Sunday, June 19, 2016

How Pagans Celebrate Litha, The Summer Solstice

Huffington Post

The holiday is marked with festivals, parades, bonfires and more.

HuffPost Religion Editors The Huffington Post
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The summer solstice represents “the power of light over darkness,” said one celebrant.
The summer solstice arrives in the northern hemisphere on June 20, 2016, bringing with it the longest day in the year — which means lots of extra sunlight for festivities. The day is considered to be sacred by many pagans around the world who celebrate the solstice among their other yearly holidays.
Some refer to the summer solstice as “Litha,” a term that may derive from 8th century monk Bede’s The Reckoning of Time. Bede names “Litha” as the Latin name for both June and July in ancient times.
The summer solstice is one of four solar holidays, along with the autumnal equinox, the winter solstice and the vernal equinox. The other major pagan holidays are Samhain, Imbolc, Beltane and Lughnasadh.
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The summer solstice is one of four solar holidays, along with the autumnal equinox, the winter solstice and the vernal equinox.
Observers celebrate the solstice in myriad ways, including festivals, parades, bonfires, feasts and more. As one member of the Amesbury and Stonehenge Druids explains, “What you’re celebrating on a mystical level is that you’re looking at light at its strongest. It represents things like the triumph of the king, the power of light over darkness, and just life – life at its fullest.”
Celebrations for the summer solstice take place around the world, and not all are pagan-affiliated. One of the biggest pagan celebrations occurs at Stonehenge in England, but others take place among indigenous Latin and South American communities, and in Russia, Spain and other countries.
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People do yoga in Times Square as part of the International Day of Yoga celebration on the summer solstice, June 21, 2015 in New York City.
As the official first day of summer, the solstice is a time of celebration. Cities around the world will mark the day with spiritual and secular celebrations, like this yoga festival in New York’s Times Square.

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