Midsummer Day: Date, Traditions and Rites. Midsummer Day: Date, Traditions and Rites What date is the longest day in

Evening will come only after nine o'clock in the evening

Today is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere of our planet. This means that daylight hours will last longer today than on any other day. In Moscow, for example, the Sun began to rise above the horizon already at 3:45, and the sunset would come only at 21:18. In the southern hemisphere, by contrast, today should be the shortest and the longest night

The summer solstice can fall on June 20 (usually in leap years) or June 22, but it is June 21 that occurs most often. The height to which the Sun rises above the horizon today will be the maximum in the Northern Hemisphere, and the minimum in the Southern Hemisphere for the whole year. At the same time, for several days before and after June 21, the luminary at noon turns out to be practically at the same height, although in other periods of the year this indicator changes somewhat more rapidly. That is why the word "solstice" is used to designate today. At the north and south poles of the Earth, today is the middle of a six-month polar day and polar night, respectively.

Scientists call today the beginning of an astronomical summer in Eurasia, North America and most of Africa, as well as an astronomical winter in Australia and South America.

In many countries, there are traditions one way or another associated with the arrival of the longest day of the year, even if they rarely coincide with the "astronomically" exact date. In particular, from the evening of June 23 (July 6, according to the new style) and until June 24 (July 7), Ivan Kupala, a folk holiday of the Eastern Slavs, is celebrated. In Sweden, Latvia and some other countries, the summer solstice is officially considered a day off.

From tomorrow, the day in the Northern Hemisphere will begin to gradually decrease, and in the Southern Hemisphere - to increase. September 22 will be the day of the vernal equinox, when day and night on the entire Earth will last almost equally (if you do not take into account the influence of atmospheric refraction, because of which the day will still be slightly longer), and on December 21 - the day of the winter solstice.

Solstice is one of two days of the year when the Sun is at its greatest angular distance from the celestial equator, i.e. when the Sun's height above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. This results in the longest day and shortest night (summer solstice) in one hemisphere of the Earth and the shortest day and longest night (winter solstice) in the other.

The summer solstice is the day of the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere, that is, if the inhabitants of the northern part of the Earth are at the beginning of the astronomical summer from that moment, then the astronomical winter will begin for the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere at the same time period.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20, 21 or 22. In the southern hemisphere, these dates fall on the winter solstice. Due to various inequalities in the Earth's motion, the solstice epochs fluctuate by 1-2 days.

In 2017, the astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere will begin on June 21 at 7.34 am Moscow time.

On the day of the summer solstice at the latitude of Moscow, the Sun rises above the horizon to an altitude of more than 57 degrees, and in territories located above the latitude of 66.5 degrees (the Arctic Circle), it does not go beyond the horizon at all, and the day lasts around the clock. At the North Pole of the Earth, the Sun moves across the sky at the same height around the clock. There is a polar night at the South Pole at this time.

During several adjacent solstice days, the Sun's noon heights in the sky are almost unchanged; hence the name of the solstice. After the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day wanes and the night gradually begins to increase. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true.

For millennia, the day of the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancient ancestors, subject to natural cycles. In the days of the pagans, the sun had divine power over all living things, and the summer solstice meant the highest flowering of all forces of nature.

In the old days, even before the advent of Christianity, the Kupala holiday dedicated to the ancient pagan god Kupala was timed to coincide with the summer solstice.

On this day and night, they wove wreaths, drank surya (honey drink), jumped over fires, made sacrifices to water and fire, collected medicinal herbs, performed rituals invoking the harvest, and "cleansing the soul and body" of bathing in rivers, lakes and streams. The fern occupied the central place among the vegetation that night. It was believed that a fern flower, blooming only for a moment at midnight, would indicate exactly where the treasure was buried.

People used to say: "On Kupala - the Sun for the winter, and summer for the heat", "Whoever does not go to the Baths will be a stump, and whoever goes to the Baths will be white birch."

The holiday has many names. Depending on the location and time, it was called Kupala, Kres (old Russian), Ivan the good, love, Ivan-Kupala, Ivan the herbalist, Yarilin's day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Sontsekres (Ukrainian), Spirit-day (Bulgarian) and others. In Ukraine it is also known as Kupailo, in Belarus - Kupalye.

With the adoption of Christianity, people did not reject the holiday of Kupala, but, on the contrary, timed this day to the day of John the Baptist, which, according to the old style, falls on June 24. But according to the new calendar style, the day of John the Baptist falls on July 7th. To date, the celebration does not correspond to the astronomical solar equinox.

The celebration of the summer solstice was present in all ancient pagan systems, many peoples still celebrate it, some in their original form, and some in a simplified one, leaving only the basic rituals and translating the ancient rituals of their ancestors into a bright holiday.

The summer solstice was considered by all Celtic peoples to be the time of fairies, elves and other supernatural beings. Among the Celtic peoples of Britain, the holiday was called Lita and was closely associated with the pagan cult of the sun.

The Scandinavian and Baltic peoples celebrated the day and night of the summer solstice magnificently. Subsequently, these holidays in different countries were called Midsummer's Day or Midsummer's Night (from the national version of the name Ivan).

In Latvia, the holiday is called Ligo, or Jan's Day, it has state status and is celebrated on June 23 and 24, which are official days off. In Estonia it is also called Janov's Day, in Lithuania - Jonines or Rasos (dew holiday). In both countries, it is celebrated on June 24 and is a public holiday and day off.

In Norway, the holiday named after John the Baptist is called Jonsok (Midsummer's Night). Another name for the holiday - Jonsvaka (Jonsvoko) - is formed from the name of Johan and the verb vake - "to stay awake." It was believed that on Midsummer's night one should not sleep until dawn - not only because one can hear the singing of elves, but above all for the purpose of a talisman for the whole coming year. Another name for the holiday, more "official" - Sankthansnatt or Sankthansaften (St. Hans's night).

In Sweden, the holiday is called Midsummer. Until 1953, it was celebrated on the same day that the Christian church celebrated the day of John the Baptist. But now the holiday usually falls on the penultimate Saturday of June, that is, it is usually celebrated from 20 to 26 June. In Sweden, the celebration begins the day before, on Friday, which is also a non-working holiday.

In Finland, during pagan times, the holiday was called in honor of the God of Fire - Ukon juhla, but now it is called Juhannus - an outdated pronunciation of the name of John the Baptist. Since 1954, Johannus has been celebrated on Saturday, which falls between 20 and 26 June. Since 1934, this day has been an official holiday - the Day of the National Flag of the country.

Solstice is one of two days in a year when the Sun is at its greatest angular distance from the celestial equator, i.e. when the height of the star above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. This results in the longest day and shortest night (summer solstice) in one hemisphere of the Earth and the shortest day and longest night (winter solstice) in the other.

Longest day of the year

The summer solstice is the day of the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere, that is, if the inhabitants of the northern part of the Earth are at the beginning of the astronomical summer from that moment, then the astronomical winter will begin for the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere at the same time.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20, 21 or 22. In the southern hemisphere, these dates are the winter solstice. Due to various inequalities in the Earth's motion, the solstice epochs fluctuate by 1-2 days.

In 2017, the astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere will begin on June 21 at 7.34 am Moscow time.

Dawn in Moscow

On the day of the summer solstice at the latitude of Moscow, the Sun rises above the horizon to an altitude of more than 57 degrees, and in territories located above the latitude of 66.5 degrees (the Arctic Circle), it does not go beyond the horizon at all, and the day lasts around the clock. At the North Pole of the Earth, the Sun moves across the sky at the same height around the clock. There is a polar night at the South Pole at this time.

During several adjacent solstice days, the Sun's noon heights in the sky are almost unchanged; hence the name of the solstice. After the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day wanes and the night gradually begins to increase. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true. For millennia, the day of the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancient ancestors, subject to natural cycles.

How the Slavs celebrated the solstice

In the old days, even before the arrival of Christianity, the Kupala holiday dedicated to the ancient pagan god Kupala was timed to coincide with the summer solstice.

On this day and night, they wove wreaths, drank surya (honey drink), jumped over fires, made sacrifices to water and fire, collected medicinal herbs, performed rituals invoking the harvest, and “cleansing the soul and body” of bathing in rivers, lakes and streams. The fern occupied the central place among the vegetation that night. It was believed that a fern flower, blooming only for a moment at midnight, would indicate exactly where the treasure was buried.

The people said: "On Kupala - the Sun for the winter, and summer for the heat", "Whoever does not go to the Baths will be a stump, and whoever goes to the Baths will be white birch."

The holiday has many names. Depending on the area and time, it was called Kupala, Kres (old Russian), Ivan the good, love, Ivan-Kupala, Ivan the herbalist, Yarilin's day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Soncekres (Ukrainian), Dukhov-day (Bulgarian) and etc. In Ukraine it is also known as Kupailo, in Belarus - Kupalye.

Participants of the Novgorodskoe Kupalye holiday in Veliky Novgorod

With the adoption of Christianity, people did not reject the holiday of Kupala, but, on the contrary, timed this day to the day of John the Baptist, which, according to the old style, falls on June 24. But according to the new calendar style, the day of John the Baptist falls on July 7th. To date, the celebration does not correspond to the astronomical solar equinox.

How the solstice is celebrated in the West

The celebration of the summer solstice was present in all ancient pagan systems, many peoples still celebrate it, some in their original form, and some in a simplified one, leaving only the basic rituals and translating the ancient rituals of their ancestors into a bright holiday.

The summer solstice was considered by all Celtic peoples to be the time of fairies, elves and other supernatural beings. Among the Celtic peoples of Britain, the holiday was called Lita and was closely associated with the pagan cult of the sun.

Summer solstice festival

The Scandinavian and Baltic peoples celebrated the day and night of the summer solstice magnificently. Subsequently, these holidays in different countries were called Midsummer's Day or Midsummer's Night (from the national version of the name Ivan).

In Latvia, the holiday is called Ligo or Jan's Day, it has state status and is celebrated on June 23 and 24, which are official days off. In Estonia it is also called Janov's Day, in Lithuania - Jonines or Rasos (dew festival). In both countries, it is celebrated on June 24 and is a public holiday and day off.

In Norway, the holiday named after John the Baptist is called Jonsok (Midsummer's Night). Another name for the holiday - Jonsvaka (Jonsvoko) - is formed from the name of Johan and the verb vake - "to stay awake." It was believed that on Midsummer's night one should not sleep until dawn - not only because one can hear the singing of elves, but above all for the purpose of a talisman for the whole coming year. Another name for the holiday, more "official" - Sankthansnatt or Sankthansaften (St. Hans's night).

Sailing yacht from Finland "Svanhild" at the festival "Days of the Sea" in the Tallinn port of Vanasadam

In Sweden, the holiday is called Midsummer. Until 1953, it was celebrated on the same day that the Christian church celebrated the day of John the Baptist. But now the holiday usually falls on the penultimate Saturday of June, that is, it is usually celebrated from 20 to 26 June. In Sweden, the celebration begins the day before, on Friday, which is also a non-working holiday.

In Finland, during pagan times, the holiday was called in honor of the God of Fire - Ukon juhla, but now it is called Juhannus - an outdated pronunciation of the name of John the Baptist. Since 1954, Johannus has been celebrated on Saturday, which falls between 20 and 26 June. Since 1934, this day has been an official holiday - the Day of the National Flag of the country.

Solstice is one of two days of the year when the Sun is at its greatest angular distance from the celestial equator, i.e. when the height of the star above the horizon at noon is minimum or maximum. This results in the longest day and shortest night (summer solstice) in one hemisphere of the Earth and the shortest day and longest night (winter solstice) in the other.

Longest day of the year

The summer solstice is the day of the beginning of summer in the northern hemisphere of the Earth and the beginning of winter in the southern hemisphere, that is, if the inhabitants of the northern part of the Earth are at the beginning of the astronomical summer from that moment, then the astronomical winter will begin for the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere at the same time.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs on June 20, 21 or 22. In the southern hemisphere, these dates are the winter solstice. Due to various inequalities in the Earth's motion, the solstice epochs fluctuate by 1-2 days.

In 2017, the astronomical summer in the northern hemisphere will begin on June 21 at 7.34 am Moscow time.

© Sputnik / Vladimir Sergeev

On the day of the summer solstice at the latitude of Moscow, the Sun rises above the horizon to an altitude of more than 57 degrees, and in territories located above the latitude of 66.5 degrees (the Arctic Circle), it does not go beyond the horizon at all, and the day lasts around the clock. At the North Pole of the Earth, the Sun moves across the sky at the same height around the clock. There is a polar night at the South Pole at this time.

During several adjacent solstice days, the Sun's noon heights in the sky are almost unchanged; hence the name of the solstice. After the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, the day wanes and the night gradually begins to increase. In the southern hemisphere, the opposite is true. For millennia, the day of the summer solstice was of great importance to our ancient ancestors, subject to natural cycles.

How the Slavs celebrated the solstice

In the old days, even before the arrival of Christianity, the Kupala holiday dedicated to the ancient pagan god Kupala was timed to coincide with the summer solstice.

On this day and night, they wove wreaths, drank surya (honey drink), jumped over fires, made sacrifices to water and fire, collected medicinal herbs, performed rituals invoking the harvest, and "cleansing the soul and body" of bathing in rivers, lakes and streams. The fern occupied the central place among the vegetation that night. It was believed that a fern flower, blooming only for a moment at midnight, would indicate exactly where the treasure was buried.

© Sputnik / Alexey Malgavko

The people said: "On Kupala - the Sun for the winter, and summer for the heat", "Whoever does not go to the Baths will be a stump, and whoever goes to the Baths will be white birch."

The holiday has many names. Depending on the area and time, it was called Kupala, Kres (old Russian), Ivan the good, love, Ivan-Kupala, Ivan the herbalist, Yarilin's day (in the Yaroslavl and Tver provinces), Soncekres (Ukrainian), Dukhov-day (Bulgarian) and etc. In Ukraine it is also known as Kupailo, in Belarus - Kupalye.

© Sputnik / Konstantin Chalabov

Participants of the Novgorodskoe Kupalye holiday in Veliky Novgorod

With the adoption of Christianity, people did not reject the holiday of Kupala, but, on the contrary, timed this day to the day of John the Baptist, which, according to the old style, falls on June 24. But according to the new calendar style, the day of John the Baptist falls on July 7th. To date, the celebration does not correspond to the astronomical solar equinox.

How the solstice is celebrated in the West

The celebration of the summer solstice was present in all ancient pagan systems, many peoples still celebrate it, some in their original form, and some in a simplified one, leaving only the basic rituals and translating the ancient rituals of their ancestors into a bright holiday.

The summer solstice was considered by all Celtic peoples to be the time of fairies, elves and other supernatural beings. Among the Celtic peoples of Britain, the holiday was called Lita and was closely associated with the pagan cult of the sun.

© Sputnik / Egor Eremov

The Scandinavian and Baltic peoples celebrated the day and night of the summer solstice magnificently. Subsequently, these holidays in different countries were called Midsummer's Day or Midsummer's Night (from the national version of the name Ivan).

In Latvia, the holiday is called Ligo or Jan's Day, it has state status and is celebrated on June 23 and 24, which are official days off. In Estonia it is also called Janov's Day, in Lithuania - Jonines or Rasos (dew holiday). In both countries, it is celebrated on June 24 and is a public holiday and day off.

In Norway, the holiday named after John the Baptist is called Jonsok (Midsummer's Night). Another name for the holiday - Jonsvaka (Jonsvoko) - is formed from the name of Johan and the verb vake - "to stay awake." It was believed that on Midsummer's night one should not sleep until dawn - not only because one can hear the singing of elves, but above all for the purpose of a talisman for the whole coming year. Another name for the holiday, more "official" - Sankthansnatt or Sankthansaften (St. Hans night).

Sputnik

Sailing yacht from Finland "Svanhild" at the festival "Days of the Sea" in the Tallinn port of Vanasadam

In Sweden, the holiday is called Midsummer. Until 1953, it was celebrated on the same day that the Christian church celebrated the day of John the Baptist. But now the holiday usually falls on the penultimate Saturday of June, that is, it is usually celebrated from 20 to 26 June. In Sweden, the celebration begins the day before, on Friday, which is also a non-working holiday.

In Finland, during pagan times, the holiday was called in honor of the God of Fire - Ukon juhla, but now it is called Juhannus - an outdated pronunciation of the name of John the Baptist. Since 1954, Johannus has been celebrated on Saturday, which falls between 20 and 26 June. Since 1934, this day has been an official holiday - the Day of the National Flag of the country.

Folk omens on the summer solstice

On this day, it is customary to follow the signs, this is what the people paid attention to.

Bad weather on the summer solstice predicted a poor harvest and a poor year. It is believed that if the sun is hidden behind clouds, the summer will be bad.

If there is a lot of dew in the morning, a rich harvest. This dew was collected and poured into one vessel, it was considered healing. Water drawn from wells and springs in the morning had the same power. They washed themselves with her on the same day and drank.

If there are many stars in the sky, this is a mushroom summer.

It is also believed that if you climb over 12 fences on this day, your wish will come true within a year.

And in order to get rid of all diseases, you need to take a steam bath with a broom collected on that day.

The material was compiled from open sources.

Seize the opportunity from June 21 to June 24 and use the days of the summer solstice to carry out powerful conspiracies for business success and rituals of loyalty to a loved one. And it will give energy to people with a strong spirit.

Summer solstice

The sun is a real esoteric healer, who has been worshiped by all people from time immemorial. Therefore, a summer day, when the central star of our solar system reaches its maximum strength, is traditionally used to gain happiness and longevity.

For several thousand years, holidays have been celebrated on the day of the summer solstice, praising fire, water, earth, air. All types of fortune telling June 21, 2017 the longest day of the yearmakes it accurate and understandable.

When you weave a wreath of wild grasses and put it on your head, it will symbolize the Sun. Now make a wish and make a small sacrifice to the fire. Small things (a notebook, wallet, old shoes, small banknotes) are thrown into a kindled fire with the words: "Paid." Think about your future in a positive way, then your desire will materialize in the coming days.

There is an effective ritual for money to attract wealth into your life. For this purpose, all coins are selected from the purse department and hidden under the threshold of the house. You can place small change in the doorway or in the cracks found next to it. Very quickly, you will begin to make a profit where you previously had to suffer defeat.

To attract positive changes, it is necessary to put items suitable for these purposes upside down in your apartment from 21 to 22 June. These can be elements of furniture, as well as dishes in the kitchen. Read the conspiracy: "The house is upside down, and my fate will change for the better with a new day!" At the same time, you need to think that everything is in your hands and only you are the master of your destiny.

Charm on the summer solstice

There is a belief that if June 21, 2017 the longest day of the yearmeet with the first rays of the Sun and ask the Higher Forces for help, then you will receive support from the inhabitants of the other world invisible to the eye.

Even dew on the summer solstice has a powerful healing power and can drive disease from the body. But all medicinal herbs and flowers are filled with triple power and more fully affect the human body.

The most effective amulet can be made using a yellow (or gold) ribbon and nine beads of different colors. Make a knot out of a ribbon, then string the first bead and secure it with another ribbon knot. Now - leave a small free gap and again make a knot and string a bead. Using this pattern, place all nine beads on the ribbon. When placing each bead, we make one wish, or we repeat the same wish all nine times. Both ends of the tape are also knotted together. The resulting amulet is placed above the front door of your house or carried with you in your bag.