Summer Solstice
By Robin DuMolin

Midsummer’s Eve was once a huge pagan festival of the summer solstice. For centuries it was celebrated on June 24. The early Christians replaced this pagan festival with, “St. John the Baptists’ Day” because his actual birthday was so close and they wanted the pagan holiday to cease.

When pagans celebrated the worship of the sun, one of the traditions was to create huge bonfires that symbolized the sun. They would dance around the bonfires, and leap through them. They would do these things not only to celebrate but more practically, because they believed doing these things was protection against disease and witchcraft. The Church gave new symbolism to these bonfires to now represent John the Baptist. (Jesus had called John, “a burning and a shining light”).

In Mexico, John the Baptist is the saint of the waters. They decorate their wells and fountains with flowers and candles. In honor of St. John, people bathe in streams, rivers or swimming pools to be in the element they associate him with, water.

To ancient people, the sun represented their dependence on it’s warmth and light, especially for their crops. In North and South America and throughout Europe, people built structures to help track the movements of the sun. For instance, in California, the Chumash Indians cut holes in walls or ceilings of their caves. On the summer solstice only, a beam of sunlight would shine through on their sacred art.

In Great Britain, summer was believed to start on May 1 and end at the beginning of August. The summer solstice was midway between, so it became known also as midsummer.

In Europe and Great Britain on midsummer’s eve, bonfires were lit, even children stayed up all night celebrating. Dancers dressed up as dragons and unicorns. Houses were traditionally decorated with lilies, fennel, and St. John’s Wort, named after St. John. Sometimes children would leave food out in their gardens because they believed that fairies wandered the earth on this night.

In Ireland, some people would walk around the bonfires saying prayers. After that, music, dancing and storytelling happened. When the bonfire finally died out, farmers would sprinkle the ashes on their fields to bless their crops.

The summer solstice is associated with female energy, the time when mother earth is most abundant. It was the time to gather healing herbs. There are many plants associated with the summer solstice. A branch of hazel cut on midsummer’s eve was believed to be the most powerful divining rod for both the discovery of water and treasures. Some herbs associated with midsummer are chamomile, geranium, thyme, rue and pennyroyal. All were valued for their scents when they were traditionally thrown on bonfires. St. John’s Wort has bright yellow flowers and blooms around this time of year. It was thought to symbolize the sun, which was what people were worshipping. It’s botanical name, Hypericum, is Greek meaning, “over an apparition,” referring to the belief that the plant was so terrifying to evil spirits that just a whiff of it would send them away.

There are abundant amounts of light and lifeforce energy in the summer. Lifeforce energy sustains all living things on this planet. It follows the same path each and every year without variation. At the fall equinox, this energy begins its descent towards the center of the planet. We experience this and see this in gravity. As this energy is pulled away from the surface of the earth, other living things mimic it. Leaves fall off the trees, animals get ready to hibernate.

At the winter solstice this lifeforce energy has finally made it to the center of the planet. It is furthest away from us. The planet slows down without its strong presence. Animals and people want to hibernate. This is the time when we have the least amount of light available to us. We reflect on the past and what we have done with this energy over the course of the year. But now we begin to also refocus on what we would like to experience (mock-up) for the New Year (New Years resolutions).

At the spring equinox this life force energy has hit the surface of the earth again. Flowers bloom, the light increases, we feel renewed and invigorated by the energy. At the summer solstice this energy and light is at it’s highest. Because of this fertility is associated with midsummer. What do we want to create in our own lives with this abundant energy? The same old stuff as before? How this energy affects the planet shows us that we can let go and renew just as nature does when we flow with this energy instead of fighting it. Nature knows better than to fight with its Creator.

Sources: The Summer Solstice–Ellen Jackson. Customs & Holidays Around the World–Lavina Dobler and Rev. Howard Harper. Celebrate the Solstice–Richard Heinberg