 What and when is the Summer Solstice? The Summer Solstice is also known as Midsummer, and marks both the longest day and the shortest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. The Summer Solstice is the moment in the year when Earth is tilted as close to the sun as it will be all year. The Summer Solstice results in the longest day of the year, meaning it has the most time of daylight. Many ancient cultures mark the Summer Solstice with festivals, some of which continue to be observed today. Let's look at a few of these celebrations. Sweden hold Midsummer celebrations marked by fervent indulgence. Traditional foods such as pickled herring, salmon, and potatoes are enjoyed by flower wreath wearing revelers. People enjoy maypole and folk dances as part of the celebrations. It's even said that if a girl placed seven flowers under her pillow on Midsummer night, she'll dream of her future husband. Other Nordic countries do share some remarkable similarities when it comes to celebrating the Summer Solstice by lighting large bonfires. Iceland celebrates the Summer Solstice with a three-day Summer Solstice music festival. Summer Solstice celebrations in the UK used to focus on fairies, unicorns, and other mystical creatures. At Stonehenge, visitors come to witness the perfectly-aligned sunrise, too. Nowadays, certain areas are reviving pagan traditions with processions and plays, like Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Latvians also wear floral and leaf headwear and hold parties where they enjoy cheese and beer. They leap over bonfires that are kept burning all night long. The folk songs and cars decorated with branches sometimes make an appearance, too. Traditionally, Austrians light hundreds of mountain fires to mark the Summer Solstice. Revelers can make use of cable car systems to get a bird's eye view of the tradition, or even take a Summer Solstice cruise. In Spain, bonfires and firework displays are also popular in celebrating Midsummer. The beacons are ritualistically lit throughout the Pyrenees, as well as in Andorra and in France. And so it is clear that the Summer Solstice not only brings the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, but it marks the start of summer with great excitement and jubilant celebrations.