Despite the Christian elements, the pagan origins of the festivities are honoured with the widespread lighting of bonfires, and the gathering of traditional medicinal plants.In Mongolia, shamanism is widely regarded as the national religion, but it was banned for 70 years under communist rule, and has had a resurgence since 1992 – the shamanic fire rituals attached to the summer solstice therefore serving a vital cultural purpose.Although to people in the UK the maypole is more commonly seen in the month of May, in Sweden the ‘majstång’ (or ‘midsommarstångBeyond erecting and dancing around the pole, Swedish traditions such as decorating homes with greenery still endure, with midsummer’s eve a de facto public holiday.In Ukraine, midsummer celebrations are (like those in Spain) held in honour of John the Baptist, known as Ivan Kupala.Ivan Kupala Day takes on many of the pagan origins attached to the solstice, with young men and women leaping over flames to cleanse themselves of ill fortune.All rights reserved. In 2020, the Summer Solstice takes place on 20 June, at 21:43 GMT/UTC. and 1,600 B.C Stonehenge's exact purpose still remains a mystery. In the northern hemisphere, summer solstice takes place between June 20 and 22. However, a virtual festival will still be taking place online, with dance, music, quizzes and other activities to be made available via the Golowan website and social media channels.We rely on advertising to help fund our award-winning journalism.We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. Many towns and villages across Britain still mark the day. Dominic Raab ready to fight aid budget cuts as Dfid disappears In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year is always on or around June 21.This is because on this date, the sun's rays are perpendicular to the Tropic of Cancer at 23°30' North latitude.