The lesser Sabbat of Midsummer celebrates the Summer Solstice, and the death of the Sun god at the hands of his Dark Self. It falls upon that season in which the power of the Sun begins to wane, and the days cease lengthening, and begin to shorten. Historically, this sabbat was celebrated on or near the 24th of the month, but due to differences between the calendars and astronomical reality, the solstice itself falls upon the 21st instead. As is true of any Celebration, though, Midsummer can be flexibly moved to any reasonable date around Solstice to allow for a more involved celebration (say, to a weekend, for example).

Traditional Celtic practice was to measure days from sundown to sundown, so the traditional start of Midsummer should be the sundown prior to the date of Solstice, or June 19th or 20th, depending on the year. As Christmas to Yule, so also have Christians adopted St. John's Day to fall upon the Midsummer's dates. And as happened in the case of Yule, many of the practicioners of the Old Ways called Midsummer by its Christian name, so we've included that here as well.

Solstice celebrations have occured since prehistoric times. Midsummer has always been an important time for ancient peoples, and many cultures still have Midsummer celebrations that show definite signs of pre-Christian influence. The date is so important, in fact, that when the Christian leaders decided to attempt to preempt it with the feast of St. John, they deviated from their own traditions to celebrate St. John's birthday, rather than the date of his ascension to sainthood. Ironically, St. John was referred to as 'The Oak King', and was often depicted with horns or, even better, the lower torso of a Satyr!

In the Wiccan tradition, Midsummer represents the height of the Green Goddess' rule, and the rise of the Holly King, who slays the Oak King with an arrow. While the Old King passes and the New King rises, the Goddess remains herself, albeit now at her most fertile, or often already pregnant with the future King. This is the longest day, and the shortest night.

In the Correllian Tradition, Midsummer is the height of the Sun God's power, and is the primary solar celebration. Many solar images are used around this time, as well as Maypoles and various phallic symbols.

At Midsummer, five plants have their most potent mystical properties, and may even possess special properties as well: rue, roses, St. John's wort, vervain and trefoil. Roses are also a common site during Midsummer. This is also a fire celebration, when bonfires are lit and flaming wheels are rolled down hills or across fields. Fire possesses special powers of renewal and cleansing this time of year, so many practices such as jumping over fires or driving livestock between bonfires is practiced to harness the mystical power of flame during Midsummer.

A common celebration for Midsummer is a mystery play about the ancient conflict between the Oak King and the Holly King. These mystery plays describe how the Oak King or Young God, ruler of the Summer Months, comes into conflict with the Holly King, ruler of the Winter Months, and how their struggling leads to the mortal wound that begins the decline of the long Summer days into the shorter Winter ones. Additionally, priestesses and priests in many shrines and temples have their own preferred ceremonies and rituals.