Maypole decorated with flowers in celebration of Midsummer's Day, Sweden's most celebrated festival, Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe

Sunrise at Summer Solstice celebrations, Stonehenge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Tourists view standing stones of Neolithic henge, Stonehenge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Revellers gather at historic monument for Summer Solstice celebrations, 21 June 2016, Stonehenge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Revellers gather at historic monument for Summer Solstice celebrations on 21 June 2016, Stonehenge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Elephant Butte, Monument Valley, Arizona, United States of America, North America

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Astronomical instruments of Jantar Mantar, UNESCO, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Festival of Light (Inti Raymi festival) Cochas Community, Angochagua Parochia, Imbabura Province, Ecuador

Astronomical instruments of Jantar Mantar, UNESCO, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Dunnet Head Lighthouse at summer solstice sunrise, Caithness, Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Dunnet Head Lighthouse at summer solstice sunrise, Caithness, Highlands, Scotland, United Kingdom, Europe

Summer Solstice celebrations, Stonehenge, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Southern aisle, lit up during the winter solstice, Vezelay Basilica, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Bourgogne, France, Europe

Summer Solstice parade, Downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States of America, North America

A couple at Castlerigg Stone Circle near Keswick at sunst, Lake District National Park, Cumbria, England, United Kingdom, Europe

The Full Moon rising on December 22, 2018, the day after the winter solstice, in a perfectly clear sky and over the distant horizon to the northeast over the snow-covered prairie. Some cows are grazing at left! The top edge of the Moon has a green rim and the bottom edge a red rim, from atmospheric refraction. But it made for a Christmas-coloured Moon ornament on the horizon! The dark lunar mare and even the bright rays splashing from Tycho at bottom are visible.

The Milky Way arching over Emerald Lake and Emerald Lake Lodge in Yoho National Park, BC. This was on June 6, 2016 and despite it being about 1:30 am, the sky, especially to the north at left, is still lit by blue twilight from the short solstice night.

The waxing crescent Moon setting over a nearby farm, on June 26, 2017. Shot at the start of a time-lapse sequence, and shot in haste from home as the Moon appeared from beneath an otherwise very cloudy sky. The dark side of the Moon is lit by Earthshine, prominent despite the Moon's low altitude and bright twilight sky.

Swedish Costume Group, dance, Midsummer Festival, Laeckoe slott, Laeckoe castle, baroque palace in Vaestergoetland on the island of Kallandsoe, Vaenern, Sweden, Europe

Summer solstice, marks for sundial, metal plates on paved floor, Hoheward waste dump, Herten, Recklinghausen, Ruhr area, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Bonfire for the celebration of midsummer night in Peretshofen, community Dietramszell, district of Bad Toelz Wolfratshausen Bavaria, Germany, Europe

Johannifeuer bonfire at midsummer, solstice, in Wolfratshausen, Bad Toelz - Wolfratshausen district, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany, Europe

A huge Lama figure is carried over the Plaza de Armas square in Qusco, parade of the Inti Raymi festival, winter solstice festival, important festival of the Inca, Qusco, Peru, South America

View from Reinebringen, Reinebriggen towards Reine and Reinefjord with mountains, midnight sun, Moskenes, Moskenesøy, Lofoten, Norway, Europe

Snowplow in the arctic blizzard during the polar night, Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway, Europe

Bonfire at midsummer, Johannisfeuer bonfire, Midsummer Festival, Wolfratshausen, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany, Europe, PublicGround

Walkers in the evening sun, silhouettes against the light, winter solstice, Koeterberg, Luegde, Weserbergland, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe

Campfire on a bright night around Midsummer, Haerjedalen, Sweden, Europe

Midsummer Fire on alpine meadow under summit, near Mayrhofen, Zillertal, Tyrol, Austria, Europe

Solstice fire, Johanni fire, in Peretshofen, Dietramszell borough, Bavaria, Germany

People standing around a Sonnwendfeuer bonfire, Johannifeuer, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany, Europe

Midsummer Fire, Johannifeuer, Gelting, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany, Europe

Jätkänkynttiläsilta, Lumberjack Candle Bridge, bridge over the Kemijoki, midnight sun, Rovaniemi, near the Arctic Circle, Lapland, Finland, Europe

The full moon rises near the Portland Headlight on December 22, 1999 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine.

Revelry and happiness at a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

A young woman performs on ropes inside a giant inflatable float at a parade in Santa Barbara.

A Brazilian dancer performs at a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

A harem dances up the street at a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

Characters and dancers participate in the annual Santa Barbara Solstice Parade on June 21, 2008. The parade has been a tradition for over 30 years, no motorized vehicles or traditional bands are allowed in the whimsical parade.

Preparing to inflate a float for a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

A woman creates a mask on a girl for a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

A unique bicycle at a parade in Santa Barbara. The parade features extravagant floats and costumes.

Machu Picchu the Temple of the Sun with the site's most perfect stonework encloses a rock below aligned window to indicate the solstice, Highlands, Peru

Machu Picchu the Temple of the Sun with the site's most perfect stonework encloses a rock below aligned window to indicate the solstice, Highlands, Peru

Manhattan solstice