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The name 'midsummer' is attested in Old English as midsumor, and refers to the time around the summer solstice. Astronomically, the solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June, but traditionally, in northern Europe, the solstice and midsummer was reckoned as the night of 23–24 June, with summer beginning on May Day .
The lengths of time when the sun is up are longer around the summer solstice and shorter around the winter solstice, except near the equator. When the Sun's path crosses the equator, the length of the nights at latitudes +L° and −L° are of equal length. This is known as an equinox. There are two solstices and two equinoxes in a tropical year.
The Midsummer maypole tradition dates from the Middle Ages, while the summer solstice celebration can be traced to Norse pagan times, when the culture revolved around the mystical natural world.
Once a staple for ancient civilizations' festivities, the summer solstice continues to be celebrated around the world: Midsummer festivals in Sweden, mountaintop bonfires in the Austrian Alps, the ...
The summer solstice is the day with the longest period of daylight and shortest night of the year in that hemisphere, when the sun is at its highest position in the sky. At either pole there is continuous daylight at the time of its summer solstice. The opposite event is the winter solstice. The summer solstice occurs during the hemisphere's ...
The summer solstice welcomes the first official day of summer. Find out about the science of the solstice and well as its pagan roots and celebrations of fertility.
To commemorate, we've gathered a list of the most interesting summer-related traditions and celebrations worldwide. This is How 6 Different Cultures Celebrate the Summer Solstice Around the World ...
The summer solstice is the official kickoff of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. It occurs when the Earth's tilt toward the sun is at its maximum, making the sun appear at its highest point in ...