Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 17, 2015 8:43:42 GMT -5
Things You May Not Have Known about the Summer Solstice
The June solstice marks the first day of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and first day of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. A solstice occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. Scholars believe the solstices – a moment when the sun appears to stand still – were among the first celestial events celebrated by early man. Following are a few interesting facts about the Summer Solstice:
1. This year the solstice is Saturday, June 20. The summer solstice always occurs between June 20 and June 22, but because the calendar doesn’t exactly reflect the earth’s rotation, the precise time shifts slightly each year. This year, the sun will reach its greatest height in the sky for the Northern Hemisphere June 20 at 5:43:32 p.m. (EDT).
2. The sun will be directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer. While the entire Northern Hemisphere will see its longest day of the year on the summer solstice, the sun is directly overhead only at the Tropic of Cancer (23 degrees 27 minutes north latitude) and in 2020, this will occur at 21:43 UTC.
3. The name comes from the fact the sun appears to stand still. The term “solstice” is derived from the Latin words sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because the sun’s relative position in the sky at noon does not appear to change much during the solstice and its surrounding days. The remainder of the year, the Earth’s tilt on its axis – roughly 23.5 degrees – causes the sun’s path in the sky to rise and fall from one day to the next.
4. The world’s biggest bonfire was part of a solstice celebration. Celebrations have been held in conjunction with the solstice in cultures around the world for thousands of years. Among these is Sankthans, or “Midsummer,” which is celebrated June 24 in Scandinavian countries. In 2010, the people of Alesund, Norway, set a world record for the tallest bonfire with their 132-foot celebratory bonfire.
5. The hot weather follows the sun by a few weeks. You may wonder why, if the solstice is the longest day of the year – getting the most sunlight – the temperature usually doesn’t reach its annual peak until a month or two later. It’s because water, which makes up the majority of the Earth’s surface, has a high specific heat, meaning it takes a while to both heat and cool. Because of this, the Earth’s temperature takes about six weeks to catch up to the sun.
6. Thousands of people gather at Stonehenge to celebrate. People have long believed that Stonehenge was the site of ancient solstice celebrations because of the manner in which the sun lines up with the stones on the winter and summer solstices. While this has not been proven and there is no link between Celtic solstice celebrations and Stonehenge, for many years, thousands of modern-day Druids and other pagans have gather at the stone circle on Salisbury plain.
7. Pagans celebrate the solstice with symbols of fire and water. Wiccans and some pagan groups celebrate Litha. In ancient Europe, the festival involved rolling giant fiery wheels into bodies of water to symbolize the balance between fire and water.
8. The solstice marked the new year in Ancient Egypt. The summer solstice preceded the appearance of the star Sirius, which the Egyptians believed was responsible for the annual flooding of the Nile, which they relied upon for agriculture. Because of this, the Egyptian calendar was set so that the beginning of the year coincided with the appearance of Sirius just after the solstice.
9. The Chinese honored the yin on the solstice. In ancient China, the summer solstice was the yin to the yang of the winter solstice – literally. Throughout the year, the Chinese believed the powers of yin and yang waxed and waned in reverse proportion to each other. At the summer solstice, the influence of yang was at its height, however, the celebration centered on the impending switch to yin. At the winter solstice, the opposite switch was honored.
10. A midnight baseball game is part of the solstice celebration in Alaska. Each year on the summer solstice, the Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks celebrate their status as the most northerly baseball team on the planet with a game that begins at 10:30 p.m. and stretches well into the following morning – without artificial light – known as the Midnight Sun Game. The tradition originated in 1906 and was taken over by the Goldpanners in 1960, their first year of existence.
11. The Earth is actually at its farthest from the sun during the solstice. Many believe that the Earth is closest to the sun at the summer solstice, but in actuality, it is closest to the sun when the Northern Hemisphere experiences winter and is farthest from the sun during the summer solstice. The warmth of summer comes exclusively from the tilt of the Earth’s axis, not from its proximity to the sun.
12. The solstice marks a dark time in the history of science. Legend has it that it was on the summer solstice in 1633 that Galileo recanted his declaration that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not the other way ‘round.
13. An alternative calendar had an extra month named for the solstice. In 1902, Moses B. Cotsworth, a British railway system employee, attempted to institute a new calendar system that would standardize the months into even four-week segments and to do so, adding an extra month was necessary. The new month, inserted between June and July, was called Sol because the summer solstice would always fall during this period. Despite Cotsworth’s traveling campaign to promote his new calendar, it didn’t catch on.
14. In Ancient Greece, the solstice festival marked a time of social equality. The Greek festival of Kronia, in honor of Cronus, the god of agriculture, coincided with the solstice. The festival was distinguished from other annual feasts and celebrations in that both slaves and freemen participated in the festivities as equals.
15. Ancient Romans honored the goddess Vesta on the solstice. In Rome, midsummer coincided with the festival of Vestalia, in honor of Vesta, the Roman goddess who guarded virginity and was considered the patron of the domestic sphere. On the first day of this festival, married women were allowed to enter the temple of the Vestal virgins, from which they were barred the remainder of the year.
Sources: The Daily Telegraph,.Mental Floss, Stargazer, and Sun Worship.
See also:
“Summer Solstice: Its Significance and How it’s Celebrated around the World”: whatliesbeyond.boards.net/thread/edit/1888
“Traditional Midsummer Celebrations in Europe”: whatliesbeyond.boards.net/thread/3907/traditional-midsummer-celebrations-europe
