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Although it\u2019s been feeling like summer for weeks now, June 21st officially marks the first day of summer!\u00a0 Often referred to as the “Summer Solstice”, this marks a major celestial event resulting in the longest day of the year, and the shortest night of the year.\u00a0 On the day of the solstice, the sun appears to stand still, which is where it gets its name; A combination of the Latin terms \u201cSol\u201d meaning \u201csun\u201d, and \u201cStice\u201d meaning \u201cto stand still\u201d.<\/p>\n
Early Celebrations of the Summer Solstice<\/strong><\/p>\n For centuries civilizations have been influenced by the sun, and have celebrated the Summer Solstice in a variety of different ways and by a variety of different names.\u00a0 Some call it \u201cMidsummer\u201d,(Shakespeare, anyone?), \u201cSt. John\u2019s Day\u201d, or the Wiccan \u201cLitha\u201d.<\/p>\n Ancient Egyptians built the pyramids so that the solstice sunset, when viewed from the sphinx, sets directly between two of the Pyramids.\u00a0 Also, Stonehenge in the United Kingdom has been associated with the winter and summer solstices for about 5,000 years.<\/p>\n Druids celebrated this day as the \u201cwedding of Heaven and Earth\u201d, resulting in today\u2019s common belief that it is \u201clucky\u201d to have your wedding in June.<\/p>\n Fun Facts<\/strong><\/p>\n Midsummer celebrations for Pagans went a little something like this: They would celebrate with bonfires and couples would leap through the flames, believing that their crops would grow as high as they were able to jump.\u00a0 Better hope it was pretty high!<\/p>\n Pagans were also known to wear protective garlands made of herbs and flowers on Midsummer, as this was thought to be a time of magic where evil spirits were likely to appear. The most popular and \u201cpowerful\u201d plant used for protection was St. John\u2019s Wort; hence the name \u201cSt. John\u2019s Day\u201d.<\/p>\n The Midsummer moon was referred to as the \u201cHoney Moon\u201d for the mead that was made from fermented honey that was part of the wedding ceremonies performed at the summer solstice.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s Celebrations<\/strong><\/p>\n The most notable celebration of the Summer Solstice is in England at Stonehenge and Avebury where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.<\/p>\n If you are not going to be near Stonehenge at sunrise to celebrate the beginning of summer, maybe a day at the pool or a cookout with the family will suffice as a nice kick-off to summer! Enjoy!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Although it\u2019s been feeling like summer for weeks now, June 21st officially marks the first day of summer!\u00a0 Often referred to as the “Summer Solstice”, this marks a major celestial event resulting in the longest day of the year, and the shortest night of the year.\u00a0 On the day of the solstice, the sun appears […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[119,149],"yoast_head":"\n