Today is the Summer Solstice, or to put it in technical terms, the day of the year that the Earth's axial tilt is most inclined toward the Sun. Yeah, if you are like me, sitting there with a confused look on your face that just screams "Huh?" think about it like this...today is the day of the year with the longest amount of sunlight. Ahhh...that makes more sense.
And of course if there is more daylight, then there's more time to party. So guess what?...?...? Yup, Midsummer's Eve has historically been one of the big festival days in the world. In ancient times, people believed that the most medicinal plants bloomed profusely on Midsummer's Eve, so if you were having trouble getting pregnant, Midsummer's Eve was when you gathered herbs known for increasing fertility. If you had a problem with fever-causing illnesses, you gathered Feverfew on Midsummer's Eve to try to make yourself healthier for the rest of the year. Huge festivals with dancing and bonfires were held all over the world.
As Christianity spread, most priests saw Midsummer's Eve festivals as heretic pagan rituals so tradition got a religious bend. The Summer Solstice became the day to celebrate the works of St. John the Baptist. You still had the feasts, plant gathering and bonfires but now they were in honor of St. John. The pic above is of the 2009 fuegos de San Juan (fires of St. John) in the Spanish countryside.
The custom hasn't changed much in the past millennia and a half. All across the world today, people will be having their big picnic-type festivals and burning their bonfires after the sun goes down. For the devout, Midsummer's Eve is still a day to celebrate St. John; for the not quite as devout, Midsummer's Eve has actually become a celebration of the beginning of Summer.
I love me some crazy holidays, especially when I can throw the words "pagan" and "fertility" in there, but I'm not to sure about this one. It has been hot as Hades in my neck of the woods for the past few days so I'm not going to be celebrating the fact that it's going to get HOTTER! So I think I'll forego the bonfire and just remember the works of St. John the Baptist and try to forget the temperature.
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