Solstice celebrations?

[jdhowland]

its interesting that you mention bonfires. many of the northern 'euro' cultures, danes, finnish, norse, celt, etc. celebrate the summer solstice with bonfires (and of course drink and food) to ward off the spirits of winter that are free to wander the land during the times of little sun. its just neat to see the way old traditions still effect our modern ways of doing things.

An Estonian friend tells me they still do the fires in some places. I believe it's now associated with the feast of St. John or somesuch dignitary. Brits and Germans still have quite a bit of fun with the fires and rolling, burning bundles of hay. Actually it's all still there, from Christmas candles to the Easter hare. Can't say I would ever approve human sacrifice--it's already been done, although I would hate to discourage Hebrew Hammer in his efforts. Even that has survived in the institution of the hanging sentence for condemned criminals that obtains in some states. The globe newel posts or lamps that traditionally were displayed in front of police stations were a sign of capital powers--a continuation of the old "Celtic" head cult (they used to represent human heads). My friends who hold the solstice party every year parade a moose skull on a stick--a survival of the old hobbyhorse ritual. If you've ever seen the ritual of "groundbreaking" for a new structure, that's as old as it gets and the spade becomes a religious instrument to take command of the soil in the area. Let's see, ship's "christenings"...what else?