Bonfires

Samhain ( , ; ; ) or '''' () is a Gaelic festival on 1 November marking the end of the harvest season in autumn and beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year. It is also the Irish and Scottish Gaelic name for November. Celebrations begin on the evening of 31 October, since the Celtic day began and ended at sunset. This is about halfway between the autumnal equinox and winter solstice. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals along with Imbolc, Bealtaine, and Lughnasa. Historically it originated in Ireland and it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle o

thumb|A midsummer bonfire in [[Seurasaari, Helsinki, Finland]] thumb|On the beaches of Duindorp (pictured) and [[Scheveningen, both part of The Hague, teams annually compete to build the world's largest bonfire]]

evening of June 23, celebration

feast day of Saint Martin of Tours

Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and fireworks displays. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605 O.S., when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. The Catholic plotters had intended to assassinate Protestant King James I and his parliament. Celebrating that the king had survived, people lit bonfires around London. Months later, the Observance of 5th November Act 1605 mandated an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.

Midsummer or Midsommar ( ) is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day of the year. The name midsummer mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European origin. These cultures traditionally regard it as the middle of summer, with the season beginning on May Day. Although the summer solstice falls on 20, 21 or 22 June in the Northern Hemisphere, it was traditionally reckoned to fall on 23–24 June in much of Europe. These dates were Christianized as Saint John's Eve and Saint John's Day. It is

Beltane ( ) or Bealtaine () is the Gaelic May Day festival, marking the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on 1 May, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.

Jewish holiday

thumb|right|Moutya dance in Seychelles Moutya or Moutia, is a traditional African dance similar to the Sega, but with often more pronounced suggestive movements. Female and male dancers move in rhythm to the beat of the often single drum made of dried goatskin and lightly heated up by a bonfire prior to the start of the Dance (and regular during the evening). Dancing starts off slowly in time to the beat of the drums, but speeds up and becomes more erotic as the beating becomes faster and faster and faster.

Ulster Protestant celebration

Ukrainian folk men's dance

bonfires lit at Easter as part of liturgical and secular celebrations

Japanese festival

thumb|Biikebrennen in Flensburg (2014) thumb|Biikebrennen in Risum-Lindholm (2008) thumb|Biikebrennen in Flensburg (2014)

festival celebrated around Saint John's day's eve in Spain

annual event dedicated to bonfires, fireworks and celebrations

iron basket in which wood can be burned

thumb|right|Buergbrennen in Junglinster, LuxembourgBuergbrennen is a celebration centred on a huge bonfire which takes place on the first Sunday in Lent in Luxembourg and surrounding areas. In Germany it is called Burgbrennen, in France and Belgium it is known as the dimanche des Brandons. It is based on old traditions representing the end of winter and the coming of spring.

mountain in Porto Santo, Madeira, Portugal

East Slavic fertility goddess

Ulster Protestant celebration in Northern Ireland

ritual burning of cats in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries