Looking for summer fun? The summer solstice is upon us and we say, “Blessed be!”
Litha, the Midsummer Wiccan Sabbat, is an ancient celebration honoring the day of the year when the Sun sticks around the longest and takes place on June 21st. This is a tradition meant to celebrate life, Mother Nature, the spiritual path, and the glorious, golden, life-giving light of the Sun.
This tradition was born of a gratitude for the growing, healthy crops, the warm weather and the abundance of daylight. It is speculated that this celebration could have been observed as early on as the Stone Age. The summer solstice may even have been created by Neolithic humans as a means for determining when to plant, and later harvest, their precious crops.
“Solstice” is configured from the Latin words “sol,” which means Sun, and “stitium,” which essentially means to stop. It is as if the Sun stops moving for a day and simply plants himself in the heavens.
The Greeks had a celebration, called Kronia, around the same time as Midsummer that celebrated their god of agriculture. The Ancient Romans held a similar holiday that celebrated their goddess Vestalia, who guarded the hearth.
Many, many Midsummer celebrations are still practiced today. Every year, tens of thousands of people migrate to Stonehenge in England to create music, dance, pay homage to the stones, and watch the sun rise. In places like Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, the summer solstice is referred to as Ivan Kupala Day and takes place in July. Folks perform purification rituals, jump over bonfires, and don flower wreaths upon their heads to celebrate the summertime.
In the United States, thousands of people gather in New York City to practice yoga, while some citizens in Alaska play a game of midnight baseball.
Why not participate in your own summer solstice ritual? Here are some ideas for creating your very own Midsummer tradition.
This is a time to enjoy your life, to rejoice in being alive and having love in your life. Create any ritual that reminds you to be grateful, excites your senses, enchants your soul and, of course, harms no one. There are no rules for celebration, no limitations on your imagination. Whatever you choose to do this Summer Solstice, do it with love and appreciation for the warm light of the Sun. We’d have absolutely nothing without him.