On June 24 takes place Midsummer Day, so called in some of the Northern European traditions that accompany the summer solstice, this feast day was designated to the nativity of St John the Baptist by the Christian Church and its observance begin the preceding evening, known as St John’s Eve. The ancient Roman calendar on June 24 shows two cele- brations: the first was Fors Fortuna and the other was dies lampadarum or lampas. The sources in Latin, of Roman era, permit to trace the continuity between Roman and Christian religion, in order to explain common phenomena in the European area. The dates of the fes- tivities of the summer solstice vary across cultures, which nevertheless present many similar customs and rituals aimed at healing of people and animals or at predicting and propitiating the harvest and the marriage, such as: bonfires followed by singing and dancing around, jumping over the fire, night baths, collecting medical herbs wet with dew and researching the mythical fern flower which is supposed to appear only on this night. John the Baptist is also the patron saint of a particular form of spiritual kinship, that regards godsibs and godparents, which does not allow betrayals, this is why people say: «San Giovanni non vuole inganni», typical expression in Italian language and in many dialects.
San Giovanni non vuole inganni: dai culti pagani alle forme devozionali dedicate al Battista
Gianluca Olcese
2014-01-01
Abstract
On June 24 takes place Midsummer Day, so called in some of the Northern European traditions that accompany the summer solstice, this feast day was designated to the nativity of St John the Baptist by the Christian Church and its observance begin the preceding evening, known as St John’s Eve. The ancient Roman calendar on June 24 shows two cele- brations: the first was Fors Fortuna and the other was dies lampadarum or lampas. The sources in Latin, of Roman era, permit to trace the continuity between Roman and Christian religion, in order to explain common phenomena in the European area. The dates of the fes- tivities of the summer solstice vary across cultures, which nevertheless present many similar customs and rituals aimed at healing of people and animals or at predicting and propitiating the harvest and the marriage, such as: bonfires followed by singing and dancing around, jumping over the fire, night baths, collecting medical herbs wet with dew and researching the mythical fern flower which is supposed to appear only on this night. John the Baptist is also the patron saint of a particular form of spiritual kinship, that regards godsibs and godparents, which does not allow betrayals, this is why people say: «San Giovanni non vuole inganni», typical expression in Italian language and in many dialects.
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