21st June: Summer Solstice

It's the Summer Solstice already! Here are 10 things you might not know about the summer solstice:

Photo by NASA

1. 
   The word Solstice is derived from the Latin words sol (Sun) and sistere (to stand still).
2. The date of the solstice varies. It usually falls on June 20th or 21st. This year, and in 2015, it's on the 21st. In 2016, though, it will be on the 20th. On very rare occasions the solstice will fall on June 22nd. The last time this happened was in 1971 and it won't happen again until 2203.
3. Stone circles, such as Stonehenge, are a focal point for celebrations of solstices and probably have been for thousands of years. There may be special features on these dates, for example, at Stonehenge the Heel or Sun Stone casts a shadow on the Altar stone at the summer solstice. There is a legend that says if you sit in a stone circle all night on midsummer's eve, you will see Fairies, but beware - they might harass you, so carry a sprig of rue or wear your jacket inside out, which confuses them. If all else fails, run away along a ley line.
4. An alternative name for the Summer Solstice festival is Litha, often used by modern pagans. The word Litha means "Light".
5. According to the Celtic Wheel of the Year tradition, today is the day that the Holly King, associated with winter, does battle with the Oak King, who rules the summer. The Holly King will win today, which is why they days start to get shorter now as we head for winter (depressing thought). At the winter solstice, the Oak King returns for a re-match, and he will win, and so the days start getting longer again.
6. Many of the ancient traditions of this day involve lighting fires to give power to the sun. In parts of Ireland, tradition says that if you carry a pebble to the fire, and whisper your wish to it, and then throw the stone into the fire, you'll get your wish.
7. Magic and witchcraft are closely associated with midsummer - Shakespeare was well aware of this as evidenced in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest
8. As with most ancient festivals, there has been a Christian celebration added on top - in the case of Midsummer, it is celebrating the birth of John the Baptist.
9. Another ancient tradition is the sunwheel. A wheel, or a ball of straw, was set alight and rolled down a hill towards a river. If the fire went out before the sunwheel hit the water, it meant the crops would be good that year.
10. Some say that today, rather than New Year, is the best time to make life-changing resolutions, because your energy levels are higher and you're more likely to keep them up until they become habit. Although if you live in the Southern Hemisphere, New Year is presumably about right.