Today is the summer solstice. It is also known as various other names including Litha, and Midsummer. On this day, in the Northern hemisphere it is the longest day of the year, and the shortest night; when the sun reaches his apex in the sky, and the days will now grow shorter. For North Americans 'summer' has barely started and the kids are just now getting out of school - today marks the official the first day of summer. The summer solstice marks Mid-summer for many cultures, because it is roughly the middle of the growing season in much of our northern hemisphere. In some lore Like Samhain, Litha (mid-summer) is a day when the boundaries between the worlds are thin, when mortals have strange experiences, and when otherworlders travel in our plane.
Honey and mead figure prominently in many Celtic traditional celebrations (at least in our home they did) Mead is a common term for an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of honey, it is produced like wine, and is also referred to as honeywine.
This however is not a tradition I have chosen to continue...as I have yet to taste a mead I like...but I'm open to the "never say die" concept, and will keep trying. (I also don't drink Scotch which my Scottish parents find almost sacrilegious...*laughs*)
I wish a Joyful Summer Solstice to all!
The Summer Sun Shone Round Me
THE summer sun shone round me,
The folded valley lay
In a stream of sun and odour,
That sultry summer day.
The tall trees stood in the sunlight
As still as still could be,
But the deep grass sighed and rustled
And bowed and beckoned me.
The deep grass moved and whispered
And bowed and brushed my face.
It whispered in the sunshine:
"The winter comes apace."
Robert Louis Stevenson
(photo credit: unknown)
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