Midsummer is celebrated in many countries but is strongly associated with Scandinavia, where it is observed as a national holiday in Sweden and Finland. It originated as a festival to welcome the summer season and ensure a successful harvest. Festivities included dancing, singing, drinking, cleaning house, lighting bonfires, maypoles (pictured below), and collecting flowers. Many Midsummer celebrations are held over several days and often occur in tandem with St. John’s Eve festivities, which usher in the feast day of St. John the Baptist (June 24).

A couple of holidays approximate the summer solstice in Canada. June 21 is Indigenous Peoples Day, honoring the contributions and cultures of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. The date was chosen because many Indigenous communities have traditionally celebrated the solstice. And Fête Nationale du Québec, the official holiday of the province, is celebrated on June 24 to mark the summer solstice and to honor the patron saint of French Canadians, Jean Baptiste (John the Baptist). The holiday began in 1636, when French Canadians revived an ancient Gallic tradition in honor of the solstice by lighting bonfires.

For well over a century, people have gathered at Stonehenge to celebrate the summer solstice—the event now draws a crowd of more than 30,000. Construction on the prehistoric stone circle proceeded in six stages, beginning some 5,000 years ago. Although archaeologists remain unsure why it was built, Stonehenge was laid out to align with the Sun. In ancient Egypt, where the sun god Re loomed as a powerful deity, the solstice held special significance. And in ancient Baltic religion the day was known as the Līgo feast, a major celebration honoring the sun goddess, Saule.