Midsummer is here! The longest day 21st June will soon be upon us, but what does that mean for you?

 

Do you have any religious or cultural traditions that occur on or around the 21st June?

 

Maybe you have family or personal traditions that you do during high summer?

 

We would love if you could share and discuss with us!

I don't have any formal traditions, but this is usually when I begin to pray for winter.

My family has a festival for the solstice. Mostly it is a fun thing since its not considered as spiritually important as some other holidays, we get together for games and eating and some ceremony for a few days. 

Yes, the non Abrahamic religions celebrate the solstice. It sounds like a lot of fun, Taltos.

We celebrate Litha or a least a version of it (we spend family time, have a meal with fresh food, keep a candle lit, etc.)

Down here in South African it's Mid Winter. We just regard it as a natural phenomena, not anything "religious" in any way.

I think it has a huge tradition in Sweden. Not so much here, but we have been known to have the occasional bonfire. 

For those in the opposite hemisphere - are you having any midwinter celebrations or traditions?

 

And I love the ideas of bonfires and candles, even in the lighter months!

 

 

Here, my only tradition really is the picnic. A basket full of lovely food - bread, cheese, meat, fruit, maybe some little cakes, sausage rolls, pies etc. We take our feast to a local park, and maybe a book or magazine. We eat a bit, read a bit, talk a bit, doze in the sun a bit and repeat untill it's time to go home!

I forgot: we usually have something called "Carols by Candle Light" during our Midsummer, which is just before Christmas. It was always held at an open air park called Maynardville. They used to host the Shakespeare play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" too :)

That reminds me, there was a sort of tradition where i used to live:

 

A theatre company would do a shakespeare play every year, in the open air in the ruins of a monastery. They had a hog roast or you could bring a picnic and then watch the play. I saw twelfth night there and it was awesome! But i moved away before i could make it one of *my* traditions

I forgot: we usually have something called "Carols by Candle Light" during our Midsummer, which is just before Christmas. It was always held at an open air park called Maynardville. They used to host the Shakespeare play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" too :)

  

 

I'd love to see that. Summer at Christmas is just...mind boggling.

 

That reminds me, there was a sort of tradition where i used to live:

A theatre company would do a shakespeare play every year, in the open air in the ruins of a monastery. They had a hog roast or you could bring a picnic and then watch the play. I saw twelfth night there and it was awesome! But i moved away before i could make it one of *my* traditions

In my home town, every summer they would have "Shakespeare in the Park." The play was in an outdoor theater. You could purchase a picnic dinner or bring your own. People sat on the grass. The last one I saw before we moved away was "A Midsummer's Night Dream."

Agreed with Elgee; nothing interesting happens here.

 

Except cold.

I love how Shakespeare outdoors in summer seems to be a thing all over!

 

*throws a jumper at Bessie to warm her up* :)

We don't have anything special but I like summer camping with family somewhere at the lake above the Arctic circle. It's always light there in Summer so you don't need to have electric lights with you and can sail after midnight and don't care about the time 

We did it for several years and that would be a cool tradition.