It’s May. The end of the school year. Summer is starting and the world is coming alive again. The weather is either rising or cooling, depending on where it is in the world. For most kids, this means summer break is here.
For Americans, the season is often filled with family gatherings and holidays. Barbeques are common, especially on holidays like the 4th of July. Kids go to various camps or sport intensives, they play with their friends, and they enjoy all kinds of frozen treats.
On the other side of the world, St. Petersburg, Russia celebrates the White Nights in June. During this holiday, the country doesn’t sleep as that stretch of time doesn’t see nightfall. Festivals and concerts fill the time until the last gathering, the Scarlet Sails, which reenacts a children’s book and involves a mock pirate battle, a tall ship with red sails, and fireworks.
Other countries in Eastern Europe, including Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus, celebrate Ivan Kupala Day on July 7. The holiday, filled with all sorts of water activities, is held in honor of John the Baptist. An old tradition has unmarried women putting floral wreaths in a river so that young men may try to catch it on the other side. The hope is that these floral wreaths will bring couples together, so that they won’t have to launch floral wreaths in a river.
In early August, the residents of Aomori Prefecture, a section of Northern Japan, celebrate the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri Festival with its signature parade of lantern floats. The floats can take up to a whole year to create and popular themes include pop culture characters, gods, and historical figures. The Japanese also celebrate the Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival. This festival is really a one-upmanship between pyrotechnic companies as the festival is full of, you guessed it, fireworks.
Australia joins the United States in its love of barbecue culture. They also have a love of picnics, and so the first Monday of August is actually a government-sanctioned picnic holiday in the Northern part of Australia.
Technically the Hungry Ghost Festival of China takes place between August and September, since it goes off of the lunar calendar. The festival takes place in the seventh month, known as Ghost Month. The Chinese people believe that during this time ghosts are released to roam among the living. To pacify them, ceremonies are performed during the month. The Hungry Ghost Festival takes place on the fifteenth day of the month and contains a feast as well as traditions such as burning incense and leaving offerings.
The coolest summer tradition comes from Bunol, Spain. During the summer, the people of the town come together to celebrate La Tomatina. Basically, they get rowdy and throw tomatoes at one another. The August holiday attracts thousands of people who love to either hurl or wear tomatoes.
Flying back to the United States, New York City actually attracts more things than buisnessmen, theater people, and random tourists. Thousands of yoga lovers gather in Times Square once a year for the Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga. It started in 2003 and was designed to help people stay focused and present.
On June 23, Spaniards celebrate the Night of San Juan, also known as the Bonfires of San Juan. Spanish legends say that burning bonfires on this night purifies the body and soul. Various parties centered around fire are thrown on this night such as Correfoc, run with fire, and fire-jumping, which is exactly what it sounds like. At midnight, according to tradition, people jump into the ocean to wash away any evil spirits.
While many teenagers just think of summer as a way to get out of school, cultures all over the world have celebrated different traditions throughout the season. While it may not be full of holidays in modern Western culture, other cultures certainly make up for it.
https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/summer-celebrations
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