Nine hours until solstice! (10:46 PM PDT)

[pokerfan]

Sunrise Solstice at Stonehenge
Credit & Copyright: Pete Strasser (Tuscon, Arizona, USA)
Explanation: Today the Sun reaches its northernmost point in the planet Earth's sky. Called a solstice, the date traditionally marks a change of seasons -- from spring to summer in Earth's Northern Hemisphere and from fall to winter in Earth's Southern Hemisphere. Pictured above is the 2005 Summer Solstice celebration at Stonehenge in England. The event was rare because Stonehenge was not always open to the public, and because recent summer solstices there had been annoyingly cloudy. In 2005, however, thousands of people gathered at sunrise to see the sun rise through the 4,000 year old solar monument. Due to the precession of the Earth's orbital axis over the millennia, the Sun no longer rises over Stonehenge in an astronomically significant way, although the photographer was able to find a good spot where the rising Sun appeared over one of Stonehenge's massive standing stones.



Early Celebrations

Awed by the great power of the sun, civilizations in the northern areas have for centuries celebrated the first dayo of summer otherwise known as the Summer Solstice, Midsummer (see Shakespeare), St. John's Day, or the Wiccan Litha.

The Celts & Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing & bonfires to help increase the sun's energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the "wedding of Heaven and Earth", resulting in the present day belief of a "lucky" wedding in June.

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world - most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.

Summer Solstice Fun Facts

* Pagans called the Midsummer moon the "Honey Moon" for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at the Summer Solstice.

* Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.

* Midsummer was thought to be a time of magic, when evil spirits were said to appear. To thwart them, Pagans often wore protective garlands of herbs and flowers. One of the most powerful of them was a plant called 'chase-devil', which is known today as St. John's Wort and still used by modern herbalists as a mood stabilizer.

[Moondog]

1. Having a Midsummer party tomorrow. Should be fun.

They usually are.


- On edit - removed surplus verbiage.

[cwydro]

2. That's a great reason for a party!

Have fun!:party:

[Moondog]

3. Thanks! I hope we will. I do it annually, wherever I am.

[pokerfan]

4. Solstice time

right now! (10:46 PT)

Days getting shorter starting tomorrow. :(

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. My dear pokerfan!

That is a stunning photo, and the text is fascinating too...Thank you for posting all of this!

:hug:

[pokerfan]

6. Alas, the solstice has passed!

(It was eight minutes ago.)

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. I know!

And that's OK...

We're still pretty close, you know...

:hug:

[pokerfan]

8. Yeah

Just got home a little while ago.

(No poker joy for me tonight.)