There are many celebrations that take place all over the world that you may not be aware of during summer time (or winter for those of you in the southern hemisphere) so I have decided to write about some of these!

Birthday of Emperor Selassie

This is celebrated on 23rd of July because Rastafarians treat Haile Selassie I as the Messiah and believe he will come back and bring the African people to freedom. Some Rastafarians believe that he is Jesus incarnate, but others do not but still treat Emperor Selassie as a god all the same.

Beltane

This is the pagan festival of fire and it occurs on the 1st of May so perhaps I am a little late to blog about it, but even so it is a summer festival so i won't leave it out. This festival celebrates the coming of summertime and the name comes from the Celtic God 'Bel' the 'bright one' and the Gaelic word 'teine' meaning fire! During Beltane new couples traditionally proclaim their love for eachother, people dance around Maypoles (poles in the ground decorated by ribbons) and there is the annual fire festival, some people just burn bonfires but there is also a spectacular display in Edinburgh, Scotland on Calton Hill on the 30th of April starting at Sunset which is often attended by around 12,000 people!

Midsummer and the Summer Solstice

This is a holiday celebrated between the 21st and 24th of June, the actual date varies depending on different cultures and countries because it is supposed to take place on the longest day of the year to appreciate life, growth and also recognise the oncoming decline of the sun. This festival is originally of Pagan decent but is widely celebrated all over the world by people from all manner of backgrounds and cultures. It is often celebrated by lighting bonfires and with all kinds of festivals.

Vaishaka Puja / Wesak

This holiday is in the Buddhist calander and is the celebration of Buddah's birthday which is celebrated by using as much colour as possible and in some countries caged birds are released to represent freedom and special lanterns are made. This holiday is on the 4th of June.

Bastille Day

This is a French holiday to remember the uprising of the Modern French nation and the storming of the Bastille. This is on the 14th of July.

Father's Day

This says it all on the tin really, it is a day to celebrate your Father! It is on the 17th of June and was established in the early 20th century by a young girl who wanted to express her love for her Father on a specific day as he was single and she wished to show him her appreciation for everything he had done for her on his own.

Tisha B'Av

On the 29th of July, Jews use this day as a day of remembrance to commemorate several tragic events that have occurred on this day to the Jewish community. This day is often referred to as the 'saddest day in Jewish history'.

Now here is a quick list of more light hearted celebrations that are really quite self explanatory.

Drive in Movie Day - 6th June

Iced Tea Day - 10th June

Grilling Month and Ice Cream month is July

Chocolate Day - 7th July

Lollipop Day - 20th July

Friendship Day - 1st August

Chocolate Chip Day - 4th August

S'Mores Day - 10th August