During the summer solstice the sun sits highest in the sky. This is the longest day of the year and the beginning of the summer season. The solstice literally means sun standing still or sun stopage in Latin (the Sun stops moving north during the Solstice).

Most ancient cultures have established Summer Solstice celebrations, often religious or spiritual in nature. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December. Summer Solstice was celebrated by the Slavs, the Celts and many Germanic tribes, with massive bonfires as a main feature of the festivities. The Druids celebrated it as the marriage of Heaven and Earth. Every tribe or culture had their own rituals. These included bonfires,  fruit and berry gathering festivals and purification and fertility rituals. In Ireland we celebrate St. John’s Eve or bonfire night on the 23rd June. READ MORE