Midsummer is the period of time centered upon the summer solstice and more specifically the Northern European celebrations that accompany the actual solstice or take place on a day between 21 June and 25 June and the preceding evening.
The exact dates vary between different cultures; the Hungarians celebrate “Saint Ivan’s Night” on 21 June. The whole month of June was once called Month of St. Ivan until the 19th century. Setting fires is a folklore tradition this night. Girls jumped over it, while boys watched the spectacle. Most significant among the customs of the summer is lighting the fire of Midsummer Night on the day of St. John (24 June), when the sun follows the highest course, when the nights are the shortest and the days the longest.
