on June 21, according to the lunar calendar is marked as the Day of the summer solstice. More old name of this holiday is as follows: a celebration of the summer solstice.

In the pagan culture of our ancestors, this festival had its own traditions and methods of the celebration. They are very interesting and original. In the pagan calendar Slavs this holiday was dedicated to the God of the sun Yarily. It has been prepared with the very morning. Girls wore their most beautiful dresses and decorated themselves with herbs and flowers. Herbs have been given the value of amulets from the dark and evil forces. The most popular were wormwood, St. John's wort, nettle. They were fastened on the belt.

The boys were busy with other business. They were looking for a suitable sized tree. It could be birch, willow, maple. Then I installed it is not the place where he was scheduled to conduct festivities. The girls decorated the tree with patches of cloth and flowers. Was the name of this tree in the people madder or Kupala. At the foot of the tree has set the image yarily. They served as a doll, a growth in a half men. It was made of straw, clay and wood.

Around the tree organized traditional celebrations and burned a fire. It burned doll yarily. All participants of the event had charms, herbs, wreaths to resist the evil forces of nature, which is waking up to this day.

Together with the burning yarily according to the beliefs of our ancestors died the sun, so the next day be born again and please people.

Lita with Anglo-Saxon dialects translates as "the longest day of the year". The Celtic peoples of Britain itself time of the Summer solstice holiday talks about his past connection with the cult of the sun. Therefore the basic rites and rituals are similar to the same set of rituals day of the winter solstice on December 21.

We Celts with both days there are a lot of legends about the alleged especially powerful in the night of the day of the solstice, the impure force. The Central place in the celebration of these days take various forms of ritual fires.

A great role in the ceremonies dedicated to these two dates, plays greens - green branches, flowers, and even trees, in some ceremonies of the winter and summer holiday are the motives of marriage, family well-being.

The link with the cult of the sun had spread among the Scots custom rolling from the hills or steep cliffs rivers wheels wrapped in straw and lit. Sometimes wondered: if the wheel was burning all the time rolled, believed that the harvest will be good.

In view of the Celts, the mysterious magic value in this period of full bloom all nature had and fern-midnight he seemed to bloom for a short moment. The brave one was left at night in the forest to see the fern flower and to gather the seeds. These campaigns were considered very dangerous, as this plant is carefully guarded fairies and different evil spirits. Those who still managed to get seeds, supposed to be invisible and to observe dances and games fairies in this magical night.

The Scots besides believed seeds fern most effective against evil forces. From the impure forces helped collected on this night the elder berries and nailed over the doors and over the gates of birch twigs. Birch played a significant role in the ceremonies of the day of the summer solstice all Celtic Nations.

In the customs of the day of the summer solstice is woven a lot of family and marriage patterns. In the night of June 21, many wondered. Wondered and girls, and boys, often using for this purpose the different flowers and plants (mostly St. John's wort), sometimes some things. In Scotland this night beloved gave each other an oath of loyalty, breach of which constitutes an offence. This oath pronounced or near-stone megalith or near respected source and fastened her hands.

Most of these customs of the day of the summer solstice is already lost, but in these days in many places of the British Isles June is considered to be the most appropriate month for marriage.

German and Scandinavian celebrate the summer solstice

German, Scandinavian and Baltic peoples magnificently celebrated the day and night of the summer solstice. Subsequently these holidays in different countries received the name of John's day or Ivanov night (from the national version of the name of Ivan). The meaning of rituals on Midsummer's day coincides with meaning (LTL): this greeting Union of the Sun and Earth, the calls of the future crop and well-being, scaring away evil spirits. For celebration of Midsummer in different European countries is characterized by inciting huge fires (the higher the fire, the worse it is for the impure force), as well as hopping through the fire and rituals of worship water (down flowers on the water, the burning of old boats in Scandinavia), which is now virtually gone. In Ivanov the night no one went to bed, people walked around and had a good time, having fun and partying until dawn. Some rituals Midsummer's still living, in Scandinavia, the Baltic States and other European countries are held festivities in the period between 19 and 25 June.

Old Russian holidays summer solstice

In Russia before the solstice, celebrated the Mermaid sedmica, praising mermaids - spirits of rivers and lakes. This week has been closely connected with the remembrance of ancestors, which existed from ancient European tradition to celebrate on the rivers of the burnt ashes of soldiers on the ships. On the day of the solstice in Russia noted Kupala - the end of spring and beginning of summer with his first month Crestem. Rituals Kupala very similar to the rituals Midsummer and (LTL), which is quite natural considering the common historical roots of the European peoples. Ancient Rus wreaths, drank the Surya (honey drink), jumping over bonfires, sacrificed water, and fire, collecting herbs and performed rituals calling harvest and "cleansing the body and soul" washing in rivers, lakes and streams.

Immediately after the day of the solstice was coming solstice, which lasted 3 days and during which celebrated the whole cycle of life twists and turns of the God Perun: from birth to death, then the magic of the resurrection and the forthcoming victory over Skipper-the beast. Perun is one of the most important gods in the ancient Slavs, the protector of soldiers who were in charge of the forces of nature and heavenly fire.