For thousands of years, the summer solstice has been of great importance to people. June 20-21 is considered the middle of a natural summer. In addition, it is the longest daylight hours of the year.
Since ancient times, the summer solstice has been celebrated by different nationalities. The largest festivals in Europe (Kupala, Lita) were dedicated to the longest daylight hours. After the adoption of Christianity , the celebration of the Nativity of John the Baptist was introduced (June 24).
The pagans gave the sun divine power. They believed that the luminary possessed power over all living beings. For the Gentiles, the summer solstice signified the flourishing of nature. But along with this, the longest daylight hours indicated the inevitable approach of autumn, and then winter time.
The Celts celebrated the summer solstice with the Lita festival. During the celebration, people worked and rested, talked with spirits and held weddings, ceremonies, had fun, enchanted, and divined.
Dwellings were decorated with wreaths of flowers. Necessarily used white lilies, rabbit cabbage, fennel, birch, St. John's wort. The summer solstice was celebrated magnificently. People went out to dance, sing, dance, participate in ritual ceremonies. In the evening, people went to the grove, where they left gifts, fragrant herbs, food for elves and fairies . It was believed that plants collected on the night of Lita had magical powers. When it was getting dark, they made fires and arranged processions with torches. According to the beliefs of the ancients, jumping over a fire provided protection for the family and prosperity at home. To make the marriage happy, having many children and rich, the lovers, holding each other's hands, jumped over the fire three times. The coal left over from the fires was subsequently used to heal wounds. It was also believed that coals were able to deflect the weather during the harvest.
The first honey was harvested in June. Therefore, the full moon at this time was called the honeymoon. At the end of June, a large number of pagan weddings took place. Even now, June is considered the most popular month for weddings in many countries.
The peoples of Scandinavia, the Baltic states and Germany celebrated the summer equinox magnificently. The meaning of the rituals was similar to the ceremonies on Litu. People welcomed the union of the Earth and the Sun, called for harvest and prosperity at home, drove away evil spirits. Holidays in different countries were called Ivan's Night (or Ivan's Day). Ritual was a kindling of fires. It was believed: the higher the flame, the worse it should be for evil spirits. People, like Lita, worshiped water, put flowers on it, burned old boats (in Scandinavia). Now almost all rituals are a thing of the past. Mass festivities took place on Ivanov’s night, no one went to bed. People had fun, had fun, celebrated until dawn. Today in the Baltic States and Scandinavia, festivals are held in June, between the 19th and the 25th.
Before the summer solstice in Russia, the Russian Week was celebrated. Thus honored river and lake spirits - mermaids. It should be noted that many rituals during this week were closely associated with the commemoration of the ancestors because of the ancient custom of rafting the ashes of soldiers along the river in boats. In Russia, Kupala was celebrated on the day of the solstice. The month of Kresen began (the first month of summer). The rituals at Kupala are very similar to the ceremonies at Lita and Ivan's Night. People wove wreaths, also jumped over bonfires, performed rituals, ablutions in streams, lakes, rivers, purifying soul and body, drank suri (a drink from honey).
After the solstice, the solstice began. It lasted three days. During the solstice, people celebrated the events of the life of the god Perun - one of the greatest and most powerful Slavic gods, the patron saint of warriors who knew about heavenly fire and natural forces.