Seasonal rites
Midsummer and St John's Eve herbs and fires
Bonfires, gathered herbs and flower crowns at the summer solstice, long tied to protection and love.
Presented by ClearTrust Customs described as customs, free to read.
Across Europe the nights around the summer solstice, later fixed as St John's Eve on 23 June, have carried bonfires, herb-gathering and divination. Customs differ by country. In Sweden and Finland there are Midsummer poles and flower crowns, in Poland and the Baltic states herbs and wreaths, in Ireland bonfires, in Spain the Noche de San Juan fires and jumps.
This is an outline of a custom, said as belief and practice. It is not instruction, it does not say that the rite works, and it is not medical advice.
What goes into it
- BonfireObjectLit at dusk on the longest days.
- St John's wort and other herbsPlantGathered and hung in the house.
- Flower crownsObjectWorn and floated.
- Songs and dancesWordAccompany the fire.
- Pillow flowers for love divinationGestureA girl's custom for dreaming of a partner.
- Object
- Plant
- Word
- Gesture
Each part has an equal wedge. The ring shows what goes into the rite, not how much. Colour is the part's role.
The steps, drawn
Each drawing shows the kind of act in that step. Details differ from place to place, family to family and practitioner to practitioner.
Step 1: Gather Herbs and flowers are picked at dawn or on the eve. Step 2: Bind Crowns and wreaths are woven and hung over doorways. Step 3: Light The bonfire is lit at dusk. Step 4: Circle People dance around the fire and jump over it. Step 5: Read Young people try love divination with flowers. Step 6: Close Ash or embers may be taken home or scattered on fields.
Herbs and flowers
In many places people believed that plants picked on this night, including St John's wort, mugwort and fern, had added power. They were hung over doors and in stables or kept in the house. The fern flower of Slavic and Baltic folklore is said to show treasure to the one who sees it.
Fire and love
Fires were thought to drive off harm and to bless fields and cattle. Young people jumped over the flames and girls tried to dream of a future husband by placing flowers under a pillow. Scholars link these customs to older solstice festivals, though the Christian feast is the stated reason.
Today
Midsummer is a public holiday in Sweden and Finland and a major festival in Latvia and Estonia. Many events are now secular. Some neopagans keep the day as Litha, a modern name.
What it is for
- Protection of home and cattle
- Love and marriage
- Summer fruitfulness
Who does it
Related entries
Also part of it, and being written: Midsummer (The festival.), Saint John's Eve (The church date.), Bonfire (The fire customs.).
Sources and further reading
Original text and drawings by the EveryJaadu desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Closed or sacred detail is left out. If we have something wrong, tell us.