Many people believe the Christian missionaries and priests reinterpreted the old rites so they could be used to serve the spread of Christianity. The historical evidence that the birthday of John the Baptist was 24 June is thin. Very little is known about his early life.
Only the Gospel according to Luke dates the conception of John, claiming it was six months before that of Jesus, which enabled the church to locate John’s birthday at the time of the pagan midsummer festival.