Welcome to the monthly edition of Match Made in Seven! We are an international group of fashion bloggers who meet virtually once a month. One of us chooses a theme each month, and that can be anything: a book, music, a color, a movie. And then we all style an outfit based on that theme.

This month’s theme was chosen by ME and is “Midsummer’s Eve.” See my post about the theme below…and be sure to take a look at my fellow bloggers to see how they have interpreted the theme this month.

Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style

Debbie of https://www.debbiestyleslife.com/

Darlene of https://aquamarinastyle.com/

Sonja of https://www.yustsome.nl/

Anna of https://www.muttonstyle.com/

Emma of http://www.style-splash.com/

And now for this month’s theme: Midsummer’s Eve

Until a few years ago I really never knew anything about Midsummer’s Eve. It’s not an American holiday and other than Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream,” I’d not really heard the term used.

Six years ago I went with some friends to a “Midsummer’s Eve” event at Old Westbury Gardens. I’d had no expectations of what this would be…and I was charmed.

The event started in the early evening when the garden is normally closed. So, you got to view (and photograph) the gardens when the sun and light are low, which is the loveliest time. The gardens were illuminated with lanterns and ribbon streamers. Dancers from The Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation were dressed as ephemeral fairies and flitted their way from one garden to another, with choreographed dances at special places. It was all so lovely.

I made a slideshow from the pictures and videos I took that night.

It really made an impression on me and I always wanted to go back in subsequent years but it just never happened. So – I opted for a Midsummer’s Eve theme for my turn this month to try and recreate just a bit of that lovely holiday.

What is Midsummer’s Eve?? The summer solstice, June 21, is the longest day of the year. Wayyyy back in the day, knowing that the days would become shorter from then on, people were afraid that the light might continue to decrease until it was gone completely, and so on the eve of the longest day, they built bonfires to “warm the heavens and hold the heat in the sun.”

Midsummer’s Eve (also known as St. John’s Day in some religions) became an annual holiday at which villagers would gather around the bonfire to sing, dance and pray.  Women and children would make chaplets (floral wreaths worn on the head) out of St. John’s Wort to wear during the ceremony.

For my contemporary take on Midsummer’s Eve, I’m wearing a floaty white maxi dress from Avenue, a pink floral headband I picked up somewhere, and some beaded bracelets. I added the ribbon wand as a mini-Maypole. In some culture’s rendition of the ceremony, they dance around the maypole instead of fires.

My due date with Katie was May 1, May Day, a day celebrated by dancing around the ribbon-bedecked maypole. Sadly, she hung on until May 5, Cinco de Mayo – fun, but not nearly as charming. For one of her early birthdays (maybe third?) May Day was her party theme and we had a maypole in the yard and my sister made the most beautiful cake with a maypole in the center. If I knew where anything was in the new apartment, I would share the pictures here.

So, a few days late, but Happy Midsummer’s Eve, y’all!

What I Wore:

Thank you to my dear friend Stacey for photographing me for this post.

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PS: Cavorting is not as easy as it looks. Just sayin.’