What Is The Solstice?
What is the solstice?
Put simply, the summer solstice is the longest day and the shortest night of the year. For us here in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice falls on Monday the 21st June this year, officially marking the start of the astronomical summertime.
The summer solstice occurs as the North Pole reaches its closest proximity to the sun, tilting about 23.4°, to be precise. The sun travels its longest and most northerly path through Earth’s sky, appearing fixed at its highest position. In fact, the word solstice itself reflects this image, being derived from the Latin words sol (meaning "sun") and sistere (meaning "to stand still").
Whilst for many people, the solstice may pass by like any other day, it is actually widely recognised by nations all over the world, and bears an impressive historical and cultural significance.
Midsummer traditions were particularly important to Scandinavian, Germanic, Baltic, Celtic and Slav peoples since seasonal sunlight changes were so dramatic. Solstice rituals were therefore built around the powers of the sun god and the defeat of darkness, with hopes of encouraging fertility and inviting a successful harvest for the approaching autumn. Even now, each solstice period, countries across Europe come alive with wonderful festivals and ceremonies connecting people with nature; bonfires are lit to keep demons away, beautiful wild flower crowns are worn, folk songs are sung and maypole dancing is enjoyed into the early morning hours.
Looking a little closer to home, the fascinating World Heritage Site, Stonehenge, believed to be at least 5,000 years old, has a pretty lengthy theoretical history. Over thousands of years there have been numerous claims of its true identity and purpose, among these being an ancestral worshipping site, a cult centre for healing and even a coronation place for Danish kings. Whilst we may never truly know why Stonehenge was constructed, it’s now widely accepted that it was designed to predict and track astronomical events, since the stones appear to be intentionally positioned to align with the movement of the sun. Stonehenge is just one example of many architectural wonders around the world which remain pivotal destinations each year for pilgrims who gather to celebrate the solstice.
Culturally, in art and literature, themes of mysticism and spiritualism have always been particularly significant around the solstice period. Most people are familiar with the magical nymphs and fairies who bring Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream to life, but references to the midsummer sun crop up time and time again in the work of many renowned poets and writers, from Byron to Tennyson. No doubt the long, hazy sun-fuelled days captured people’s imagination, leading them to think more creatively and dream more powerfully.
Whether you choose to celebrate the summer solstice or not, hopefully this blog has been an interesting read and helps you to appreciate this very special, beautiful and abundant time of year!