Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day, also known in English as St John the Baptist Day, is a holiday celebrated on June 24 in the Canadian province of Quebec. It was brought to Canada by French settlers celebrating the traditional feast day of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. It was declared a public holiday in Quebec in 1925, with publicly financed events organized province-wide by a Comité organisateur de la fête nationale du Québec.
Saint-Jean-Baptiste parade, Montreal, June 24, 2006
Drapeau Carillon Sacré-Cœur: A Carillon flag waved by people on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day from its creation in 1902 until 1948. The current flag of Quebec is based on this design, and was adopted in 1948.
Fireworks over the Parliament Building in Quebec City on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
Free public concert in The Battlefields Park on the eve of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day
Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer occurring near the date of the summer solstice which is known in solar reckoning as the mid-point of the season. As the precise date of the summer solstice can vary from year to year, different traditions may celebrate or fix Midsummer at different dates or under different names occurring on or around the actual solstice. A variety of traditions have developed often rooted in regional, spiritual, or religious practices. Traditionally, Midsummer is on the first Saturday after June 20th, though it is often celebrated on Midsummer's Eve, on the day before.
Midsummer bonfire in Tysnes, Norway
Midsummer Eve Bonfire by Norwegian artist Nikolai Astrup (c.1915)
A maypole at Midsummer near the Kastelholm Castle in Sund, Åland
Swedes celebrating Midsummer, Möja island in the Stockholm archipelago