The Summer Solstice, also called Litha or
Midsummer, is the longest day and shortest night of the year. It is the peak of
daylight and warmth, before the wheel rolls toward autumn. In some Neopagan
traditions, this is when the Oak King and Holly King do battle and the Oak King
falls, giving place to the King of the Waning Year. (Some traditions also do
this at the equinoxes). Bonfires, Feasting, and sacred plays – including
Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream - are also traditional. The Neolithic
people of Europe aligned their stone circles to the rising and setting sun on
the solstices, which points to the importance of this date for many millennia.
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| Photo by Andrew Dunn via Wikipedia, CC-Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 |
Midsummer is a time when there’s a little
more free time in an agricultural society. The planting is done and the harvest
hasn’t yet started. It would be a time to go to war in the ancient world, and
in the modern world it’s also a good time for projects.
The Celts have no major holiday between
Beltaine and Lammas that’s recorded, and there isn’t any indication any of the
Roman holidays had major significance in Gaul around the solstice either, so my
celebrations tend to focus more on family, friends, and nature. Midsummer is a
perfect beach or bbq holiday!
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