Feast of St. John/Midsommers festival

[plumedsnake]

I am doing some research on the Feast of ST. John, a christian festival that apparently is a christianisation of the Pagan Midsommer festival. Does anyone have any information on this. Especially regarding the way it was celebrated in Italy. Perhaps Raven Grimassi might be of some assistance here.
I know that they are both festivals of Fire and water. bonfires are lit and people are bathed in water, ie baptism a la St. JOhn the baptist.
Baptism is a washing away of sins and of the old. Does the pagan midsommer ceremony have a similar connotation. What about it's opposite? The Midwinter festival. Would that have a corresponding connection with the nativity of Christ. Xmas.

Any info please would help.

[skilly-nilly]

I am not familiar with Italian culture, but St John's Eve is celebrated in Irish culture as well:

http://www.canadafirst.net/our_heritage/solstice/

http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/StJohnsEve.html

http://wpni01.auroraquanta.com/pv/aranislands?img=2302

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Eve

It is also celebrated in Quebec (in Canada) as a province-wide holiday much like the 4th July in the USA.

[plumedsnake]

I am not familiar with Italian culture, but St John's Eve is celebrated in Irish culture as well:



Well, apparently it is celebrated all over europe and in parts of North Africa too. Interestingly there are slightly different meanings given to the rituals but they are pretty much always the same ritual. Burning away impurities, or washing away sins etc. What I find really interesting is that there is a pine tree that is brought into the home/town and decorated with shiny ribbons and offerings are made at the foot of the tree. Heck, it's just christmas but the summer version. plus the midwinter festival is around xmas time. given that the winter soltice is 3/4 days before xmas today, if we take into account the precession of the equinoxes then xmas was probably just the midsummer festival of the days of yore. The reason that I'm particularly interested in the Italian practices of this festival is due to a project that I am working on that involves religious ideas of the renaissance era italians. However I am interested in any information at all about this festival.

Frazer suggests that there is a connection with the death of BAlder, from the mistletoe. That made me think. Midwinter solstice/xmas involves the birth of a god, while midsommer solstice involves his death. This would also suggest more of a mythological link between St. John the baptiser and Jesus beyond the fact that they are cousins and John baptises Jesus.
Also the midsommer festival/or st. John's feast was supposedly a time of sexual licentiousness in some places. Apparently in some parts of England the women would run off into the hills and any man who caught up with them could have his way with them. The symbolism is so dense and contradictory sometimes.

I'm totally fascinated.

[raven grimassi]

I am doing some research on the Feast of ST. John, a christian festival that apparently is a christianisation of the Pagan Midsommer festival. Does anyone have any information on this. Especially regarding the way it was celebrated in Italy.

These celebrations differ somewhat according to region, and they fall after the actual midsummer date in most cases (usually on June 24th or 23rd). There are several books from the mid to late 19th century that provide first hand accounts of the traditional festivities. From example, in the book A Handbook for Travellers in Central Italy (1864, John Murray Pub) there is a description of fireworks and a chariot race. There is also mention of a torch that carries the sacred fire, which is taken door-to-door (so people can receive the holy light).

In the book Saints and Festivals of the Christian Church (H. Pomeroy Brewster, 1904) there is an interesting reference to the pagan mixture within the midsummer celebration on St. John’s Day. Here we read that a stone pulpit was decorated “into a bower of green boughs and branches out of the woods after the pagan fashion” – and the saint was referred to as St. John in the Wildreness” – 301 (this took place in England).

In the book Incubation or The Cure of Disease in Pagan Temples and Christian Churches (Mary Hamilton, 1906) there are interesting references to occult themes as they appears related to St. John’s Day. The author mentions that people sought oracle on this day, and that an old church of St. John was built on the former sight of the tomb of the Cumaean sibyl (an ancient seer and mystic). Hamilton writes of a belief that St. John “sends abroad mysterious beneficent virtues in the water and flowers, and those who duly perform the rites and ceremonies may benefit from them.” She also notes the custom of people stripping and running into the sea on St. John’s Day (for healing and purification) – pages 187 - 190


An article posted in The Cornhill Magazine (volume XLIII – January to June, 1881) states that the celebrations on St. John’s Day in Florence contain the same honors formerly given to the god Mars in that city.


Author Carol Field (Celebrating Italy) offers some interesting information and states “Christianity simply grafted the pagan fire rites to the celebration of the Feast of San Giovanni.” She notes that the St. John celebrations still reflect pagan elements. One example is the pagan custom of carrying a lighted torch through the planted fields to encourage growth, which appears in the inclusion of fire on St. John’s Day (as noted in the John Murray reference to the carrying of a torch).

Carol Field also notes the St. John Day custom of harvesting unripe walnuts, which are used to make a walnut liquore called nocino (or nocello). This is traditionally consumed on the following St, John’s Day celebration of the next year. It is interesting to note Field’s mention that “Tradition says that green walnuts can be harvested only by women with bare fee who must use a wooden scythe, never a metallic one” – page 43

In old lore we find the inclusion of various plants associated with St. John’s Day. St. John’s Wort is one but there are others. One example is the combination of birch, fennel, St. John’s Wort, Orpin, and White Lilies, which are placed over the door on the eve of St. John’s Day (believed to purify and grant protection).



Does the pagan midsommer ceremony have a similar connotation. What about it's opposite? The Midwinter festival. Would that have a corresponding connection with the nativity of Christ. Xmas.

It does in the sense that the Winter Solstice marks the birth of the sun god, a theme arrogated by the Church and transformed into the celebration of the birth of the son of God. However, as most Biblical scholars note, the biblical references to the setting in which we find shepherds and grazing sheep in the New Testament shows that the alleged birth of Jesus would have taken place in the spring.

[zionwood]

I have read in articles by Mike Nichols (google him, especially "The Witches' Sabbats") that indicate a sun god in ancient mythology born at midwinter, and his dark twin born at midsummer. (I know some year mythology has it differently, but evidently that is one variation.) St. John the Baptist Day is different from most Christian saint days in that it does not commemorate the death, but rather the *birth* of a saint. Most saints' days are their alleged death dates, but St. John the Baptist's is his alleged birthdate--that is, Elizabeth was in her sixth month bearing John when Mary became pregnant to bear Jesus, so John's alleged birthday would be about six months before that of Jesus. Of course, as Raven Grimassi just pointed out, the real birthdate of Christ was probably not in winter.

[plumedsnake]

, so John's alleged birthday would be about six months before that of Jesus. Of course, as Raven Grimassi just pointed out, the real birthdate of Christ was probably not in winter.

But would the developers of the christian myth have been bothered by such facts, as they were trying to graft the stories of Jesus and John unto the Pagan festivals. The shepherds etc could be aspects of another myth that got grafted on later resulting in contradiction. I think it is only one gospel that makes mention of the shepherds. Is this true?