Summer Solstice: Hello, Mr. Sunshine!

By Rajah Patpaw Purr

Summer Solstice is known by people of all faiths as the longest day of the year. Beyond this, however, Summer Solstice acts as a religious holiday for pagans.

Summer Solstice occurs exactly when the Sun's power is at its zenith. It is the time of year when the noon sun appears to be farthest north from the celestial equator. "Solstice" is Latin for "sun stands still" (sol "sun" and sistere "to stand"). Since the sun appears to stand still on this day, it was given the name “Summer Solstice”. The sun is directly over the tropic of Cancer at the summer solstice, at which time the sun is 23°27' north. Summer Solstice is the longest day and shortest night of the year. From the moment of Summer Solstice, the Sun immediately begins to wane. The journey into the harvest season has begun, and the days begin to grow shorter.

Beginning the night before Summer Solstice, or Midsummer Eve, pagans begin celebrating. Celts, and many ancient groups, though the beginning of day was dream-time, or nightfall. A long time ago, people would swim towards the rising sun of Midsummer morning. They believed that bathing as such brought healing, cleansing, and protection. Through the progression of Christianity Midsummer's Eve has also been dubbed “Saint John's Eve”. During Midsummer Eve and Summer Solstice itself, herbs are gathered to ensure protection and good fortune for the upcoming year. During the festivities, people eat the freshly harvested strawberries, blueberries, cherries, blackberries, potatoes, lettuce, peas, carrots, radishes, onions, and more from their gardens. And all around are fires lit by the friction of fir and oak wood rubbed together. Fires are sprinkled with herbs such as mistletoe, vervain, St. John’s Wort, heartsease (or pansies), lavender, and yarrow. Some people like to jump over the fires for luck and fertility! (Some couples feel very, very fertile the moment they got done leaping) In the old days, after the fires had burned down, herds of animals were driven over burned out Midsummer fires to ensure their future health. And, even after this, people would sprinkle fire ashes on fields and in their houses. Ashes bring powers of protection, health and luck.

Summer Solstice is a magical time of year. Here, in Seattle, nearly everyone celebrates it with a party, no matter what his or her religion is! Summer Solstice has been given other names, such as: Litha, Feill-Sheathain, Jani, Alban Hefin, Juhannus, Midsommarafton, and Saint John's Eve. No matter what you call it, or what you believe in it as, Summer Solstice is a fun way to welcome summer into our lives.