The Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist

On July 7, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates a special feast day—one which our church celebrates on June 24.  It is one of only three nativities with a feast day attributed to it: the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.  Jesus and his mother, Mary are the other two.  As John was born six months before Jesus (Luke 1:36 states Elizabeth was six months into her pregnancy when Mary paid her visit), the church designated six months prior to be John’s nativity feast day.  John’s birthday celebration effectively coincided with pagan celebrations of Midsummer, so as was typical with early Christian authorities, those celebrations were incorporated into Christian ritual.  The Roman summer solstice, based on their calendar, was celebrated on June 24^th.  St. John’s day was designated for the 24^th rather than the 25^th due to the following Roman calendar formula: Christ’s nativity is calculated at eight days prior to the calend of January (“calend” is the Latin word for the first of the month).  Thus, John’s nativity is calculated as eight days prior to the calend of July—in June, being one day shorter than December, this is the 24^th.  The Russian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar (rather than the Gregorian calendar that we use) to calculate Holy Days, thereby missing out on all the pagan solstice fun!

In pre-Christian Europe, Midsummer’s Eve (which to us is the summer solstice), along with the Winter Solstice, was one of the most celebrated holidays.  Midsummer rituals included collecting of old bones, rubbish and rags that were piled and burned in bonfires that were designed to ward against dragons who, left to their own devices, would poison water sources and burn crops and villages.  The fires would keep the dragons at bay, but in the event one was sneaky enough to get through, women would gather the golden blooms of the day—calendula, St. John’s Wort, vervain, etc.—and spread them over the water for their healing properties.  A third tradition was a great wheel that would be rolled up the highest local hill, paused at the top during the peak of the sun’s passage through the astronomical solstice and rolled down the hill again.  The wheel symbolized the turning of the seasons and the passage of the sun from long days to shorter ones.

Today, the Nativity of St. John the Baptist is one of the most celebrated religious holidays in Europe--especially in northern European countries.  The pagan traditions of bonfires in the night now reflect the Christian symbolism of John as “the burning and shining light” that Christ described him.  Instead of bones and rubbish, the Church takes this opportunity to burn old and worn out sacramentals to ensure the sacredness of the fire.  St. John’s Wort, which blooms on or around the nativity of John the Baptist, is often collected to create wreaths to adorn churches and homes on June 24^th.  Incidentally, St. John’s Wort is an effective herb used in a tisane or tincture for treating mild depression or anxiety and is also commonly called “demonsbane.”

Since the 24^th of June fell on a Sunday this year, the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist rolled over to June 25^th.  But since the publication of this blog missed even that date, you have one more chance this year to celebrate—thanks to the Russian Orthodox Church!