San Juan rituals in Paraguay: Tests to divine your future love

As the eve of San Juan approaches, traditional rituals in Paraguay offer singles a glimpse into their romantic futures. Celebrated on June 23rd and 24th, these customs, steeped in folklore, are believed to reveal whether love is on the horizon or if the search must continue.

One popular test involves a mirror. Participants are instructed to buy a mirror on June 23rd and keep it wrapped until midnight on June 24th. By lighting a candle and unwrapping the mirror at this specific hour, individuals hope to see the reflection of their future spouse. A variation suggests placing the mirror under a pillow on the night of June 23rd and looking into it first thing on the 24th.

Another set of traditions focuses on written clues. Singles might place slips of paper with potential names under their pillow on the eve of San Juan. Upon waking, they select one slip, believing the name written on it belongs to their future love. Ink-based divination involves dripping a number of ink drops equal to one's age onto paper, folding it, and placing it under the pillow. The pattern formed by the ink the next morning is thought to reveal the initial of a future partner.

Other methods include asking the first person of the opposite sex encountered on the morning of June 24th for their name, as this is believed to be the initial of one's future spouse. A candle dripped into a bowl of water is also used, with the resulting shape forming the initial. Even a knife inserted into a banana on June 23rd and removed the following day is said to reveal an initial through rust patterns. A more elaborate test involves a rooster that has been deprived of food for a day, with three individuals placed side-by-side before it and corn placed at their feet.