If my South African and Tierra Del Fuego-an readers will excuse me for a moment, it’s June 21st, the Summer Solstice. It’s the beginning of summer in the Northern hemisphere, because, well… The Earth begins tilting back in the other direction today (at least in relation to the Sun). Rumor has it that it actually happened at 6:06pm GMT, which is about the time this was posted.

Stonehenge

Today is a religious holiday (Litha or Midsummer) for modern Pagans. No doubt many of them gathered at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England this morning to watch the sunrise in alignment with its axis. Much to their delight, I’m sure, this is one of the few Pagan holidays that Christians have yet to commandeer, re-brand, and re-package for consumption by the masses. That is, unless you count the feast day of St. John the Baptist on June 24, in which case the Christians did a particularly poor job of re-branding when you compare it to the monumental success of Christmas. But then again, that is Jesus’ day.

But Pagans aren’t the only ones to hold this day in high regard. Native American tribes had many celebrations, and harvests, and feasts related to this day.

Probably the most famous Native American homage to the Summer Solstice is The Bighorn Medicine Wheel near Sheridan, Wyoming in the Rocky Mountains. It’s one of many wheels, most of which are located in Canada. At Bighorn, the center of a small cairn (which is external to the main wheel) lines up with the center of the wheel and the sunrise. It really has little to do with Medicine though. The term “medicine wheel” was invented by Pilgrims. “Medicine” was a term used to describe anything native that white people didn’t understand.

Ancient Romans were also fond of this day. The festival of Vestalia was held in honor of the Roman Goddess of hearth, Vesta, and it lasted from June 7th to June 15th. During this time, married women were allowed to enter the shrine of Vesta, whereas during the rest of the year only the vestal virgins were permitted inside.

Not to be left out, Ancient China had their own Summer Solstice ceremony, during which they celebrated the Earth, the feminine, and the yin forces. This complemented the Winter Solstice which celebrated the heavens, the masculine, and the yang forces.

So don’t discriminate, pick your favorite, and go out and celebrate today! And if you don’t like all this religious and mythological mumbo jumbo, that’s okay… it’s also World Humanist Day! See? Something for everyone.

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