SurfWriter Girls: Summer Solstice Greetings!

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Summer Solstice Greetings!

Let the Sun Shine!

Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to the following copyrighted material. For permission to reprint or excerpt it and/or link it to another website, contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel hope that you’ve been enjoying the Summer Solstice.

Since ancient times people around the world have celebrated Summer Solstice – the first day of summer and the longest day of the year – with observances recognizing the power and importance of the sun...observances that could last for days or even weeks.

The word “solstice” is made up of two Latin words – “sol” (the sun) and “sistere” (to stand still). On the day of the solstice, when the sun rises to its highest and can go no higher, it appears to be standing still.

Solstice time, also called Midsummer, was thought to be a time of magic – as expressed in Shakespeare’s comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream – when spirits, often mischievous ones, were said to come out.

Stonehenge in England was the site of ancient rituals glorifying the sun.

In Sweden people commemorated the occasion by dancing around a decorated tree set up in the middle of town, hoping that this would result in good crops. The Celts in Ireland celebrated with bonfires.

In China this is a time to pay homage to the forces of feminine and masculine – yin and yang. Native Americans performed sun dances in ceremonies that depicted the continuity between life and death.

The solstice moon was called a “honey moon” because the mead made at this time from fermented honey was used in marriage ceremonies.

SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti Kishel invite you to create your own rituals for celebrating this important event:

Surfing...