The evening of 23 June,
Saint John's Eve, is the eve of celebration before the
Feast Day of
Saint John the Baptist. The
Gospel of Luke (Luke 1:36, 56–57) states that John was born about six months before
Jesus; therefore, the feast of John the Baptist was fixed on 24 June, six months before
Christmas Eve. This feast day is one of the very few saints' days which commemorates the anniversary of the birth, rather than the death, of the saint being honored.