June festivals (part 3)
The month of June is only getting closer so we should continue looking into the various June festivals that one can take part in while on holiday in different parts of the world.
Scottish Borders – major Scottish Borders towns, Scotland
The festival is called the Riding of the Marches, also known as Common Riding, and it takes place throughout the summer in major Scottish Borders towns. Just like many other Scottish festivals, this one stems from an ancient tradition, in this case one that dates back to the Middle Ages, when riders had to be sent to the town boundary in order to check on the common lands. In those dark centuries when brigands, rogues and highwaymen roamed the lands, the young riders had to face many perils like such as clashes with incursive neighboring settlements.
Nowadays, thankfully, the events around the riding are considerably more fun and relaxed, featuring extravagant convoys of horse riders following the town flag or some standard as they go riding on a well-worn route.
The festivities will vary from town to town but as it is Scottish custom they all will include some massive quantities of alcohol as well as various traditional tipples and food.
Summer Solstice – Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England
On the 21st of June each year the summer solstice takes place, an event which has inspired ancient druids to perform rituals and to build stone circles.
The summer solstice refers to the even in which the sun is directly above the northern hemisphere, indicating that the hemisphere’s midsummer. This is the longest day of the northern year and celebrations marking it date back to pre-Christian times.
Possibly the most famous summer solstice celebration takes place at Stonehenge, the event attracting more than 20,000 participants.
We should note that the summer solstice is widely celebrated throughout the United Kingdom because here it marks more the beginning rather than the middle of the archipelago’s brief sunny season.
