Summertime 2024 and the Summer Solstice will be interesting in the midst this El Niño season. However, in the past, there was love, dancing and terror!
How delightful it was out in the countryside, with golden wheat swaying, green oats rustling, and hay neatly stacked in the grassy meadows! And there, the stork strutted on its long red legs, chattering away in a language reminiscent of ancient Egypt…” Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
The Summer Solstice
Midsummer is upon us. On June 21, 2024, at 7:57 am PDT, summertime 2024 officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. As the sun graces the far northern lands, it barely dips below the horizon, casting an otherworldly glow throughout the night. The Danes aptly call these phenomena the bright nights. Meanwhile, around the North Pole—the realm of the “midnight sun”, the sun stays above the horizon, refusing to set.
But there’s more to this celestial dance. In “days of yore”, Midsummer held special significance. It marked the halfway point of the year. As our ancestors observed roses blooming and corn ripening, they glimpsed both the harvest and the impending winter. For a fleeting moment, reality loosened its grip.
Midsummer’s Eve
Midsummer’s Eve was a magical, uncanny time. Believers thought that fairy folk embarked on peculiar errands, and the fields themselves seemed to shimmer with otherworldly spirits. Across hills and Bronze Age grave mounds, great bonfires blazed, and even the morning dew held curative powers. (If one dared to roll in it “au naturel”.
In earlier times, the beliefs took a darker turn. Fields teemed with malevolent spirits intent on sabotaging crops. Witches and animals suspected of harboring these spirits met fiery fates in wicker cages. “The Druids”, as recounted by Caesar, reveled in these rituals.
By medieval times, the witches burned on Midsummer’s Eve were mere straw effigies, gleefully tossed into bonfires by children. Young lovers leaped through the flames, seeking blessings for their union.