On Midsummer’s Eve, I will join the group, assembling to light a sacred fire, then stay up all night to welcome the moon and the dawn. Men will wear chaplets of oak leaves and flowers around their heads in honor of the Oak King. Women will wear braided circlets of clover and flowers on their hair, wrists and ankles. Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are very common in June and I will festival, eat and drink all day with pagans. One of the most enduring rituals of the Summer Solstice is were the Druids’ celebrate of the “wedding of Heaven and Earth”, that brought about our present day belief of a “lucky” wedding in June. So as the Celts & Slavs celebrate with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun’s energy, the Chinese honor Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light. Gypsies will also honor this day in similar abandon to their hard work during harvest and their respect for Gaia. Across the world, many pagans will throw off the hooded robes and bath skyclad under the sun while honoring Sol. Some now call this day Litha, the day of the Lord of Light, the Oak King who sits solidly on a greenwood throne. Stonehenge has an entrance-way that was aligned with the solstice sunrise and is a popular gathering place for modern druids and others enthusiasts on midsummer’s day.įor Wiccans, Midsummer is one of the four “Lesser Sabbats” or “Low Holidays”. Some sacred sites, around the world will draw huge crowds as the Summer Solstice is honored. ![]() This is a time to strengthen the bonds between the participants as they chant to Sol’s continued service to the earth and it’s creatures. When night approaches, the pagan fires will burn brightly in honor of the sun. This is reflected in the midsummer rituals or plucking herbs, for this special day brings added vigor, potency to the herbs for medicine and spells. The sun, Sol, brings life to growing crops in the field and warmth to the bones of the workers who harvested. The day lasts so long, the gaiety lasted well into night, with dancing, food, mead, wine and merriment. The summer solstice is often the time of the first harvest and hence a celebration of this bounty has been held for hundreds of years. ![]() Survival depended on their sensitivity to abnormal weather patterns, bad harvest years, the swelling and receding ocean waves for good fishing days. Our ancestors were not ruled by convention or committee-no, they were ruled by the seasons of harvest, sexual awareness in the Spring of all living creatures and the need to store for the winter months ahead. How ironic that after this longest day the daylight gets shorter! So our ancestors realized Summer Solstice is the beginning of the END of summer. Long ago, pagans didn’t denote “midsummer” as the first day of summer-for it wasn’t then and isn’t now-save for our modern society deemed the day so. This year it is June 21 st and many pagans will be celebrating this one day with reverence and celebration. In the northern hemisphere of our planet, the summer solstice occurs during June. Summer Solstice harkens the longest day of the year, when warmth spills upon the land and fruitful bounties are enjoyed by all creatures. Indeed the sun does seem to stand still as the sun reaches it’s furthest point from the equator. The word “Solstice” comes from the Latin words, sol sistere – “sun stand still”. The Summer Solstice-Midsummer Link to Author's Blog, Irish Gypsy's Parlor
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