Two northeastern towns in particular have competed with each other for the title of "Biggest Saint John Festival in the World", namely Caruaru (in the state of Pernambuco), and Campina Grande, in Paraíba. The festivities also coincide with the corn harvest, dishes served during this period are commonly made with corn, such as canjica and pamonha; dishes also include boiled or baked vegetable corn (often buttered), sausages, sweet potatoes, peanuts, and numerous sweet dishes such as rice pudding. The celebrations are very colorful and festive and include the use of fireworks and bonfires. On June 21 Hungarians celebrate "Saint Ivan's Night" ( Szentiván-éj) ( Iván being derived from the Slavic form of Johannes/John, Ivan, which may correspond to Hungarian Jovános, Ivános, Iván). The whole month of June was once called the Month of St. Ivan until the 19th century. Setting fires is a folklore tradition this night. Girls jumped over it, while boys watched the spectacle. [53] Stonehenge, the world-famous 5,000-year-old stone monument in Wiltshire, continues to mystify experts and the public alike. The builders left no written records, so the purpose and meaning of its construction can only be theorised. One thing is certain though – when the sun rises on the longest day of the year, the stones of Stonehenge line up perfectly with the incoming rays. But why was it built to do this? Midsummer’s eve was believed to be a time when the veil between this world and the next was at its thinnest, and when fairies were thought to be at their most powerful. What is the connection to midsummer? Morrill, Ann (2009). Thanksgiving and Other Harvest Festivals. Infobase Publishing. p.19. ISBN 978-1438127972.

Midsummer was a national holiday until 1770, but it is still widely celebrated throughout the Scandinavian and Nordic countries, with Sweden’s celebrations being the most intense. It is also said that, if a girl puts flowers under her pillow that night, she will dream of her future husband. While some have theorized that Stonehenge was the location of prehistoric summer solstice rituals, there’s little archaeological evidence that it was used this way. Modern-day Solstice Celebrations 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. Traditionally the midsummer's 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. It is also customary to this day to burn the Mayday wreaths that are used to decorate the doors of the houses for the previous two months, in large communal bonfires, accompanied by music, dancing and jumping over the flames. It takes place on May 30 and May 31. [52] Hungary [ edit ] In anticipation of Popular Saints, streets are decorated with balloons and arches made out of brightly coloured paper, people dance in the city's squares, and Cascatas (makeshift altars), dedicated to the saints, are put up to show each neighbourhood's devotion and pride. These holidays are days of festivities with good food and refreshments. 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).The times when the Sun is at its furthest from the celestial equator are called the summer and winter solstices. These occur at midsummer and midwinter. There are two solstices each year - one in the winter and one in the summer. The summer solstice occurs when the tilt of Earth’s axis is most inclined towards the sun and is directly above the Tropic of Cancer. Main article: Jaanipäev Estonians celebrating Midsummer with a bonfire and traditional village swing in Keemu, Pärnu County. 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. As the brides and grooms reach the mountain foot, a yellow cow is set free, as a sign of happiness and abundance for the new couples. In Italy, St John's ( San Giovanni's) Day has been celebrated in Florence since medieval times with festivals sometimes lasting three days from 21 to 24 June. In medieval Florence, midsummer celebrations were "an occasion for dramatic representations of the Baptist's life and death" and "the feast day was marked by processions, banquets, and plays, culminating in a fireworks show that the entire city attended." [6] The 15th-century diarist Goro Dati described the celebration of Saint John's Day in Florence as being one in which guilds prepared their workshops with fine displays, and one in which solemn church processions took place, with men dressed in the costumes of Christian saints and angels. [56]

In Lisbon, in Avenida da Liberdade, there are the Marchas, a parade of folklore and costumes of the inhabitants from the city's different traditional quarters, with hundreds of singers and dancers and a vast audience applauding their favourite participants. As St. Anthony is the matchmaker saint, it is still the tradition in Lisbon to celebrate multiple marriages (200 to 300) and according to tradition, one can declare oneself to someone one fancies in the heat of the festivities by offering the loved one a manjerico (a flower-pot with a sweet basil plant) and a love poem. Summer solstice celebrations of Christianity, Judaism, Neopaganism, etc". Religioustolerance.org. Archived from the original on 2011-06-28 . Retrieved 2011-06-20. Similarly, Fairbanks, Alaska, has been taking advantage of the solstice with a late-night baseball game for more than 100 years. The first Midnight Sun Game, held in 1906, began as a bet between two local bars shortly after a building fire gutted downtown Fairbanks, according to Tom Dennis, the general manager of the Alaska Goldpanners baseball team, which has been hosting the game since 1960. Since 1934, June 23 is also national Victory Day of Estonia and both 23rd and 24th are holidays and flag flying days. The Estonian flag is not lowered in the night between these two days.Stonehenge in Amesbury, Wiltshire, is the most popular place for Pagans to celebrate the longest day because it famously aligns to the solstices. The rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones one day of the year when it shines on the central altar. The holiday originated as a pagan celebration to welcome the summer season and ensure a successful harvest. It may have been associated with local gods, such as Ukko, the Finnish god of thunder who controlled the rain and thus the fertility of the land. Festivities included dancing, singing, drinking, cleaning house, lighting bonfires, and collecting flowers. Midsummer's Day occurs annually on 24 June and is one of the four Quarter Days in the UK Legal Calendar. The other Quarter Days are Lady Day (25 March), Michaelmas (29 September) and Christmas Day (25 December). Why isn’t the Summer Solstice in the middle of summer? Midsummer in Scandinavia is a time to celebrate light, warm, and connect to nature. It is the festival for the summer solstice. Midsummer is, by far, the largest annual non-religious celebration to take place across Scandinavia ( Christmas and Easter being the largest religious celebrations, even if they are fairly secular in the Nordics).