By Dylan McDonough
My family has a lot of different summer traditions. For example, we have “spray your brother with the hose” or “officially end the school year with an ice cream cone.” Have you ever wondered about other summer traditions around the world? Here are some that I thought were very interesting.
Throughout Eastern Europe and Russia, Ivan Kupala Night on July 7th is held in honor of John the Baptist. People bathe in rivers, jump over bonfires and hope for true love. Unmarried women used to put floral wreaths in the river that single men would try to catch on the other side.
In Guatemala, summer is celebrated with spiritual rituals performed at sunrise and sunset at the Mayan ruins of Tikal. People perform rituals dedicated to the Temple of the Moon and Temple of the Grand Jaguar that week.
In Spain, one of the most famous summer celebrations held in August is La Tomatina, which is when people in the town of Buñol throw tomatoes at each other. Tens of thousands of people participate.
In China, the most controversial celebration is the Yulin Dog Meat Festival.
In Japan, the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri Festival is an early August tradition held in the Aomori Prefecture that has a parade of lantern floats which take a whole year to create. The lantern floats have pop culture characters, gods and historical figures.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, which is far enough north that it experiences a period of complete daylight during the summer, you can experience the Midnight Sun Game, a late-night baseball game that has been held since 1906.
Wow! There are a lot of different summer traditions out there. What are some of your family traditions? Which ones around the world do you like?
