St. John the Baptist and Midsummer
June 23 and 24 marks St. John’s Eve and the Nativity of John the Baptist respectively. This is the celebration of the birth of St. John the Baptist the forerunner of Christ. As today is celebrated by French Canadians in a special way called St. Jean-Baptiste Day , today is a day for French culture as St. Patrick is for Irish Culture. An interesting astronomy note is that St.John was born as the days grow shorter in reference to the scripture where St. John says in John 3:30, "He (Christ) must increase, but I must decrease." This is similar to when Christ is born and the days get longer because the Light of the World has come. Strawberries are often eaten on this day as it is their harvest season so thus they are picked for the honor of St. John. Strawberries are symbolic of the Trinity, Our Lady and righteousness because their seeds represent the fruitfulness of good works and of Mary’s Maternity and the white flower of the strawberry plant is white of the p...