In Estonia, what is the name of the Midsummer festival?

In Estonia, the Midsummer festival is called Jaanipäev.

The name literally means “John’s Day,” referring to Saint John the Baptist, whose feast falls on 24 June. Estonian celebrations begin with jaaniõhtu, or Midsummer Eve, on 23 June. Families and friends gather outdoors, eat, sing, dance and light large bonfires that often burn through the short summer night.

Jaanipäev combines Christian naming with older seasonal and folk traditions. Jumping over the bonfire is traditionally associated with prosperity and protection from bad luck, while the festival marks an important point in the agricultural year: spring sowing is finished and summer haymaking is beginning.

The answer is sometimes confused with Latvia’s Jāņi or Finland’s Juhannus, neighboring celebrations with related midsummer customs. Estonia also observes Victory Day on 23 June, commemorating the Estonian victory at the 1919 Battle of Cēsis, so 23 and 24 June form an especially important holiday period. The older Estonian name leedopäev means roughly “fire day.”