Mid summers Day

Its is  a shame in many ways that we no longer widely celebrate the Mid Summer celebrations focused around the summer solstice in the way we do the winter festivals of Christmas and Yuletide. Here in the UK there are places that still have special events but it is not widespread. There is the gatehring at Stonehenge by modern day druids but once it was a major part of the calendar. In a lot of Northern Europe – particularly Scandinavia it is still celebrated. Even here it was once – back in medieval times and the Saxon period – a major party with lots of celebrations, lighting of bonfires and jumping over the bonfires to ward off evil spirits.  It would be celebrated at varying times around 24th to 26th June.

Just like with Christmas the adjustment from the Julian to Gregorian calendars moved the solstice to 20th or 21st June (or December in the case of Christmas).

The incoming Christian church chose- like they did with Christmas – to celebrate a major feast day on this date. In this case the feast of St John.  However despite attempts to rule on what activities were allowed and what was heathen and banned, for many years traditional activities and ritual would still go on.

After all everyone likes an excuse to light a bonfire.

It is still a big event down in Cornwall where the celebration of  Golowan is one of the few remaining big Mid Summer events in England.

It was once a major part of our calendar and mainly fell away both as a result of Puritan legislation in the days of the Commonwealth and later with the Industrial Era when many people moved away from the country and into the cities and so lost that link to the land and fields and the cycle of the year. Certainly in Shakespeare’s time it was still a vibrant event – after all he named one of his plays after it.

You known I am tempted to go light a bonfire!

My historical fiction is set in  The Saxon Period and the 17th century .