Midsummer!

It's hard to believe that the Summer Solstice will happen this weekend. Summer takes forever to get here and then goes so quickly. Here in the U.S., we don't have any community-wide traditions to celebrate the solstices. It's such a shame. The solstices are infused with magic and ritual. Hmmm, that's probably why we don't celebrate them here. Those Puritans were no fun. Anyway, I don't want you to miss out on the celebration so here are a few links for you to find some ways to celebrate with your family and friends this weekend.

The Scandinavian countries know how to celebrate Midsummer in a big way. From what I've read that needs to be on a must-do list. They celebrate on the weekend following June 19th.

Top Ten: Odd Swedish Midsummer Traditions include midsummer poles, burnings, frog dances, wormwood snaps, and lots of herring. All of these seem doable.

There is also a tradition of love spells at Midsummer. Visit The 6 Love Spells of Midsummer hosted by the Finland travel site. This is serious stuff folks. My favorite is rolling in dew. (Maybe you'll collect some spider webs on you) Specifically, you should roll naked in a wheat field to have your true love appear within the year. There is a beautiful video to go along with the post. Hey! It's not that kind of a video. Keep your mind out of the gutters.

Kupala Night is celebrated in Eastern Europe. Belarus celebrates with bonfires, flowers, and games. Read Kupala Night in Belarus. (I'm partial to Belarus these days as my sister-in-law was born there) 

Many countries refer to Midsummer as St. John's Eve.  It is celebrated by the Catholic church as the birthday of St. John. Basically, it was another attempt at co-opting pagan holidays into Christian ones. However, it seems to be the same activities are carried out under a different name. Bonfires are a major component, except, instead of sacrificing to the gods, you burn witches. Ouch.

In England, Midsummer is a time of bonfires. We've all seen The Wicker Man. I even found some instructions online for making your own wicker man. You can thank me later. If you have one of those fancy metal bonfires, you might want your wicker man to be a tad smaller. Visit Craft Skills: How to Build a Wickerman. 

Make an effort to do something to celebrate the Summer this weekend. It will be gone before you know it.