Why do pagans celebrate summer solstice

Both the summer and winter solstices form part of a wider astronomical calendar, flanked by two equinoxes in the spring and the autumn, and other daily and monthly cycles throughout the year. On these two dates, day and night are of equal length before the days begin to get either lighter in the spring, or darker in the autumn.

The hemisphere tilted most towards the sun sees its longest day and shortest night the Summer Solstice , whilst the hemisphere tilted away from the sun sees its shortest day and longest night the Winter Solstice.

We know that the solstices certainly held importance for Neolithic humans, who may initially have started to observe the Summer Solstice as a marker for planting and harvesting crops. Stonehenge, our most famous Neolithic monument, was certainly built to reflect the solstices, and it has long been debated whether one of its functions was to act as ancient solar calendar. According to some ancient Greek calendars, the Summer Solstice marked the start of the New Year, and began the one-month countdown to the opening of the famous Olympic games.

In the days leading up to the Summer Solstice, the Romans celebrated the Vestalia, a religious festival to honour Vesta, goddess of the home and hearth. It was believed that bonfires could also help banish demons and evil spirits. Today, the celebration of the solstices is mostly strongly associated with Paganism. The Pagan festival of Litha is one of the most important in the Pagan religion, commencing on the eve of the Summer Solstice it celebrates the midsummer and the power of the sun god.

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Play like a kid again. Feast on summer treats. Create a magic wand. Work with symbolic midsummer herbs. Here are a few of my favorite herbs to work with and what they represent:. Fenne l : confidence, longevity, courage St. John's wort: magic, success Lily: peace, healing Frankincense: spirituality Chickweed: love Heather: inner beauty and divinity Lavender: love, harmony, domestic tranquillity, mental clarity Mugwort: longevity, clairvoyance , psychic empowerment Rose: compassion, beauty Vervain: love, consecration.

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Eliza Sullivan. Emma Loewe. See What The Future Holds. Not only does the symbolize the power of life through the sun, but it also serves to keep the light in the darkness at a time when the days will inevitably begin to become shorter.

Thus, the bonfires are a reminder of the need to keep warm and light abundant in the darkest nights that will come in winter. The celebrations of Litha take place across the globe, with some of the most popular ones occurring in New York City, Stonehenge, Russia, and across South America. The chances are that there will be some form of solstice celebration near most major cities on June 21st!

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