Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

People wear traditional clothes as they celebrate St. John's Day and the summer solstice in Kernave, Lithuania, on June 23, 2024. AP Photo/Mindaugas KulbisWhether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June 24 celebrating Midsummer. Congregating around bonfires, or sometimes maypoles, sporting handwoven wreaths of wildflowers or oak leaves, they’ll sing, jump, dance, eat, drink, catch up and celebrate the a…

Bonfires, Maypoles and a saint’s day: How Europe celebrates the longest day of the year

by Thomas A. DuBois, University of Wisconsin-Madison, [This article first appeared in The Conversation, republished with permission] Whether cities or villages, many communities across Europe spend the day and night of June 24 celebrating Midsummer. Congregating around bonfires, or sometimes maypoles, sporting handwoven wreaths of wildflowers or oak leaves, they’ll sing, jump, dance, eat, drink, catch up and celebrate the arrival of the longest …