Does your country have midsummer traditions?

[Mari]

Nordic countries celebrate midsummer in a few days, but does your country have midsummer traditions? In finland the traditions are super pagan (duh, it's a pagan celebration) and witchcrafty. You're supposed to build a huge fire, and then there's some weird stuff about sleeping with seven(?) different fieldflowers under your pillow and you'll dream of your future love. I've also heard that you should throw them in a well. Different variations exist all around.

Also I might be mistaken but midsummer is supposed to be like a very strong magical day for the fairies & trolls and what not. I think.

[Noorie]

In Latvia there is Ligo, when people make bonfire and jump over it. People also make wreathes and there are some traditions regarding finding your loved one I don't really know about. Also it says you can find a flower of fern that night

[Rodimus13]

We are in america and we blow the heck up outta stuff! (ok we set off fireworks but seriously... I've seen people buy ones that look almost professional!)

[kiplothedungeoneer]

Litha, but only people who are pagan celebrate it.

[Chita]

Here we have the Noche de San Juan in some placer where people basically make bonfires and jump over them. Most students usually take this as a chance to burn their schoolwork.
Also the Sanfermines, which is the spanish topic that usually makes it to movies where there is a big crowdy race across the city and bulls chase the runners.

[aqua03]

Well, my birthday's in the middle of July, does that count?

Also, my town has a small weekend-long festival at the end of June to celebrate the town's founding (my town was named after a world famous horse-racer). So that's pretty fun as well.

[BobbyjoeX]

nope, or at least nothing i really could care about

[imiogri]

Swede here. We raise a big ol pole in the shape of something I probably shouldn't say on the forums, and dance around it like frogs. Then we also make flower wreaths we put on our heads. We do have something similar to Finland with the flower pillow part but I think it's so uncommon I don't remember it... (I'm also part Finnish so my family has mixed things a lot)

[punkarsenic]

england - none that are widely celebrated, but pagans be paganing

cant say i know much abt our historical traditions

[LordVincent]

I hadn't even heard about the flower thing until now so it's probably a finnish/ far northern swedish thing?

Also the pole thing is sortof intentional because if you look really far back the tradition is very sexually charged haha. Something about a big ol group bang and throwing the semen into a pit...

[popsiclestick]

england- grew up in a village so i couldn't escape the maypole, lmao. also, Jack in the Green is a traditional celebration of the coming of summer (represented by a guy dressed up in a bunch of leaves as a Green Man) which is pretty massive thing in a bunch of towns, especially Hastings (or so my friend from there says)

i'm p passionate about folklore and stuff and it's nice to see some things still celebrated :')

[Likri]

In Russia we have very similar traditions - jumping over fire, sleeping with 12 field flowers and grasses under the pillow, the myth about the fern flower too. Also girls make flower wreaths and throw them in the river - they say that by how the wreath floats or sinks you can predict your love life. these aren't widely upheld traditions, but that's what's attributed to the day. Also it's traditionally the start of swimming season for most - in folk tradition it's because "all the rusalkas (mermaids) go hibernation" and won't drown you. But most likely it's due to the fact that in many regions the start of summer is rather cold and the rivers and lakes aren't warm enough for swimming. But since it's connected to St.Johns day, we celebrate it, as Christmas, 2 weeks later (July 7, Ivan Kupala day) because our church calendar is shifted. It's not an official holiday, but there are usually traditional art and craft fairs and other folk style festivities.

But since it's solstice today, I personally made some honey cakes, bought mead, and picked a tiny bouquet of field flowers to celebrate =) also working on an art for the comics, since it's about witches and all this stuff)) Actually plan to make a small story arc around the fern flower legend.

[kiplothedungeoneer]

I’m from England too, just curious, are you pagan? I am but I grew up in London so I never had folk tradition around me. Which is why I’m a pagan, but what about you?

[HollowEve]

In Canada, we have Canada Day on July 1st, and everyone flocks downtown to the parliament buildings, so all the locals know NOT to leave their homes. My family is half South African, so we have a special celebratory Canada Day potjiekos, which is like a stew that cooks all day on an open fire.

[popsiclestick]

nah, not pagan but I'm really interested in the old saxon and brythonic religions though!

i grew up just north of london (herts, rip) and while we grew up with some typical 'folky' stuff (maypoles, morris men (lmao) etc), i think there's so much more that we've just sort of lost interest in and forgotten about. like say, there's this story of a witch who lived under the hill of my village which has inspired my whole comic, and so much more that i kinda feel is just waiting to be unearthed. though i'm not pagan i do really get the need to 'connect' with the land where you are, i guess? as in the stories and people and spirits and gods that have come before, and sort of pay respect to them in a way.

(sorry for the slightly off-topic para, i'm just rly passionate about this :') thanks for the q!!)

[sushy00]

We don't have any midsummer traditions, but really interesting to read what they are!