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| Saint John the Baptist, Painting by Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Painted between 1513 until 1516, Oil on Panel © Musée du Louvre, Paris |
We are more or less at mid-summer here in the Northern hemisphere. There used to be a custom of lighting a fire on ‘St John’s night’ on the 23rd of June – the vigil of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. The custom seemed to mirror ancient pagan customs associated with the worship of the sun and the significance of this moment in the seasonal calendar for primitive peoples across Europe.
