Aerra Litha - The Saxon Pagans and Midsummer

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June Aerra Litha. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter. The period following the solstice was called Aefterra Litha, according to the Venerable Bede's eighth century writings about the "heathen" Anglo-Saxons.