[Gaztelugatxe]]<ref>{{cite journal|author=Adriano Duque|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09518967.2022.2115746|title=Aspects of tree veneration around the cult of John the Baptist in medieval Syria and Spain (10th–14th centuries CE)|journal=Mediterranean Historical Review|date=2023|volume=37|issue=2|pages=133–149|doi=10.1080/09518967.2022.2115746|s2cid=254096999|access-date=14 February 2023|archive-date=16 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216055641/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09518967.2022.2115746|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the United Kingdom, Saint John is the patron of [[Penzance]], [[Cornwall]]. In [[Scotland]], he is the patron saint of [[Perth, Scotland|Perth]], which used to be known as St. John's Toun of Perth. The main church in the city is still the medieval Kirk of St. John the Baptist and the city's [[Professional sports|professional]] [[football club (association football)|football club]] is called [[St Johnstone F.C.]]

Also, on the night of 23 June on to the 24th, Saint John is celebrated as the patron saint of [[Porto]], the second largest city in [[Portugal]]. An article from June 2004 in ''[[The Guardian]]'' remarked that "Porto's {{lang|pt|[[Festa de São João]]}} is one of Europe's liveliest street festivals, yet it is relatively unknown outside the country".<ref>{{cite news|author=Matthew Hancock|url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/jun/12/portugal.guardiansaturdaytravelsection|title=There's only one São João|work=The Guardian|date=12 June 2004|access-date=14 February 2010|location=London|archive-date=28 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131228052351/http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2004/jun/12/portugal.guardiansaturdaytravelsection|url-status=live}}</ref>

As patron saint of the original Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John, he is the patron of the Knights Hospitaller of Jerusalem, [[Malta]], [[Florence]], [[Cesena]], [[Turin]] and [[Genoa]], Italy; as well as of Malta as a whole and of [[Xewkija]] and [[Gozo]] in Malta, which remember him with a great feast on the Sunday nearest to 24 June.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

====Americas====
Saint John the Baptist is the [[patron saint]] of the [[Commonwealth of Puerto Rico]] and its capital city, [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]]. In 1521, the island was given its formal name, {{lang|es|"San Juan Bautista de Puerto Rico"}}, following the custom of christening a town with its formal name and the name which [[Christopher Columbus]] had originally given the island. The names {{lang|es|"San Juan Bautista"}} and {{lang|es|"Puerto Rico"}} were eventually used in reference to both city and island, leading to a reversal in terminology by most inhabitants largely due to a [[Cartography|cartographic]] error. By 1746, the city's name ({{lang|es|"Puerto Rico"}}) had become that of the entire island, while the name for the island ({{lang|es|"San Juan Bautista"}}) had become that of the city. The [[List of U.S. state mottos|official motto]] of Puerto Rico also references the saint: {{lang|la|Joannes Est Nomen Eius}}.<ref>[[Latin language|Latin]] for "his name is John", from Luke 1:63. {{bibleverse|Luke|1:63}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Sobre Nosotros |url=https://www.statedepartment.pr.gov/department-of-state |url-status=live |access-date=March 26, 2024 |website=Department of State |publisher=Puerto Rico Department of State}}</ref>

He is also a patron saint of [[French Canada]] and [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]]. The Canadian cities of [[St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador|St. John's, Newfoundland]] (1497), [[Saint John, New Brunswick]] (1604), and [[Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu|Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec]] (1665), were all named in his honor. His feast day of 24 June is celebrated officially in [[Quebec]] as the {{lang|fr|[[Fête Nationale du Québec]]}} and was previously celebrated in Newfoundland as [[Discovery Day]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=18 June 2020|title=N.L. ditches 'Discovery Day' holiday criticized for erasing Indigenous presence|url=https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-l-ditches-discovery-day-holiday-criticized-for-erasing-indigenous-presence-1.4990440|access-date=10 August 2021|website=Atlantic|language=en|archive-date=10 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810135133/https://atlantic.ctvnews.ca/n-l-ditches-discovery-day-holiday-criticized-for-erasing-indigenous-presence-1.4990440|url-status=live}}</ref>

He is also patron of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Charleston]], which covers the whole of [[South Carolina]] in the [[United States]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 May 2003|title=Diocesan patron, St. John the Baptist, a minister of joy and mercy|url=https://themiscellany.org/2003/05/01/diocesan-patron-st-john-the-baptist-a-minister-of-joy-and-mercy/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808082119/https://themiscellany.org/2003/05/01/diocesan-patron-st-john-the-baptist-a-minister-of-joy-and-mercy/|archive-date=8 August 2020|access-date=13 December 2020|website=The Catholic Miscellany|publisher=Diocese of Charleston|language=en-US}}</ref>

====Southeast Asia====
[[Calamba, Laguna]], [[Calumpit, Bulacan]], [[Balayan, Batangas|Balayan]] and [[Lian, Batangas|Lian]] in [[Batangas (province)|Batangas]], [[Sipocot]] and [[San Fernando, Camarines Sur]], [[Daet, Camarines Norte]] [[San Juan, Metro Manila]], [[Tabuelan, Cebu]], and [[Jimenez, Misamis Occidental]] and the oldest in [[Taytay, Rizal|Taytay Rizal]] are among several places in the [[Philippines]] that venerate John as the town or city patron. A common practise of many [[Culture of the Philippines|Filipino fiestas]] in his honour is bathing and the dousing of people in memory of John's iconic act. The custom is similar in form to [[Songkran]] and [[Holi]], and serves as a playful respite from the intense tropical heat. While famed for the [[Black Nazarene]] it enshrines, [[Quiapo Church]] in [[Manila]] is actually dedicated to Saint John.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===Orders and societies===
A number of [[religious orders]] who include or have included in their name a mention of John the Baptist have been called [[Baptistines (disambiguation)|Baptistines]].

John the Baptist is the name-giving patron of the [[Knights Hospitaller]], or Knights of Saint John.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Carr |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tH4TDgAAQBAJ&dq=John+the+Baptist+is+the+name-giving+patron+of+the+Knights+Hospitaller&pg=PT6 |title=The Knights Hospitaller: A Military History of the Knights of St John |date=2016-10-30 |publisher=Casemate Publishers |isbn=978-1-4738-5890-9 |language=en |access-date=19 December 2022 |archive-date=5 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405002934/https://books.google.com/books?id=tH4TDgAAQBAJ&dq=John+the+Baptist+is+the+name-giving+patron+of+the+Knights+Hospitaller&pg=PT6 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Along with [[John the Evangelist]], John the Baptist is claimed as a patron saint by the fraternal society of [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ward.html|title=Pietre-Stones Review of Freemasonry|publisher=Freemasons-freemasonry.com|access-date=14 February 2010|archive-date=19 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019092419/http://www.freemasons-freemasonry.com/ward.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Description	What you type	What you get
Italic	''Italic text''	Italic text
Bold	'''Bold text'''	Bold text
Bold & italic	'''''Bold & italic text'''''	*Bold & italic text*
Description	What you type	What you get
Reference	Page text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>	Page text.^[1]
Named reference	Page text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>	Page text.^[2]
Additional use of the same reference	Page text.<ref name="test" />	Page text.^[2]
Display references	<references />	↑ Link text, additional text. ↑ Link text