Things You Didn't Know About the Summer Solstice

So you’ve heard of the summer solstice but you’re still not sure what it’s about? Read on for some facts and trivia about how the arrival of summer is — and has long been — celebrated in history, mythology, pop culture, and more. Don’t forget your sunscreen.

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The word solstice is based on the Latin words “sol” (sun) and “stitium” (still or stopped). The summer solstice is an astronomy-based observance, marking the time when the sun travels the longest path through the sky. That journey gives the day the most daylight of the year and has been the focus of celebrations by cultures around the globe — even though that means they aren’t all celebrating on the same day.

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In the Northern Hemisphere, the longest day (or summer solstice) is marked on June 20 or 21 (this year it will be at 5:13 a.m. EST June 21) – and in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs December 21 or 22. The solstice also marks the beginning of the summer season, which continues until the autumn equinox which (no surprise) marks the arrival of fall.

Humans may have observed the summer solstice as early as the Stone Age. The solstice gave humans a guide as to when to plant and harvest crops, and they’ve celebrated it with everything from feasts to songs around the world.

The ancient Greeks held an annual summer festival, Kronia, to celebrate Cronus, the god of agriculture. This mega-party relaxed the social rules with slaves permitted to dine with their masters, which led to a chaotic celebration during which not much got done. The ancient Romans marked the arrival of the summer solstice with Vestalia, honoring the goddess of the hearth.

In ancient Greece, the summer solstice was considered both the start of the New Year and the one-month countdown to the Olympic Games.

The summer solstice has gone by different names in different cultures throughout history. It’s known as Midsummer in northern Europe, Litha by Wiccans, and some Christian churches use the solstice to commemorate the birth of John the Baptist, calling it St. John’s Day.

Bonfires became associated with the summer solstice. Before Christianity, pagans in parts of Europe observed Midsummer with bonfires. Bonfires were thought to give the sun’s energy a bump up for the rest of the growing season, resulting in a hearty fall harvest.

Stonehenge, the storied Wiltshire monument in the British countryside, was perhaps itself built to honor the solstice. It’s a traditional summer solstice gathering spot where revelers welcome the longest day of the year starting at sunrise in what’s believed to be one of the world’s largest solstice celebrations. Last year, with coronavirus guidelines in mind, the event went virtual. This year you can attend in-person or watch a live stream on Facebook or YouTube.

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The summer solstice celebration in Scandinavia is a national holiday, second only to Christmas in popularity. As befits a big holiday, food plays an important role, with potatoes, herring or smoked fish, fresh fruit, and maybe schnapps or beer (for adults) making up a traditional meal. In Sweden, where the solstice festival is called Midsommar, houses are decorated with floral wreaths.

In North America, some tribes once held ritual dances to honor the sun, with the Sioux standing out for the tribe’s Sun Dance. Usually held during the June solstice, it involved cutting a tree and raising it to represent the connection between heaven and earth, then setting up teepees around it to represent the cosmos. Before the dance, participants abstained from food and drink and decorated their bodies with red (representing the sunset), blue (sky), yellow (lightning), white (light) and black (night) paint. Today, sun dances are performed by a number of tribes, often in public as a way to educate non-natives about the culture.

The Fremont Solstice Parade has been a Seattle tradition since 1989.  It’s expected to draw some 60 community-based ensembles that will submit their art, with participation from drag queens, giant puppets, stilt walkers, floats, dancers, musicians, and more. People can join the festival June 18 at 2 p.m. according to Fremont Arts Council’s social media accounts to take part in the fun. 

Solstice celebrations are also quite the thing in Fairbanks, Alaska, which gets 24-hour daylight April 22 to August 20. The Midnight Sun Baseball Game, featuring the Alaska Goldpanners (who won last year), will be held again this year.

The words summer solstice – sometimes used literally, other times figuratively — have been used in cinematic efforts over the years. For example, there’s the 1981 Henry Fonda and Myrna Loy made-for-TV romantic drama “Summer Solstice,” and more recently 2015’s movie of the same name, an exploration of 1943 Poland under German occupation.

In Eastern philosophies, yin and yang (the two energies of earth) reference shifting energies and balance. When it comes to the solstice, we move from the balance of yin and yang that can be found in the spring, while the summer is considered a season of yang, which means fiery energy is more abundant. What does that mean? Long, hot days, with plants bearing fruit and humans becoming more social and energetic. Sounds about right. 

The solstice is said to be a time for healing. With light being more available to us, we are supposedly more conscious and present, and, just as plants start springing to life with the warmer weather, we can also grow and heal. Whether you believe that, however, is up to you.

Earth, as we well know, has four seasons within a year, each lasting some 90 days. However, it’s not the same throughout the solar system, as most other planets wait much longer for seasonal changes. A season on Saturn, for example, lasts seven years while it can be some 20 years on Uranus or even more than 40 years on Neptune. (Seasons on Venus, though, are just 55 to 58 days).

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