Webreflinks - Midsummer

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t	243	In Wales it is called Gŵyl Ifan, or Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Haf (St John's of Midsummer) to distinguish it from Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Gaeaf (St John's of Midwinter, the feast of John the Evangelist). Great agricultural fairs used to be held at this time, along with merriment and dancing. A bonfire was also kept this night. With the advent of non-conformist beliefs on the Welsh socio-political culture, this (among so many other similar festivals) suffered greatly, and its observance finally died out in SE Wales by the end of the 19th century. However, since 1977, a folk-dance revival started in Cardiff, and is held now annually on this feast day<ref>http://www.gwylifan.org/</ref>	t	243	In Wales it is called Gŵyl Ifan, or Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Haf (St John's of Midsummer) to distinguish it from Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Gaeaf (St John's of Midwinter, the feast of John the Evangelist). Great agricultural fairs used to be held at this time, along with merriment and dancing. A bonfire was also kept this night. With the advent of non-conformist beliefs on the Welsh socio-political culture, this (among so many other similar festivals) suffered greatly, and its observance finally died out in SE Wales by the end of the 19th century. However, since 1977, a folk-dance revival started in Cardiff, and is held now annually on this feast day<ref>{{cite web\|url=http://www.gwylifan.org/ \|title=Gwyl Ifan 2013 \|publisher=Gwylifan.org \|date= \|accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref>
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{{Other uses}}
{{Infobox Holiday
|holiday_name=Midsummer
|image=Midsummer bonfire.jpg
|caption=Midsummer [[bonfire]] in [[Mäntsälä]], [[Finland]]
|observedby=[[Europe]]ans, [[Western world|Westerners]]
|date=June 21, 24, 25 or a date close to the [[Summer Solstice]] on June 20–23
|celebrations=Festivals, Bonfires, Feasting, Singing, [[Maypole]] Dancing
|type=Cultural, [[Baltic Finns]], [[Paganism|Pagan]], [[Christianity|Christian]], [[Celtic calendar|Celtic]], [[Norsemen|Norse]]/[[Germanic peoples|Germanic]], [[Baltic region|Balts]]
|significance=Marks the ancient middle of Summer, astronomical beginning of Summer, and the nativity of St. John the Baptist.
|relatedto=Summer [[Solstice]], [[Quarter days]], [[Nativity of St. John the Baptist]]
|nickname=Summer Solstice, [[Adonia]], [[St. John's Feast Day]], [[Līgo]], Liða, Midsommar, Ivan Kupala Day, Juhannus, Alban Hefin, Gŵyl Ganol yr Haf, Sankthans, Jaanipäev, Keskikesä, Rasos
}}

'''Midsummer''' is the period of time centered upon the [[summer solstice]], and more specifically the European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 21 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures. Midsummer is especially important in the cultures of [[Scandinavia]], Finland and [[Baltic states|the Baltics]] where it is the most celebrated holiday apart from Christmas and New Year's Eve.

==Background==
European midsummer-related holidays, traditions, and celebrations are pre-Christian in origin. They are particularly important in Northern Europe - [[Sweden]], [[Denmark]], [[Norway]] [[Finland]], [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]] and [[Lithuania]] – but are also found in [[Germany]], [[Ireland]], parts of [[Great Britain|Britain]] ([[Cornwall]] especially), [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Malta]], [[Portugal]], [[Spain]], [[Ukraine]], other parts of Europe, and elsewhere - such as [[Canada]], the [[United States]], Puerto Rico, and also in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] (mostly in [[Brazil]], [[Argentina]] and [[Australia]]), where this imported European celebration would be more appropriately called "Midwinter".

Midsummer is also sometimes referred to by [[Neopaganism|Neopagans]] and others as '''Litha''', stemming from [[Bede]]'s ''[[The Reckoning of Time|De temporum ratione]]'' which provides Anglo-Saxon names for the months roughly corresponding to June and July as ''se Ærra Liþa'' and ''se Æfterra Liþa'' (the "early Litha month" and the "later Litha month") with an [[Intercalation (timekeeping)|intercalary]] month of ''Liþa'' appearing after ''se Æfterra Liþa'' on leap years. The fire festival or Lith- Summer solstice is a tradition for many pagans.

Solstice celebrations still center around the day of the astronomical [[solstice|summer solstice]]. Some choose to hold the rite on June 21, even when this is not the longest day of the year, and some celebrate June 24, the day of the solstice in Roman times.

Although Midsummer is originally a pagan holiday, in [[Christianity]] it is associated with the [[nativity of John the Baptist]], which is observed on the same day, June 24, in the [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox]] and some [[Protestants|Protestant]] churches. It is six months before [[Christmas]] because [[Gospel according to Luke|Luke]] 1:26 and Luke 1.36 imply that [[John the Baptist]] was born six months earlier than [[Jesus]], although the Bible does not say at which time of the year this happened.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/was-jesus-born-on-december-25-faq.htm |title=Was Jesus Born on December 25 |publisher=Allaboutjesuschrist.org |date= |accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref>

In [[Estonia]], [[Latvia]], [[Lithuania]] and [[Quebec]] (Canada), the traditional Midsummer day, June 24, is a [[public holiday]]. So it was formerly also in [[Sweden]] and [[Finland]], but in these countries it was, in the 1950s, moved to the Friday and Saturday between June 19 and June 26, respectively.<ref name="birt">{{cite web
  | last = Birt
  | first = Hazel Lauttamus
  | title = New Finland Homecoming 1888 - 1988
  | year = 1988
  | url = http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/Finnish/NewFinland/
  | format = republished online by Saskatchewan Gen Web Julia Adamson
  | accessdate =2010-12-07 }}</ref>

==History==
The celebration of Midsummer's Eve ([[St. John's Eve]] among Christians) was from ancient times a festival of the summer solstice. Some people believed that golden-flowered mid-summer plants, especially [[Calendula]], and [[St. John's Wort]], had miraculous healing powers and they therefore picked them on this night. [[Bonfire]]s were lit to protect against evil spirits which were believed to roam freely when the sun was turning southwards again. In later years, [[witch]]es were also thought to be on their way to meetings with other powerful beings.

The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since Neolithic times.<ref>For Neolithic and Bronze Age astronomy, see [[Archaeoastronomy]].</ref>  The concentration of the observance is not on the day as we reckon it, commencing at midnight or at dawn, as it is customary for cultures following lunar calendars to place the beginning of the day on the previous eve at dusk at the moment when the Sun has set. In Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Estonia, Midsummer's Eve is the greatest festival of the year, comparable only with [[Walpurgis Night]], [[Christmas Eve]], and [[New Year|New Year's Eve]].

In the 7th century, [[Saint Eligius]] (died 659/60) warned the recently converted inhabitants of Flanders against the age-old pagan solstice celebrations. According to the ''Vita'' by his companion [[Ouen]], he'd say: "No Christian on the feast of Saint John or the solemnity of any other saint performs ''solestitia'' [summer solstice rites] or dancing or leaping or diabolical chants."

As Christianity entered pagan areas, midsummer celebrations came to be often borrowed and transferred into new Christian holidays, often resulting in celebrations that mixed Christian traditions with traditions derived from pagan Midsummer festivities. The 13th-century monk of [[Winchcomb]], Gloucestershire, who compiled a book of sermons for the feast days, recorded how [[St. John's Eve]] was celebrated in his time:
<blockquote>Let us speak of the revels which are accustomed to be made on St. John's Eve, of which there are three kinds. On St. John's Eve in certain regions the boys collect bones and certain other rubbish, and burn them, and therefrom a smoke is produced on the air. They also make brands and go about the fields with the brands. Thirdly, the wheel which they roll.<ref>[[British Library]] Harleian Mss 2345, edited by J. Kemble, ''The Seasons in England'', vol. I:361, quoted in [[George C. Homans]], ''English Villagers of the Thirteenth Century'', 2nd ed. 1991:369.</ref></blockquote>

The fires, explained the monk of Winchcombe, were to drive away [[dragon]]s, which were abroad on St. John's Eve, poisoning springs and wells. The wheel that was rolled downhill he gave its explicitly solstitial explanation:

<blockquote>The wheel is rolled to signify that the sun then rises to the highest point of its circle and at once turns back; thence it comes that the wheel is rolled.<ref>Homans 1991:370.</ref></blockquote>

On St John's Day 1333 [[Petrarch]] watched women at [[Cologne]] rinsing their hands and arms in the [[Rhine]] "so that the threatening calamities of the coming year might be washed away by bathing in the river."<ref>Petrarch, ''Epistolae familiares'', Aachen,21 June 1333, noted by [[Simon Schama]], ''Landscape and Memory'' 1995:265.</ref>

==Contemporary national traditions==
{{See also|St John's Eve}}

===Austria===
In Austria the midsummer solstice is celebrated each year with a spectacular procession of ships down the Danube River as it flows through the [[wine-growing Wachau Valley]] just north of Vienna. Up to 30 ships sail down the river in line as fireworks erupt from the banks and hill tops while bonfires blaze and the vineyards are lit up. Lighted castle ruins also erupt with fireworks during the 90-minute cruise downstream.

===Brazil===
Portuguese St. John's Day, brought to Brazil during colonial times, has become a popular event that is celebrated during a period that starts one week before St. Anthony's Day (June 12) and ends after St. Peter's Day (June 29). This nationwide festival, called "[[Festa Junina]]" (June Festival), or ''São João'', takes place during midwinter in most of the country.

Rural life is celebrated through typical clothing, food, and dance (particularly [[square dancing]], or ''quadrilha''). The ''quadrilha'' features couple formations around a mock wedding whose bride and groom are the central attraction of the dancing. A kind of [[maypole]] (called "pau-de-sebo") is also raised and used in some festivities.

Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest Saint John Festival in the World", namely [[Caruaru]] (in the state of [[Pernambuco]]), and [[Campina Grande]], in [[Paraíba]]. As festivities also coincide with the corn harvest, dishes served during this period are commonly made with corn, such as [[canjica]] and [[pamonha]]; dishes also include boiled or baked vegetable corn (often buttered), sausages, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and numerous sweet dishes such as rice pudding. The celebrations are very colorful and festive and include the use of [[fireworks]] and [[bonfires]].

Although the lowest yearly temperatures of Brazil are centered around the months of July and August, with [[Snow in Brazil|occasional snow]] in much of the [[South Region, Brazil|southern states]] and the highest peaks in the coastal mountain ranges of the [[Southeast Region, Brazil|Southeast]] (and with other kinds of solid precipitation happening in a wider area), temperatures in the tropical and equatorial northern areas of Brazil are relatively stable along the year, so that the main difference is between [[Wet season|wet]] and [[Dry season|dry seasons]]. Winter in most of Latin America, including all of Brazil (as long as there is an actual dry season), marks the start of the latter one, and as such this festival marks the important last bountiful harvest among people in the semi-humid and semi-arid regions – so that in the rural [[Northeast Region, Brazil|Northeast]], dry winter/spring is known as ''verão'' (summer), and wet summer/autumn is known as ''inverno'' (winter) –, for which they are thankful.

===Bulgaria===
[[File:Nestinar.bulgari.jpg|thumbnail|right|A firewalking ritual on Enyovden (Midsummer day) in Bulgaria]]
On Midsummer day Bulgarians celebrate the so-called Enyovden. On the same day the [[Eastern Orthodox]] church celebrates the day of [[John the Baptist]] and the rites and traditions of both holidays are often mixed. A fire-related ritual is also performed in Bulgaria on that day, it involves barefoot dance on smouldering embers and is called [[Nestinarstvo]]. Bulgarian folklore states the beginning of winter starts on Enyovden. It is thought that in the morning of Enyovden, when the sun rises, it “winks’ and “plays”.  Anyone seeing the sunrise will be healthy throughout the year. It is believed that on Enyovden a variety of herbs have the greatest healing power, and that this is especially true at sunrise. Therefore, they have to be picked early in the morning before dawn. Women–sorceresses and enchantresses go to gather herbs by themselves to cure and make charms. The herbs gathered for the winter must be 77 and a half–for all diseases and for the nameless disease.

===Canada (Quebec)===
{{See also|National Holiday (Quebec)}}
In [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], the celebration of June 24 was brought to [[New France]] by the first French colonists. Great fires were lit at night. According to the ''[[Jesuit Relations]]'', the first celebrations of St John's Day in New France took place around 1638. In 1834, [[Ludger Duvernay]], printer and editor of ''[[La Minerve]]'' took the leadership of an effort to make June 24 the national holiday of the ''Canadiens'' ([[French Canadians]]). In 1908, Pope [[Pius X]] designated [[John the Baptist]] as the patron saint of the French-Canadians. In 1925, June 24 became a legal holiday in Quebec and in 1977, it became the secular [[Fête nationale du Québec|National Holiday of Quebec]]. It still is the tradition to light great fires on the night of the 24th of June.

===Croatia===
In [[Croatia]], midsummer is called ''Ivanje'' (Ivan being [[Croatian language|Croatian]] for John). It is celebrated on June 23, mostly in rural areas. Festivals celebrating Ivanje are held across the country. According to the tradition, bonfires (''Ivanjski krijesovi'') are built on the shores of lakes, near rivers or on the beaches for the young people to jump over the flames.

===Denmark===
[[Image:Skt. Hans bål+heks.jpg|thumb|Danish bonfire with the traditional burning of a witch]]
[[Image:3839 Danes singing Midsommervisen by the fire.jpg|thumb|Danes celebrating Midsummer by singing the Midsummer hymn by the bonfire]]
In [[Denmark]], the solstitial celebration is called ''sankthans'' or ''sankthansaften'' ("St. John's Eve"). It was an official holiday until 1770, and in accordance with the Danish tradition of celebrating a holiday on the evening before the actual day, it takes place on the evening of 23 June. It is the day where the medieval wise men and women (the doctors of that time) would gather special herbs that they needed for the rest of the year to cure people.

It has been celebrated since the times of the Vikings by visiting healing water wells and making a large bonfire to ward away evil spirits. Today the water well tradition is gone. Bonfires on the beach, speeches, picnics and songs are traditional, although bonfires are built in many other places where beaches may not be close by (i.e. on the shores of lakes and other waterways, parks, etc.) In the 1920s a tradition of putting a witch made of straw and cloth (probably made by the elder women of the family{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}) on the bonfire emerged as a remembrance of the church's witch burnings from 1540 to 1693{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}. This burning sends the "witch" away to Bloksbjerg, the [[Brocken]] mountain in the [[Harz]] region of [[Germany]] where the great witch gathering was thought to be held on this day. Some Danes regard the relatively new symbolic witch burning as inappropriate.<ref>{{cite web|author=Jens Kristian Lings | 23. juni 2010 |url=http://www.kristeligt-dagblad.dk/artikel/371223:Kronik--Heksene-oedelaegger-vor-dyrebare-natur |title=Heksene ødelægger vor dyrebare natur &#124; Kristeligt Dagblad |publisher=Kristeligt-dagblad.dk |date= |accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Flensborg Avis AG, Wittenberger Weg 19, 24941 Flensburg, www.fla.de |url=http://www.fla.de/artikel/Smuk-midsommeraften-i-praestens-have-c199.html |title=Flensborg Avis Online - Smuk midsommeraften i præstens have |publisher=Fla.de |date= |accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref>

In 1885 [[Holger Drachmann]] wrote a ''midsommervise'' (Midsummer hymn) called ''"Vi elsker vort land..."'' ("We Love Our Country") with a melody composed by P.E. Lange-Müller that is sung at every bonfire on this evening.

===Estonia===
"[[Jaanipäev]]" ("John's Day" in English) was celebrated long before the arrival of Christianity in [[Estonia]], although the day was given its name by the crusaders. The arrival of Christianity, however, did not end pagan beliefs and fertility rituals surrounding this holiday. In 1578, [[Balthasar Russow]] wrote in his Livonian Chronicle about [[Estonians]] who placed more importance on the festival than going to church. He complained about those who went to church, but did not enter, and instead spent their time lighting bonfires, drinking, dancing, singing and following pagan rituals. Midsummer marks a change in the farming year, specifically the break between the completion of spring sowing and the hard work of summer hay-making.

Understandably, some of the rituals of Jaanipäev have very strong folkloric roots. The best-known Jaanik, or midsummer, ritual is the lighting of the bonfire and jumping over it. This is seen as a way of guaranteeing prosperity and avoiding bad luck. Likewise, to not light the fire is to invite the destruction of your house by fire. The fire also frightened away mischievous spirits who avoided it at all costs, thus ensuring a good harvest. So, the bigger the fire, the further the mischievous spirits stayed away.

Estonians celebrate "[[Jaaniõhtu]]" on the eve of the Summer Solstice (June 23) with bonfires. On the islands of [[Saaremaa]] and [[Hiiumaa]], old fishing boats may be burnt in the large pyres set ablaze. On Jaaniõhtu, Estonians all around the country will gather with their families, or at larger events to celebrate this important day with singing and dancing, as Estonians have done for centuries. The celebrations that accompany Jaaniõhtu carry on usually through the night, they are the largest and most important of the year, and the traditions are almost identical to Finland (read under Finland) and similar to neighbours Latvia and Sweden (read under Sweden).

Since 1934,  June 23 is also national [[Victory Day (Estonia)|Victory Day]] of Estonia and both 23rd and 24th are holidays and [[flag day]]s. The [[Estonian flag]] is not lowered in the night between these two days.

===Faroe Islands===
On the [[Faroe Islands]] St. John's Eve (''jóansøka'') is generally not celebrated. However, on the southernmost island of [[Suðuroy]] it is observed by lighting a bonfire. Only one bonfire is lit on the island as one of the two biggest towns hosts the celebration alternately every other year.

===Finland===
[[File:Seurasaari-2005-johannus2.jpg|thumb|Midsummer bonfire in [[Seurasaari]]. Bonfires are very common in Finland, where many people spend their midsummer in the countryside outside towns.]]
Before 1316, the summer solstice was called ''Ukon juhla,'' after the Finnish god [[Ukko]]. In [[Karelia]]n tradition, many bonfires were burned side by side, the biggest of which was called ''Ukko-kokko'' (the "bonfire of Ukko"). After the celebrations were [[Christianized]], the holiday became known as ''juhannus'' after John the Baptist (Finnish: ''Johannes Kastaja'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kotus.fi/index.phtml?s=2338 |title=Kotimaisten kielten keskus :: Juhannus, mittumaari, vuotuisjuhlista vehrein |publisher=Kotus.fi |date=2012-06-20 |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref>

Since 1955, the holiday has always been on a Saturday (between June 20 and June 26). Earlier it was always on June 24. Many of the celebrations of midsummer take place on midsummer eve, when many workplaces are closed and shops must close their doors at noon.

In the Finnish midsummer celebration, bonfires (Finnish ''kokko'') are very common and are burnt at lakesides and by the sea.<ref name="birt"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/kokko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannuskokko |publisher=Finlit.fi |date= |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref> Often two young birch trees (''koivu'') are placed on either side of the front door to welcome visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/koriste.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Koivunoksia ja maitoruokia |publisher=Finlit.fi |date= |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref> [[Swedish-speaking Finns]] often celebrate by erecting a midsummer or [[maypole]] (Swedish ''midsommarstång'', ''majstång'').<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/salko.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannussalko |publisher=Finlit.fi |date= |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref>

In [[folk magic]], midsummer was a very potent night and the time for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors and fertility. [[Will-o'-the-wisp]]s were believed to appear at midsummer night, particularly to finders of the mythical "[[Fern flower|fern in bloom]]" and possessors of the "fern seed", marking a treasure. An important feature of the midsummer in Finland is the white night and the [[midnight sun]]. Because of Finland's location spanning around the [[Arctic Circle]] the nights near the midsummer day are short or non-existent. This gives a great contrast to the darkness of the winter time. The temperature can vary between 0 °C and +30 °C, with an average of about 20 °C in the South.

Many Finns leave the cities for Midsummer and spend time in the countryside. Nowadays many spend a few days there, and some Finns (who do not travel abroad) take their whole vacation in a cottage. Rituals include bonfires, cookouts, a sauna and spending time together. Heavy drinking is also associated with the Finnish midsummer.<ref name="perinne">{{cite web|url=http://www.finlit.fi/tietopalvelu/juhlat/juhannus/perinne.htm |title=Suomalaisen kirjallisuuden seura: Juhannus, miksi ja milloin? |publisher=Finlit.fi |date= |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref>

Many music festivals of all sizes are organized on the Midsummer weekend. It is also common to start summer holidays on Midsummer day. For many families the Midsummer is the time when they move to the countryside to their summer cottage by the sea or lake. Midsummerday is also the [[Flag days in Finland|Day]] of the [[Flag of Finland|Finnish Flag]]. The flag is hoisted at 6 pm on Midsummer eve and flown all night till 9 pm the following evening.<ref name="perinne" />  [[Finnish American]]s in the [[New Finland, Saskatchewan|New Finland]] district, Saskatchewan, Canada celebrate Juhannus.<ref>{{cite web
  | coauthors = interviews by Julia Adamson
  | title = New Finland District, Juhannus: Celebration of Summer,June 26, 2010, Saskatchewan, Canada
  | publisher = Saskatchewan Gen Web
  | date = 27-Aug-2010
  | url = http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cansk/Finnish/Juhannus/NewFinlandPicnic.html
   | accessdate =2010-12-07 }}</ref>

===France===
In France, the "Fête de la Saint-Jean" (feast of St John), traditionally celebrated with bonfires (le feu de la Saint-Jean) that are reminiscent of Midsummer's pagan rituals, is a catholic festivity in celebration of [[Saint John the Baptist]]. It takes place on June 24, on Midsummer day (St John's day). In medieval times, this festival was celebrated with [[cat-burning]] rituals. In certain French towns, a tall bonfire is built by the inhabitants in order to be lit on St John's Day. In the Vosges region and in the Southern part of Meurthe-et-Moselle, this huge bonfire is named "chavande".

===Germany===
[[File:Johannisfeuer CC-BY-SA30 Use 20120623.jpg|thumb|Bonfire in Freiburg im Breisgau]]
The day of sun solstice is called ''Sommersonnenwende'' in German. On June 20, 1653 the [[Nuremberg]] town council issued the following order: "Where experience herefore have shown, that after the old heathen use, on John's day in every year, in the country, as well in towns as villages, money and wood have been gathered by young folk, and there upon the so-called sonnenwendt or zimmet fire kindled, and thereat winebibbing, dancing about the said fire, leaping over the same, with burning of sundry herbs and flowers, and setting of brands from the said fire in the fields, and in many other ways all manner of superstitious work carried on — Therefore the Hon. Council of Nürnberg town neither can nor ought to forbear to do away with all such unbecoming superstition, paganism, and peril of fire on this coming day of St. John."<ref>{{cite book |last = Grimm |first = Jacob |publisher = George Bell & Sons |year = 1883 |title = Teutonic Mythology, Volume 2 |page = 619 |url = http://books.google.com/books?id=vtE3AQAAMAAJ&lpg=PA619&ots=Xgfx_euesl }}</ref>

Bonfires are still a custom in many areas of Germany. People gather to watch the bonfire and celebrate solstice.

===Greece===
According to Eastern Orthodox tradition the eve of the day of the Nativity of John the Baptist is celebrated with festivals in many towns and villages, both in the mainland and in the Greek isles. Traditionally the midsummers celebration is called Klidonas (Κλήδονας) meaning sign or oracle, and was considered a time when unmarried girls would discover their potential mates through a ritual. It is also customary to this day to burn the Mayday wreaths that are used to decorate the doors of the houses for the previous two months, in large communal bonfires, accompanied by music, dancing and jumping over the flames.

===Hungary===
On June 21 Hungarians celebrate "Saint Ivan's Night" (Szentiván-éj) (Iván derived from the Slavic form of John, translated as Jovános, Ivános, Iván in Hungarian). The whole month of June was once called Month of St. Ivan until the 19th century. Setting fires is a folklore tradition this night. Girls jumped over it, while boys watched the spectacle.<ref name="szentivánéj">{{cite web|url=http://www.fn.hu/magazin/20080620/szentivan_ej_magikus_ejszaka/ |title=Szent Iván éj |publisher=Fn.hu |date= |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref>
Most significant among the customs of the summer is lighting the fire of Midsummer Night (szentiváni tűzgyújtás) on the day of St. John (June 24), when the sun follows the highest course, when the nights are the shortest and the days the longest. The practice of venerating St. John the Baptist developed in the Catholic Church during the 5th century, and at this time they put his name and day on June 24. Naturally, the summer solstice was celebrated among most peoples, so the Magyars may have known it even before the Conquest. Although the Arab historian Ibn Rusta speaks of the Magyars’ fire worshipping, we so far have no data that could connect it to this day. At any rate, in the Middle Ages it was primarily an ecclesiastical festivity, but from the 16th century on the sources recall it as a folk custom. The most important episode of the custom is the lighting of the fire.

The custom survived longest and in the most complete form in the north-western part of the linguistic region, where as late as the 1930s they still lit a Midsummer Night fire. The way of arranging the participants by age and by sex has suggested the possibility that these groups sang by answering each other, but there are hardly any remnants that appear to support this possibility. People jumped over the fire after they lit it. This practice is mentioned as early as the 16th century, although at that time in connection with a wedding; still, it is called “Midsummer Night fire”. The purpose of jumping over the fire is partly to purify, partly because they believed that those whose jump is very successful will get married during the following carnival.

===Iran===
[[Tiregān]] ({{lang-fa|تیرگان}}) is the ancient [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] festival coinciding with the mid summer festivals.

===Ireland===
Many towns and cities have 'Midsummer Carnivals' with [[fairs]], [[concerts]] and [[fireworks]] either on or on the weekend nearest to Midsummer. In rural spots particularly the north-west, bonfires are lit on hilltops. This tradition harks back to pagan times and is now associated with "St. John's Night". The [[Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland)|Irish Environmental Protection Agency]], after much initial upset in the west of Ireland, has an exemption for the burning of fires outdoors during midsummer night.

===Italy===
{{See also|Ferragosto}}
In [[Italy]], there's no such holiday around the solstice, except some local one, while the whole country celebrates [[Ferragosto]] in August (one of the most important national public holidays).

The feast of Saint John the Baptist has been celebrated in [[Florence]] from medieval times, and certainly in the Renaissance, with festivals sometimes lasting three days from 21 to 24 June. Such celebrations are held nowadays in [[Cesena]] from June 21 to 24, also with a special street market.
Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Genoa, Florence and [[Turin]] where a fireworks display takes place during the celebration on the river. In [[Turin]] Saint John's cult is also diffused since medieval times when the city stops to work for two days and people from the surroundings comes to dance around the bonfire in the central square.

===Jersey===
In [[Jersey]] most of the former midsummer customs are largely ignored nowadays. The custom known as ''Les cônes d'la Saint Jean'' was observed as late as the 1970s - horns or conch shells were blown. Ringing the ''bachîn'' (a large brass preserving pan) at midsummer to frighten away evil spirits survived as a custom on some farms until the 1940s and has been revived as a folk performance in the 21st century.

===Latvia===
{{Main|Jāņi}}
In [[Latvia]], Midsummer is called ''Jāņi'' (''Jānis'' being Latvian for ''John'') or Līgo svētki (svētki = festival). It is a [[Holidays in Latvia|national holiday]] celebrated on a large scale by almost everyone in Latvia and by people of Latvian origin abroad. Celebrations consist of a lot of traditional and mostly Pagan elements - eating Jāņi cheese (special recipe with caraway seeds), drinking beer, baking pīrāgi, singing hundreds of Latvian folk songs dedicated to Jāņi, burning bonfire to keep light all through the night and jumping over it, wearing wreaths of flowers (for women) and [[English oak|oak]] leaves (for men) together with modern commercial products and ideas. There are tens and hundreds of different beliefs and traditions allover Latvian on what should be done on that day for good harvest, for predicting the future, for attracting your future spouse etc. People decorate their houses and lands with [[birch]] or sometimes oak branches and flowers as well as leaves, especially [[fern]]. In rural areas livestock is also decorated. In modern days small oak branches with leaves are attached to the cars in Latvia during the festivity. Jāņi has been a strong aspect of Latvian culture throughout history, originating in pre-Christian Latvia as an ancient fertility cult.

In the western town of [[Kuldīga]], revellers mark the holiday by running naked through the town at three in the morning. The event has taken place since 2000. Runners are rewarded with beer, and police are on hand in case any "puritans" attempt to interfere with the naked run.<ref name="Kuldiga">{{cite web|author=|url=http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=29&art_id=nw20070620215922450C300346 |title=Latvian town to mark summer solstice with naked run |publisher=Iol.co.za |date=2007-06-20 |accessdate=2012-12-25}}</ref>

===Lithuania===
{{See also|Saint Jonas' Festival}}
Midsummer is commonly called John's Day (''Joninės'') in Lithuania, and is also known as Saint Jonas' Festival, Rasos (Dew Holiday), Kupolė, Midsummer Day and St. John's Day. It is celebrated in the night from the 23rd of June to the 24th of June and on the 24th June. The traditions include singing songs and dancing until the sun sets, telling tales, searching to find the magic fern blossom at midnight, jumping over bonfires, greeting the rising midsummer sun and washing the face with a morning dew, young girls float flower wreaths on the water of river or lake. These are customs brought from pagan culture and beliefs. The latter Christian tradition is based on the reverence of Saint John. Lithuanians with the names Jonas, Jonė, Janina receive many greetings from their family, relatives and friends.

===Norway===
[[Image:SankthansaftenBergen.JPG|thumb|Norwegian St. Hansbål (bonfire) in [[Bergen]].]]
As in Denmark, ''Sankthansaften'' is celebrated on June 23 in [[Norway]]. The day is also called ''Jonsok,'' which means "John's wake", important in [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] times with [[pilgrimage]]s to churches and holy springs. For instance, up until 1840 there was a pilgrimage to the [[stave church]] in [[Røldal]] (southwest Norway) whose crucifix was said to have healing powers. Today, however, ''Sankthansaften'' is largely regarded as a [[secular]] or even pre-Christian event.

In most places the main event is the burning of a large bonfire. In parts of Norway a custom of arranging mock marriages, both between adults and between children, is still kept alive. The wedding was meant to symbolize the blossoming of new life. Such weddings are known to have taken place in the 1800s, but the custom is believed to be older.

It is also said that if a girl puts flowers under her pillow that night, she will dream of her future husband.

===Poland===
Especially in northern [[Poland]] – the Eastern Pomeranian and [[Kashubia]]n regions – midsummer is celebrated on June 23. People dress in traditional Polka dress, and girls throw wreaths made of flowers into the [[Baltic Sea]], and into lakes or rivers. The midsummer day celebration starts at about 8:00 p.m. and lasts all night until sunrise. People celebrate this special day every year and call it ''Noc Świętojańska'' which means St. John's Night. On that day in big [[Poland|Polish]] cities (like [[Warsaw]] and [[Kraków]]) there are many organized events, the most popular event being in [[Kraków]], called the ''[[Wianki]],'' which means wreaths.

===Portugal===
[[Image:Festa de Sao Joao (Porto).jpg|thumb|St. John's festival in [[Porto]].]]
[[file:Tricana desfile nocturno.jpg|thumb|[[Tricana poveira|Tricana girl]] during a St. Peter's day rusga in [[Póvoa de Varzim]].]]
In Portugal, Midsummer festivities are included in what is known today as ''Santos Populares'' (Popular Saints celebrations), now corresponding to different municipal holidays: St Anthony's Day in [[Lisbon]] and [[Vila Real, Portugal|Vila Real]] (June 13), St John's Day in [[Porto]], [[Braga]], [[Figueira da Foz]], [[Vila do Conde]], and [[Almada]] (June 24), St Peter's day in [[Seixal Municipality|Seixal]], [[Sintra]], [[Póvoa de Varzim]], and [[Barcelos, Portugal|Barcelos]] (June 29). The actual Midsummer, St John's day, is celebrated traditionally more in [[Porto]] and [[Braga]].

Saints’ days are full of fun and merriment. The streets are decorated with balloons and arches made out of brightly coloured paper; people dance in the city's small squares, and altars, dedicated to the saints, are put up as a way of asking for good fortune. These holidays are days of festivities with good food and refreshments, people eat Caldo Verde (cabbage and potato soup), Sardinha Assada (grilled sardines), bread and drink red wine and água-pé (grape juice with a small percentage of alcohol).

In [[Lisbon]], in Avenida da Liberdade, there are the ''Marchas'', a parade of folklore and costumes of the inhabitants from the city's different traditional quarters, with hundreds of singers and dancers and a vast audience applauding their favorite participants. As St Anthony is the matchmaker saint, it is still the tradition in [[Lisbon]] to celebrate multiple marriages (200 to 300) and still following the tradition, if you are attracted to someone, one can declare himself in the heat of the festivities by offering to the loved person a ''manjerico'' (a flower-pot with a sweet basil plant) and a love poem.

In [[Porto]] and [[Braga]] St John's is a festival that is lived to the full in the streets, where anything is permitted. People carry a whole plant of flowering garlic with them (or a little plastic hammer), which they use to bang their neighbors over the head for good luck. According to one Portuguese Grandmother, the tradition is that St. John was a scalliwag in his youth and the people hit him on the head with the garlic saying "return to the right path". There is also dancing, while the highlight of the night is the firework display over the River Douro (in [[Porto]]) and down Avenida da Liberdade (in [[Braga]]). Across the country the traditional midsummer bonfire is also built, and following an ancient pagan tradition, revelers try to jump over the bonfire, this in order to gain protection during the rest of the year.

In Póvoa de Varzim, a traditional fisher town, midsummer was also celebrated during St. John's day, but most festivities were changed to Saint Peter's Day in the 1960s, the day was declared a municipal holiday. All the traditional elements were kept, such as the bonfire, the celebrations occur in the streets and include the ''rusgas'', in which inhabitants of one quarter (''[[bairro]]'') visit in a parade other neighborhoods in the evening of June 28. Women are dressed as [[tricana poveira|tricana]] (women dressed in a traditional costume with a sensual walking style). Each neighborhood has its own festival, neighborhood colors and altar to Saint Peter. In the 21st century, younger population although participating strongly in this festival, now use contemporary ways to celebrate it, such as the very popular ''Saint Peter [[rave]]s'' in the waterfront.

===Romania===
[[Romanian folklore|In Romania]], the Midsummer celebrations are named ''[[Drăgaica]]'' or ''[[Sânziene]]''. Drăgaica is celebrated by a dance performed by a group of 5-7 young girls of which one is chosen as ''the Drăgaica''. She is dressed as a [[bride]], with wheat wreath, while the other girls, dressed in white wear a veil with [[Galium verum|bedstraw]] flowers. Midsummer fairs are held in many Romanian villages and cities. The oldest and best known midsummer fair in Romania is the [[Drăgaica fair]], held in [[Buzău]] between 10 and 24 June every year. There are many superstitions related to this day, particularly those involving marriage or death. The term Sânziene originates in the Latin ”Sancta Diana”, and superstitions relating to this day are mainly erotic in nature, referring to young girls and their marriage prospects.

===Russia and Ukraine===
[[Image:Ivankupala.jpg|thumb|''Night on the Eve of Ivan Kupala'', by Henryk Hector Siemiradzki]]
[[Ivan Kupala Day|Ivan Kupala]] was the old Russian name for John the Baptist. Up to the present day, the Russian Midsummer Night (or Ivan's Day) is known as one of the most expressive Russian folk and pagan holidays. Ivan Kupala Day is the day of summer solstice celebrated in [[Russia]] and [[Ukraine]] on June 23 NS and July 6 OS. This is a pagan fertility rite, which has been accepted into the [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian]] calendar.

Many rites of this holiday are connected with water, [[fertility]] and [[Ritual purification|autopurification]]. The girls, for example, would float their flower garlands on the water of rivers and tell their fortunes from their movement. Lads and girls would jump over the flames of bonfires. Nude bathing is likewise practiced. Nights on the Eve of Ivan Kupala inspired [[Modest Mussorgsky]] to create his ''[[Night on Bald Mountain]]''. A prominent Ivan Kupala night scene is featured in [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]'s film [[Andrei Rublev (film)|''Andrei Rublev'']].

The [[Yakut people]] of the [[Sakha Republic]] celebrate a solstitial ceremony, ''Ysyakh'', involving tethering a horse to a pole and [[circle dance|circle dancing]] around it. Betting on [[Reindeer]] or [[horse racing]] would often take place afterward. The traditions are derived from [[Tengriism]], the ancient sun religion of the region which has since been driven out by the [[Russian empire]], [[Russian Orthodox Church]] and finally the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]]. The traditions have since been encouraged.<ref>{{cite book|author=Margaret Read MacDonald|title=The Folklore of World Holidays|year=1992|publisher=|pages=|id=}}</ref>

===Serbia===
{{see also|Serbian traditions}}
''[[Ivanjdan]]'' is celebrated on July 7, according to the [[Serbian Orthodox Church]]. Saint John (Sveti Jovan) is known by the name ''Igritelj'' (dancer) because it is thought the sun is dancing on this day. Among traditions are that girls watch the sunrise through their [[wreath]], to become red as the sun, towards the evening in the heights, ''Ivanjske vatre'' (kresovi, ''bonfire'') are lit, and dancing and singing takes place. It is a tradition for people to become [[Godparent|Godfathers]] and [[blood brothers]] on this day, as John is a symbol of character and [[rectitude]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blic.rs/Vesti/Drustvo/197231/SPC-i-vernici-danas-obelezavaju-Ivanjdan |title=Blic Online &#124; SPC i vernici danas obeležavaju Ivanjdan |publisher=Blic.rs |date= |accessdate=2012-07-15}}</ref>

===Spain===
[[Image:Sant joan marina alta 2007.jpg|thumb|Bonfire at Almadrava beach on Saint John's night. Bonfires are very common in [[Spain]] and [[Portugal]].]]
The traditional midsummer party in Spain is the celebration in honour of [[John the Baptist|San Juan]] (St. John the Baptist) and takes place in the evening of June 23. It is common in many areas of the country. Bonfires are traditionally named tequeos, which means people of the dance. Parties are organised usually at beaches, where bonfires are lit and a set of firework displays usually take place. On the Mediterranean coast, especially in [[Catalonia]] and [[València]], special foods such as ''Coca de Sant Joan'' are also served on this occasion. In [[Alicante]], since 1928, the [[bonfires of Saint John]] were developed into elaborate constructions inspired by the [[Fallas]] of [[Valencia, Spain|Valencia]].

Midsummer tradition is also especially strong in northern areas of the country, such as [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], where one can easily identify the rituals that reveal the pagan beliefs widespread throughout Europe in [[Neolithic]] times. These beliefs pivot on three basic ideas: the importance of medicinal plants, especially in relation to health, youth and beauty; the protective character of fire to ward men off evil spirits and witches and, finally, the purifying, miraculous effects of water. What follows is a summary of Galician traditions surrounding St. John's festival in relation to these three elements.

*Medicinal plants: Traditionally, women collect several species of plants on St. John's eve. These vary from area to area, but mostly include fennel, different species of fern (e.g. [[dryopteris filix-mas]]), [[rue]] (herb of grace, ruta graveolens), [[rosemary]], [[dog rose]] (rosa canina), [[lemon verbena]], [[St John's wort]] (hypericum perforatum), mallows ([[malva sylvestris]]), [[laburnum]], foxgloves ([[digitalis purpurea]]) and [[Sambucus|elder]] flowers. In some areas, these are arranged in a bunch and hung in doorways. In most others, they are dipped in a vessel with water and left outside exposed to the dew of night until the following morning (o dia de San Xoan -St. John's day), when people use the resulting flower water to wash their faces.

*Water: Tradition holds it that the medicinal plants mentioned above are most effective when dipped in water collected from seven different springs. Also, on some beaches, it was traditional for women who wanted to be fertile to bathe in the sea until they were washed by 9 waves.

*Fire: Bonfires are lit, usually around midnight both on beaches and inland, so much so that one usually cannot tell the smoke from the mist common in this Atlantic corner of [[Iberian Peninsula|Iberia]] at this time of the year, and it smells burnt everywhere. Occasionally, a dummy is placed at the top, representing a witch or the devil. Young and old gather around them and feast mostly on pilchards, potatoes boiled in their skins and maize bread. When it is relatively safe to jump over the bonfire, it is done three times (although it could also be nine or any odd number) for good luck at the cry of “meigas fora” (witches off!).It is also common to drink ''Queimada'', a beverage resulting from setting alight Galician grappa mixed with sugar, coffee beans and pieces of fruit, which is prepared while chanting an incantation against evil spirits.

===Sweden===
[[Image:Midsommar på Årsnäs.png|thumb|Midsummer celebration, [[Årsnäs]], Sweden]]
 [[Image:Midsommardans av Anders Zorn 1897.jpg|thumb|upright|''Midsummer Dance'' by [[Anders Zorn]], 1897]]
In modern [[Sweden]], ''Midsummer's Eve'' and ''Midsummer's Day'' (''Midsommarafton'' and ''Midsommardagen'') were formerly celebrated on 23 June and 24 June, but since 1953 the celebration has been moved to the Friday and Saturday between 19 June and 26 June with the main celebrations taking place on Friday.  It is one of the most important holidays of the year in Sweden, and probably the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated.  When Sweden got its [[National Day of Sweden|National day]] (6 June), discussions were held about making Midsummer the Swedish national day because of the strong civil celebration on this day.

Raising and dancing around a [[maypole]] (''majstång'' or ''midsommarstång'') is an activity that attracts families and many others.  Before the maypole is raised, greens and flowers are collected and used to cover the entire pole.  People dancing around the pole listen to traditional music and sing songs such as ''[[Små grodorna]]'' associated with the holiday.  Some wear [[Traditional costumes in Sweden|traditional folk costumes]] or crowns made of wild springs and wildflowers on their heads.  The year's first potatoes, [[soused herring]] and [[pickled herring]], [[chives]], [[sour cream]], beer, [[snaps]] and the first [[Garden strawberry|strawberries]] of the season are on the menu. Drinking songs ([[snapsvisor]]) are also important at this feast, and many drink heavily.

Because Midsummer was thought to be one of the times of the year when magic was strongest, it was considered a good night to perform rituals to look into the future. Traditionally, young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse. In the past it was believed that herbs picked at Midsummer were highly potent, and water from springs could bring good health. Greenery placed over houses and barns were supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock; this old tradition of decorating with greens continues, even though most don't take it seriously. To decorate with greens was called ''att maja'' (to may) and may be the origin of the word ''majstång'', ''maja'' coming originally from the month May. Other researchers say the term came from German merchants who raised the maypole in June because the Swedish climate made it impossible to find the necessary greens and flowers in May, and continued to call it a maypole. Today, however, it is most commonly called a ''"midsommarstång"'' (literally ''midsummer pole'').

In earlier times, small spires wrapped in greens were erected; this probably predates the maypole tradition, which is believed by many to have come from the continent in the Middle Ages. Others argue that some form of Midsummer pole occurred in Sweden during the pre-Christian times, and was a phallic fertility symbol, meant to impregnate the earth, but as there were no records from those times it cannot be proven, and this idea might just be a modern interpretation of the pole's form. The earliest historical mention of the maypole in Sweden is from the Middle Ages. Midsummer was, however, linked to an ancient fertility festival which was adapted into [[Nativity of St. John the Baptist|St. John's Day]] by the church, even though it retained many pagan traditions, as the Swedes were slow to give up the old heathen customs. The connection to fertility is naturally linked to the time of year. Many young people became passionate at Midsummer, and this was accepted, probably because it resulted in more childbirths in March which was a good time for children to be born.

In Denmark and Norway midsummer is referred to as the eve of [[John the Baptist|Skt. Hans]] but it's only in Sweden that it has kept its original name.

In Sweden and parts of Finland, the tradition of bonfires is not part of Midsummer but rather of the "[[Valborg]]'s" evening festivities, when winter leaves are burned for summer.

===United Kingdom===
{{See also|A Midsummer Night's Dream}}
In [[Great Britain]] from the 13th century, Midsummer was celebrated on Midsummer Eve (St. John's Eve, June 23) and St. Peter's Eve (June 28) with the lighting of bonfires, feasting and merrymaking.

In late 15th-century England, John Mirk of [[Lilleshall]] [[Abbey]], [[Shropshire]], gives the following description: "''At first, men and women came to church with candles and other lights and prayed all night long. In the process of time, however, men left such devotion and used songs and dances and fell into lechery and gluttony turning the good, holy devotion into sin.''" The church fathers decided to put a stop to these practices and ordained that people should fast on the evening before, and thus turned waking into fasting (''Festial'' 182).

Mirk adds that at the time of his writing, "''...in worship of St John the Baptist, men stay up at night and make three kinds of fires: one is of clean bones and no wood and is called a "[[bonfire|bonnefyre]]"; another is of clean wood and no bones, and is called a ''wakefyre'', because men stay awake by it all night; and the third is made of both bones and wood and is called, "St. John's fire" (Festial 182).''" These traditions largely ended after the [[Protestant Reformation|Reformation]], but persisted in rural areas up until the 19th century before petering out.

Other Midsummer festivities had uneasy relations with the Reformed establishment. The [[Chester Midsummer Watch Parade]], begun in 1498, was held at every Summer Solstice in years when the [[Chester Mystery Plays]] were not performed. Despite the cancellation of the plays in 1575, the parade continued; in 1599, however, the Lord Mayor ordered that the parades be banned and the costumes destroyed. The parade was permanently banned in 1675.

[[File:Castle an Dinas midsummer bonfire 2009.jpg|thumb|''Tansys Golowan'' - A Cornish hilltop bonfire on Midsummer's eve.]]
Traditional Midsummer bonfires are still lit on some high hills in [[Cornwall]] (see [[Carn Brea]] and [[Castle an Dinas, St. Columb Major]]). This tradition was revived by the [[Old Cornwall Society]] in the early 20th century. Bonfires in Cornwall were once common as part of ''[[Golowan Festival|Golowan]]'', which is now celebrated at [[Penzance]], Cornwall. This week long festival normally starts on the Friday nearest St John's Day. Golowan lasts several days and culminates in Mazey Day. This is a revival of the Feast of St John (Gol-Jowan) with fireworks and bonfires.

Midsummer festivals are celebrated throughout Scotland, notably in the [[Scottish Borders]] where [[Peebles]] holds its [[Beltane]] Week. The Eve of St. John has special magical significance and was used by [[Sir Walter Scott]] as the title, and theme, for a pseudo-ballad poem. He invented a legend in which the lady of [[Smailholm Tower]], near [[Kelso, Scottish Borders|Kelso]], keeps vigil by the midnight fires three nights in a row (see above) and is visited by her lover; but when her husband returns from battle, she learns he slew that lover on the first night, and she has been entertained by a very physical ghost.

In Wales it is called Gŵyl Ifan, or Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Haf (St John's of Midsummer) to distinguish it from Gŵyl Ifan Ganol Gaeaf (St John's of Midwinter, the feast of John the Evangelist). Great agricultural fairs used to be held at this time, along with merriment and dancing.  A bonfire was also kept this night.  With the advent of non-conformist beliefs on the Welsh socio-political culture, this (among so many other similar festivals) suffered greatly, and its observance finally died out in SE Wales by the end of the 19th century.  However, since 1977, a folk-dance revival started in Cardiff, and is held now annually on this feast day<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gwylifan.org/ |title=Gwyl Ifan 2013 |publisher=Gwylifan.org |date= |accessdate=2013-06-19}}</ref>

June 24, Midsummer Day, the feast of [[St. John the Baptist]], is one of the [[quarter days]] in England. In recent years on the Summer Solstice, [[English Heritage]] has run a "Managed Open Access" to [[Stonehenge]] for the Summer Solstice celebrations.

===United States of America===
[[Image:Solstice fire Montana.jpg|thumb|Solstice fire in [[Montana]]]]
Midsummer celebrations held throughout the United States are largely derived from the cultures of immigrants who arrived from various European nations since the 19th century.

The [[NYC Midsummer|NYC Swedish Midsummer]] celebrations in [[Battery Park]], [[New York, New York|New York City]], attracts some 3,000-5,000 people annually, which makes it one of the largest celebrations after the ones held in [[Leksand]] and at the [[Skansen|Skansen Park]] in [[Stockholm]]. [[Sweden Day]], a Midsummer celebration which also honors Swedish heritage and history, has been held annually on the sound in [[Throgs Neck]] in New York City since 1941. Swedish Midsummer is also celebrated in other places with large Swedish and Scandinavian populations, such as [[Rockford, Illinois|Rockford]], [[Illinois]], [[Chicago, Illinois|Chicago]], [[Minneapolis, Minnesota|Minneapolis]], [[Minnesota]], and [[Lindsborg, Kansas|Lindsborg]], [[Kansas]]. The Swedish "language village" (summer camp) [[Sjölunden]], run by [[Concordia College, Moorhead|Concordia College]] in Minnesota, also celebrates Midsummer.

[[Geneva, Illinois|Geneva]], [[Illinois]], hosts a Swedish Day (Swedish:''Svenskarnas Dag'') festival on the third Sunday of June. The event, featuring maypole-raising, dancing, and presentation of an authentic Viking ship, dates back to 1911.

The [[Seattle, Washington]] neighborhood of [[Fremont, Seattle, Washington|Fremont]] puts on a large [[Summer Solstice Parade and Pageant]], which for many years has controversially included [[Solstice Cyclists|painted naked cyclists]]. In St. Edwards Park in [[Kenmore, Washington|Kenmore]], the [[Skandia Folkdance Society]] hosts Midsommarfest, which includes a Scandinavian solstice pole.

A solstitial celebration is held on [[Casper Mountain]] in Wyoming at Crimson Dawn park. [[Crimson Dawn]] is known in the area for the great stories of mythical creatures and people that live on Casper Mountain. The celebration is attended by many people from the community, and from around the country. A large bonfire is held and all are invited to throw a handful of red soil into the fire in hopes that they get their wish granted.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.casperwyoming.info/specmerchant.php?id=6726 |title = Merchant Information |accessdate = 2008-06-24}}</ref>

Since 1974, [[Santa Barbara, California]] has hosted an annual Summer Solstice celebration, typically on the weekend of or the weekend after the actual solstice. It includes a festival and parade.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.solsticeparade.com/index.php/history |title = Summer Solstice Celebration: History |accessdate = 2010-06-21}}</ref>

Tucson has announced its first annual Earthwalk Solstice celebration, with sister events in San Francisco, Jerusalem, and other communities around the world.   The event features a walk through a giant labyrinth, musicians, healers, ceremony, etc.
In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the large number of Finnish and other northern European descendants celebrate Juhannus annually by holding a beachfront bonfire on the Saturday following the first day of summer.

In Kaleva, Michigan Juhannus is Celebrating Annual on or near the Summer Solstice by Gathering at the Village Roadside Park. Traditionally Pannukakku (Finnish Oven Baked Pancake) and Strawberry Short Cake is enjoyed followed by a bonfire or kokko. Kaleva was founded in 1900 by Finnish Immigrates.

==Neopaganism==
As forms of [[Neopaganism]] can be quite different and have very different origins, these representations can vary considerably, despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a manner as close as possible to how they believe the Ancient Pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources, the Germanic culture being just one of the sources used. In [[Neo-druidism]], the term ''Alban Hefin'' is used for the summer solstice. The name was invented by the late 18th century [[Wales|Welsh]] [[Romanticism|Romantic]] author and prolific literary forger [[Iolo Morganwg]].<ref>Owen, William (1832) ''A Dictionary of the Welsh Language: Explained in English; with Numerous Illustrations.''</ref>

===Germanic Neopaganism===
Midsummer, or '''Litha''', is part of the reconstructed [[Germanic calendar]] used by some [[Germanic Neopaganism|Germanic Neopagans]]. In modern times, Litha is celebrated by neopagans who emphasize the [[Polytheistic reconstructionism|reconstruction]] of [[Anglo-Saxon polytheism|Anglo-Saxon]] [[Germanic paganism]].

==See also==
* [[Christianised calendar]]
* [[Winter solstice]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite book | first =Ronald | last =Hutton |author-link=Ronald Hutton | year =1993 | title =The Pagan Religions of the Ancient British Isles | publisher =Blackwell Publishers | isbn =0-631-18946-7 }}
* {{cite book | first =Ronald | last =Hutton | year =1996, 2001 | title =The Stations of the Sun | publisher =Oxford University Press | isbn =0-19-285448-8 }}
* {{cite book | first =Raoul| last =Lemprière | year =1976 |title=Customs, Ceremonies and Traditions of the Channel Islands | publisher =Hale | isbn =0-7091-5842-4 }}

==External links==
{{Wiktionary|midsummer}}
{{Commons category|Midsummer}}
* [http://www.nabkal.de/beda/beda_15.html De mensibus Anglorum ChXV] – Bede's Anglo-Saxon Calendar (in Latin)
* [http://archive.is/Exkj The fire festivals of Europe]
* [http://www.witchology.com/contents/june/events.php Midsummer and Summer Solstice Events Guide]
* [http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82956 Midsummer's Festival on Hill of Tara, Ireland]
* [http://www.oe.eclipse.co.uk/nom/calendar.htm Reconstructing the Gothic Calendar]
* [http://www.thenigo.com/index.php?action=event&id=145  Midsummer - 'WIANKI' in Krakow, Poland]
* [http://www.things-to-do-barcelona.com/events/sant-joan-barcelona Sant Joan Night of Fire in Barcelona]
* [http://www.virtuallatvia.lv/saulgriezi-turaida/ Traditional Summer Solstice Celebration in Turaida, Latvia - 360º panorama, photos and live sound / Virtual Latvia]

[[Category:Celtic culture]]
[[Category:Danish culture]]
[[Category:June observances]]
[[Category:Neopagan holidays]]
[[Category:Norwegian culture]]
[[Category:Public holidays in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Quarter days]]
[[Category:Secular holidays]]
[[Category:Summer holidays]]
[[Category:Swedish culture]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Sweden]]
[[Category:Public holidays in Finland]]

[[fi:Juhannus]]

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