St John's day or Midsummer festival in Lithuania

The day of St John or midsummer is one of the oldest and most joyful festivals, which is celebrated in many European countries, including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Scandinavian countries and Finland, Russia and other Slavic countries and many other. The holiday, in fact, is not the Midsummer Day, June 24, but the evening and night from 23^rd to 24^th of June, which in fact corresponds to summer solstice. From pagan times it is known as the festival of Dew, but Christianity named it the festival of John the Baptist

Athough St. John the Baptist occupies a very important place among the saints, the Church does not attach any great importance to the celebration of his nativity. It is a festival of simple people, who believe, that this shortest night of the year is very special, as the four elements – the water, the fire, the earth and air as well as all the vegetation have magic powers. Young girls make wreaths of wild flowers and put on their heads. A tall pole with a wooden wheel soaked in tar is put up at the top of the highest hill. Men whose names are Jonas (John) set the wheels on fire and make bonfires around it. Young people dance round the fire, sing songs about rye, play games, men try to jump over the fire. The burning wheels on the poles are rolled down the hill into a river or a lake at its foot, men jumping over it all along. On Midsummer Day dew and herbs have special healing powers. Medicinal herbs collected from June 1 to the Midsummer Day can cure 12 (some say 99) diseases. Young girls wash their faces in the dew to make themselves beautiful, and walk barefoot on the grass. Special importance is given to the Midsummer Day's fire. People jump over it or even walk barefoot on the spread ashes.

The peak of the night is the midnight, when according to common belief the fern blossoms and those, who find the blossom will become extremely wise, rich and happy. But it is very difficult to find it as witches protect it and scare everyone away.

Young people don’t go to sleep and sing, dance and play games all through Midsummer Night until sunrise. Girls float wreaths on rivers to find out how soon they will get married.

Special attention is given to people whose names are Jonas, Jonė or Janina; they are given a lot of flowers, special songs are devoted to them.