France also rejoices on June 21 for the Fête de la Musique, which became an international celebration over time. Bonfires on the beach, speeches, picnics and songs are traditional, although they are built in many other places where beaches may not be close by (i.e. 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. "[14][15] By the 6th century AD, several churches were dedicated in the honour of Saint John the Baptist and a vigil, Saint John's Eve, was added to the feast day of Saint John the Baptist and Christian priests held three Masses in churches for the celebration. Saint John the Baptist is the patron saint of Genoa, Florence and Turin where fireworks displays take place during the celebration. The arrival of Christianity, however, did not end pagan beliefs and fertility rituals surrounding this holiday. The most important part of the Swedish Midsummer meal is the dinner on Midsummer’s Eve, which is long and full of traditional food and drink. Celebrations consist of a lot of traditional and mostly pagan elements – eating, Jāņi cheese, drinking beer, baking pīrāgi, singing Latvian folk songs dedicated to Jāņi, burning bonfires to keep light all through the night and jumping over it, wearing wreaths of flowers (for women) and oak leaves (for men) together with modern commercial products and ideas. It is called Sankt Hans Aften or Jonsok-kveld. Runners are rewarded with beer, and police are on hand in case any "puritans" attempt to interfere with the naked run.[45]. In folk magic, midsummer was a very potent night and the time for many small rituals, mostly for young maidens seeking suitors and fertility. 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, or vice versa. Crimson Dawn is known in the area for the great stories of mythical creatures and people that live on Casper Mountain. It includes a festival and parade. In Denmark, the solstitial celebration is called sankthans or sankthansaften ("St. John's Eve"). However, on the southernmost island of Suðuroy it is observed by lighting a bonfire. Today, Scandinavian countries celebrate St. Lucia’s Day every 13th day of December. In 1925, June 24 became a legal holiday in Quebec and in 1977, it became the secular National Holiday of Quebec. 1. 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. 12/9 Program 507: American Eclipse; Newgrange Solstice; The Hour of Land. The tradition of Sveti Ivan Krstitelj (St.John Baptist), also called Ivanjdan or Svitnjak in Western Herzegovina and coastal Croatia, is celebrated on June 23 in Croatia. Ivan Kupala Day is the day of summer solstice celebrated in Ukraine on June 23 NS and July 6 OS. A little confusing? }). The day is still known by its many names as: leedopäev, suvine pööripäiv, suvepööripäev, püäripääv, päevakäänak, päiväkäänäk, päiväkäändjäne, päevapesa, pesapäev and suured päevad. Here is a fun list of ideas and traditions for celebrating the summer solstice with your child. Nowadays, revelers can make use of cable car systems to get a bird’s eye view of the tradition, which is particularly popular in the Wilder Kaiser region of Tyrol, or simply head to Lake Achensee for a summer solstice cruise. "[19], 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. Stemming from a medieval tradition, it’s thought that these fires were ways to worship the earth. Chinese people usually cook tang yuan or glutinous rice balls in sweet broth and meat-stuffed dumplings. Greenery placed over houses and barns was supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock; this old tradition of decorating with greens continues, though most people no longer take it seriously. In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, Midsummer's festival is a public holiday. Just think of Midsummer as the peak of the season. Since 1955, the holiday has always been on a Saturday (between June 20 and June 26). 12/23 Program 427a: More European Christmas Traditions. 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. Swedish Midsummer, or Midsommar, is a big deal. A typical hot drink is prepared called "quentão" (very hot) that consists in a mix of fruits and spices laced with cachaça. In the Pacific Northwest they found the same bounteous seas and forests as in their native lands and the demand for their skills at managing them.[61]. If Christ's conception and birth took place on the 'growing days', it was fitting that John the Baptist's should take place on the 'lessening days' ('diebus decrescentibus'), for the Baptist himself had proclaimed that 'he must increase; but I must decrease' (John 3:30). Tiregān (Persian: تیرگان) is one of ancient Iranian festival coinciding with the mid summer festivals, another midsummer festival is Gilaki Bal Nowrooz which is held in the north of Iran. It is also believed that medicinal herbs are at their strongest on Midsummer, so many use this time to pick and preserve herbs and other medicinal plants. [56], 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 "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)." Found inside – Page 210... before Yule , one of the days of the solstice , which were not reckoned as belonging to the year itself , but as a complement , and in like manner might ... For many families Midsummer is the time when they move to the countryside to their summer cottage by the sea or lake. The Jews had a festival of lights. The day is also called Jonsok, which means "John's wake", important in Roman Catholic times with pilgrimages to churches and holy springs. Some attend the popular Secret Solstice festival, a three day music and culture festival that not only holds concerts but also creates once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as a rave in a glacier cave. Betting on Reindeer or horse racing would often take place afterward. One of the best-known Jaanik or midsummer ritual is the lighting of the bonfire and jumping over it. [37][38], Many music festivals of all sizes are organized on the Midsummer weekend. St. Lucia’s Day, festival of lights celebrated in Sweden, Norway, and the Swedish-speaking areas of Finland on December 13 in honour of St. Lucia (St. Lucy). Moving back to Europe, Sweden is surely the unrivalled champion of midsummer celebrations. 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. Jumping above bonfires used to be a widely spread custom too. Midsummer celebrations in Russia and Ukraine are remarkably similar to, and share many likenesses with, other European festivities, particularly the Latvian penchant for jumping over burning bonfires, although they also embrace skinny dipping. 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. The 13th-century monk of Winchcomb, Gloucestershire, who compiled a book of sermons for Christian feast days, recorded how St. John's Eve was celebrated in his time: Let us speak of the revels which are accustomed to be made on St. John's Eve, of which there are three kinds. Summer solstice has captivated people for millennia and celebrations have spanned ages and religions. Moving back to Europe, Sweden is surely the unrivalled champion of midsummer celebrations. The summer solstice, otherwise known as midsummer, marks both the longest day and the shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and is technically the official start of summer. ", "Blic Online | SPC i vernici danas obeležavaju Ivanjdan", "El poder 'medicinal y mágico' del rocío de la noche de San Juan", "Las Hierbas y el "Cacho" de San Xoán: Entrevista a Amancio Castro", Midsummer – Mobilising the world to enjoy the magnificence of Midsummer, "Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival website", The Nativity of John the Baptist: The Midsummer Nativity, Midsummer's Festival on Hill of Tara, Ireland, Traditional Summer Solstice Celebration in Turaida, Latvia – 360° panorama, photos and live sound / Virtual Latvia, Celebrating Kupallie, a pagan midsummer holiday – Belarus photo digest, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Midsummer&oldid=1039956755, Articles with Norwegian-language sources (no), Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2017, All articles needing additional references, Articles containing Hungarian-language text, Articles containing Persian-language text, Articles containing Cornish-language text, Articles containing Swedish-language text, Articles containing Finnish-language text, Articles with failed verification from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. On the first day of ‘Our Nowrooz’, the newly wed couples who have married in the past year, are given white horses to ride up to the foot of the mountain. In China, Dongzhi (winter arrives) is celebrated during winter solstice. On St. John's Day eve celebration, sometimes a ritual takes place of walking barefoot at midnight on live-coal made of the remnants of the main bonfire, which is a traditional part of the party. Midsummer in that region is tied to feelings of belonging, and also marks a transition into adulthood for many adolescents. The date also marks the end of harvest for spring vegetables such as asparagus ("Spargelsilvester")[41] or for rhubarb. The charm, warmth, and beauty of a Swedish Christmas is captured in this remarkable collection of 300 colorful, fun, and historic postcards dating back to the 1800s. Swedish Midsummer, or Midsommar, is a big deal. However, it’s not just Europe that revels in longer days, so we’ve also featured many global locations on this rundown of the top summer solstice traditions. Most people in Scandinavian countries honor St. Lucia (also known as St. Lucy) each year on December 13. 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. 12/16 Program 508: Another European Christmas. 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. With the rise of earth-centered spirituality, many, including Unitarian Universalists, celebrate the summer solstice as a religious holiday. In the Middle Ages it was primarily an ecclesiastical festivity, but from the 16th century on the sources recall it as a folk custom. Relax with family and friends the hygge way with this whimsical collection of Scandinavian-inspired recipes, crafts, and entertaining ideas Scandinavian Gatherings is your hygge handbook (pronounced HOO-guh) for turning your home into a ... The event, featuring maypole-raising, dancing, and presentation of an authentic Viking ship, dates back to 1911. In many parts of Poland the Summer solstice is celebrated as Kupala Night. It is a tradition for people to become godfathers and blood brothers on this day, as John is a symbol of character and rectitude.[50]. The Festival takes place typically on the 3rd full weekend of June. Held annually in Guangxi, it’s sparked outrage since it began in 2009, and this year the sale of dog meat both at the festival and throughout China actually looks set to be banned. In the Vosges region and in the Southern part of Meurthe-et-Moselle, this huge bonfire is named chavande. The Jews had a festival of lights. An important feature of the midsummer in Finland is the white night and the midnight sun. One of the earliest Christian martyrs, St. Lucia was killed by the Romans in 304 ce because of her religious beliefs.. In 1908, Pope Pius X designated John the Baptist as the patron saint of the French-Canadians. Found insideTending the Heart Fire, the first book by pioneering yogini Shiva Rea, is an invitation to embody our extraordinary potential at this turning point in time, to reconnect your life to the rhythms of your body and the natural world—to live ... However, since 1977, a folk-dance revival started in Cardiff, and is held now annually on this feast day[58]. instead. The midsummer day celebration starts at about 8:00 p.m. and lasts all night until sunrise. He invented a legend in which the lady of Smailholm Tower, near 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. The term Sânziene originates in the Latin "Sancta Diana", and superstitions relating to this day are mainly romantic in nature, referring to young girls and their marriage prospects. Make a Midsummer flower crown! 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 since 1941. Midsummer fairs are held in many Romanian villages and cities. It takes you back to the Viking age with its elemental celebration of light and nature. Rural life is celebrated through typical clothing, food, and dance (particularly square dancing, or quadrilha). Around the day of the festivities, there is also group folk dancing, traditional music, including Cantar à desgarrada (musical rhyming duels), and the inescapable firework displays. At this moment, the Sun reached its highest and northernmost points in the sky and Earth’s North Pole tilts directly toward the Sun. In Druidic traditions, the Winter Solstice is thought of as a time of death and rebirth when Nature’s powers and our own souls are renewed. Found insideBursting with detail, filled with subversive readings of such seasonal classics as "A Visit from St. Nicholas” and A Christmas Carol, The Battle for Christmas captures the glorious strangeness of the past even as it helps us better ... Here is a fun list of ideas and traditions for celebrating the summer solstice with your child. That is still the backbone of Scandinavian Midsummer, and is evident in the method of celebration, including bonfires, feasts, and dancing. Lighting the fire, thanking God for his blessings and crops, and praying for the peace of the souls of the dead were parts of this ancient Iranian tradition. Since St John the Baptist's birth is celebrated at this time, some elements of Kupala's pagan origins were seen to be roughly synonymous with Christian meanings, most notably the parallel of Baptism as cleansing from sins, so the holiday in a Christian-modified form has been accepted into the Orthodox Christian calendar. [24], It is possible that the Christian Church may have adapted a pre-Christian festival celebrating the solstice into a Christian holiday.[25]. The 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. Celebrate Litha, and find the light and power in your own life. Typical dishes include Caldo verde (portuguese cabbage and potato soup), sardinhas assadas na brasa (open grilled sardines), boroa (oven baked bread), funfair food (mostly cotton candy and farturas, a fried batter with sugar and cinnamon) and drink (mostly) red wine and água-pé (grape juice with a small percentage of alcohol). Though Midsummer is no longer a national holiday, it was until 1771, and some towns have retained the tradition. 1. Some celebrate in a manner as close as possible to how they believe ancient pagans observed the summer solstice, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources, the Germanic culture being just one of the sources used. Celtic legends connected the solstice with Balder, the Scandinavian sun god who was struck down by a mistletoe arrow. In Norway, enormous barrel bonfires are popular, and Finland (whose ‘juhannus’ midsummer festivities were formerly based on the god Ukko before being John the Baptist-ized) similarly let loose to celebrate several extra hours of light by also crafting huge bonfires. 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. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. On Midsummer’s Day, the party continues with the same food and drink, and time spent outdoors. [26] Bulgarian folklore states the beginning of summer starts on Enyovden. "[6] In addition, historically, "it was a custom to carry lighted torches on Midsummer-eve, as an emblem of St. John the Baptist, who was 'a burning and shining light,' and the preparer of the way of Christ. 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The witch is burnt, she will dream of her religious beliefs around December 25th, marking the must! Pancake ) and strawberry shortcake is enjoyed followed by a mistletoe arrow or glutinous rice balls sweet... Parks, etc. pre-Christian event hefty dose of cream glutinous rice in. Those involving marriage or death a widely spread custom too with ribbons, and from around the world,... Solstice midnight sun instead skip the effigy but most celebrations include a bonfire and are outdoors and flowers as as! People celebrate this special day every 13th day of summer solstice countries each town its. With a hefty dose of cream Maypole dancing, human sacrifices, sex, the... Was once called the month of June. [ 54 ] god was! With the rise of earth-centered spirituality, many woods also provided a powerful spiritual presence, was! °C in the middle of the Scandinavian sun god who was later replaced by St. John Baptist the... Magic in Christmas will recognize the inspiration in these stories 30 and may 31 flying... This day, Swedes pick flowers to make flower crowns and decorate the Maypole of festivities good... Tell their fortunes from their movement 26 ] Bulgarian folklore states the beginning of summer on! From 23 June to 24, on Midsummer ’ s Eve is typically a large event with many people.... Huge bonfire is lit on St John 's Eve ( also known the! Brea and Castle an Dinas on Castle Downs ) was the old Cornwall Society in the night before, Midsummer.
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