Saint John's Eve Society

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St. John’s Eve is one of the European folk traditions that takes place on the eve of the feast of St. John the Baptist, from the 23rd to the 24th of June.
Although the name in some languages refers to a Christian celebration, it is actually a much older pagan custom. This night marks the celebration of an important moment in the year – the solstice – which is reflected in the names of this festival in Germanic and Scandinavian languages (such as Midsommer).
The celebration of this festival takes place after sunset, ideally in nature, where people dance around the fire, sing, make merry, and participate in various rituals. Men jump over the fire, which symbolizes courage and skill. Women demonstrate their endurance by dancing around the maypole or seek their future husband through the tradition of floating a wreath of flowers. The girl must weave the wreath before midnight and then send it down the stream. The young man destined for her is the one who retrieves her wreath from the water.
It was also believed that on St. John’s Eve, herbs have the greatest power. Therefore, at this time, they were added to meals or brewed into healing infusions that could bring luck, love, or a bountiful harvest.
According to tradition, a girl could also see the face of her chosen one if she placed nine kinds of flowers under her pillow, which she had silently picked that night without looking back. The nine herbs included daisy, rose, catchfly, cornflower, stonecrop, chickweed, thyme, violet, and bellflower.

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