Midsummer
Sign in to saveAlso known as Midsummer Festival, Saint John's Day, Saint John's Feast, Saint John's Festival, Feast of Saint John the Baptist, Summer Solstice Festival, Midsommar
Midsummer or Midsommar ( ) is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year. The name midsummer mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. These cultures traditionally regard it as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is
Key facts
- Holiday.holiday_name
- MidsummerSummer Solstice
- Holiday.image
- Mittsommerfest in Norwegen, Insel Tysnes IMG 4425WI.jpg
- Holiday.caption
- Midsummer bonfire in Tysnes Municipality, Norway
- Holiday.observedby
- Traditionally: Europe Canada United States Liturgically: Roman Catholic Church, Lutheran Churches, Anglican Communion
- Holiday.date
- A date close to the summer solstice
- Holiday.celebrations
- Festivals, bonfires, feasting, singing, maypole dancing
- Holiday.observances
- Church service, reenactments of the life of Saint John the Baptist, processions, baptisms, and church weddings
- Holiday.type
- Cultural and Religious
- Holiday.significance
- Marks the traditional middle of summer, and birth of John the Baptist
- Holiday.relatedto
- Nativity of John the Baptist, Saint John's Eve, Kupala Night
- Holiday.nickname
- Feast of Saint John the Baptist, Jāņi, Joninės, Jaanipäev, Enyovden, Līþa/Litha, midsommar, Juhannus/Mittumaari/Keskikesä, Alban Hefin, Gŵyl Ganol yr Haf, Sankthans, Kresna noč
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Wikidata facts
- Image
- Mittsommerfest in Norwegen, Insel Tysnes IMG 4425WI.jpg
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- Commons category
- Midsummer
- Commons gallery
- Midsommar
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Article
53 sectionsContents
- History
- Religious observance
- Christian
- Neopagan
- Observance by country
- Albania
- Austria
- Bulgaria
- Brazil
- Canada
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Faroe Islands
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Italy
- Jersey
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- Serbia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Ukraine
- England
- Scotland
- Wales
- United States
- Alaska
- California
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maine
- Michigan
- Oregon
- New York
- Washington
- Wyoming
- In folk music
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- External links
Midsummer or Midsommar ( ) is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year. The name midsummer mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. These cultures traditionally regard it as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is usually celebrated with outdoor gatherings that include bonfires, maypole dancing and feasting.
== History == thumb|250px|Midsummer Eve Bonfire by Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup (c.1915) thumb|A maypole at Midsummer near the [[Kastelholm Castle in Sund, Åland]] thumb|Swedes celebrating Midsummer, Möja island in the [[Stockholm archipelago]]