Litha
| Midsummer |
|
|---|---|
| Also called | Summer Solstice, Adonia, St. John's Feast Day, Jāņi, Liða / Litha, Midsommar, Ivan Kupala Day, Juhannus, Mittumaari, Alban Hefin, Gŵyl Ganol yr Haf, Sankthans, Jaanipäev, Keskikesä, Rasos |
| Observed by | Residents of the province of Quebec in Canada, Nordic peoples, Finns, Estonians, Baltic peoples, Russians, Poles, Germans, Belarusians, Neopagans, Unitarian Universalists |
| Type | Cultural, Baltic Finns, Christian, Celtic, Slavic, Norse/Germanic, Balts, Wiccan |
| Significance | Marks the ancient middle of Summer, astronomical beginning of Summer, and the nativity of St. John the Baptist. |
| Celebrations | Festivals, bonfires, feasting, singing, Maypole dancing |
| Date | June 21, 24, 25 or a date close to the Summer Solstice on June 19–24 |
| Related to | Summer Solstice, Quarter days, Nativity of St. John the Baptist |
Midsummer, also known as St John's Day, is the period of time centred upon the summer solstice, and more specifically the Northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between June 19 and June 25 and the preceding evening. The exact dates vary between different cultures. The Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Christian martyr St John the Baptist, and the observance of St John's Day begins the evening before, known as St John's Eve.
These are commemorated by many Christian denominations. In Sweden the Midsummer is such an important festivity that there have been serious discussions to make the Midsummer's Eve into the National Day of Sweden, instead of June 6. It may also be referred to as St. Hans Day.
European midsummer-related holidays, traditions, and celebrations are pre-Christian in origin. They are particularly important in geographic Northern Europe – Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – but is also very strongly observed in Poland, Russia, Belarus, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, parts of the United Kingdom (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 some Neopagans as Litha, stemming from Bede's 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 intercalary month of Liþa appearing after se Æfterra Liþa on leap years. The fire festival or Litha – Summer solstice – is a tradition for many neopagans.
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Wikipedia