How to celebrate the summer solstice in antiquity

The summer solstice for millennia has been of great importance for people. June 20-21 is considered the middle of natural summer. In addition, this is the longest light day in the year.

The summer solstice has been celebrated since ancient times by different nationalities. The largest festivals in Europe (Kupala, Lita) were timed to the longest light days. After the adoption of Christianity was introduced the celebration of the birth of John the Baptist (June 24).

The pagans gave the Sun divine power. They believed that the luminary had power over all living beings. The summer solstice for the Gentiles meant the flowering of nature. But along with this, the longest light day also indicated the imminent approach of autumn and then winter time.

Celts celebrated the summer solstice with the festival of Lita. During the celebration, people worked and rested, communicated with spirits and held weddings, rituals, amused themselves, spoiled and guessed.

The dwellings were decorated with wreaths of flowers. Required were white lilies, hare 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 a grove where they left for the elves and fairies gifts, fragrant grasses, food. It was believed that plants collected on the night of the Litas had magical powers. When it got dark, fires were lit, and torchlight processions were held. According to the beliefs of the ancients, jumping over the fire provided protection of the family and prosperity of the house. To a marriage was happy, rich and rich, lovers, taking each other's hands, jumped over the fire three times. The coals that remained from the fires were subsequently used to heal wounds. It was also believed that coals can weather bad weather during harvesting.

The first honey was collected in June. Therefore, the full moon at that time was called a honeymoon. At the end of June, a large number of pagan weddings took place. Even now, June is considered the most popular month for marriages in many countries.

The peoples of Scandinavia, the Baltic States, Germany magnificently celebrated the summer equinox. The meaning of the rituals was similar to the ceremonies for Litu. People welcomed the union of the Earth and the Sun, called for harvest and prosperity in houses, drove away evil spirits. Holidays in different countries bore the name of Ivan's Night (or Ivanov's Day). Ritual was the kindling of bonfires. It was believed that the higher the flame, the more terrible the evil spirits should be. People, just like Lita, worshiped the water, lowered flowers to it, burned old boats (in Scandinavia). Now almost all the rituals are gone. On Ivanov night there were mass festivities, nobody slept. People had fun, had fun, celebrated until dawn. Today in the Baltic States, Scandinavia festivals are held in June, between 19 and 25 numbers.

Before the summer solstice in Rus celebrated the Midsummer week. Thus celebrated river and lake spirits - mermaids. It should be noted that many rituals during this week were closely related to the remembrance of their ancestors due to the ancient custom of rafting the ashes of soldiers along the river. In Russia on the day of the solstice they celebrated Kupala. The month began Crescent (the first month of summer). The rituals on Kupala are very similar to the ceremonies for Lit and Ivanov the night. People wove wreaths, just jumped through the bonfires, performed rituals, bathed in streams, lakes, rivers, cleansing the soul and body, drank surya (a drink of honey).

After the day of the solstice, the solstice began. It lasted three days. During the sun, people celebrated the events of the life of the god Perun - one of the greatest and most powerful Slavic gods, patron of warriors, who knew the heavenly fire and natural forces.