When the sunshine is warmer than usual and days are brighter, we start to smell the advent of summer. The summer is undoubtedly one of our favorite times of the year. With the dawn of summer, almost all the living things on earth tend to have a kind of a ‘reborn’ feeling. So, if you are curious to educate yourself with something related to summer, you might want to know what is summer solstice, too.
So we hope to share some knowledge on the summer solstice, bringing a few insights into it from this article.
What is a Solstice?
In short, a solstice is a time in the year when the usual path of the sun is to a degree towards north or south from the Equator of the earth. Generally, there are two solstices per year- one in June and the other in December. The term solstice derives from the Latin words sol (which means sun) and sistere ( which means to stand still).
The phenomenon of the Summer Solstice.
Actually, what is summer solstice? What is the significance and the theory behind it? The summer solstice is when the sun travels the longest path along the sky. This activity is an astronomical phenomenon that happens yearly. This is generally the first day of summer and marks the longest day and the shortest night of the summer. And the summer solstice occurs during June-basically around the 20th or 21st of the month. In the Northern Hemisphere, the north pole inclines about 23.4 degrees Celsius towards the sun. Since the sun rays are moved north from the Equator by a similar amount, the vertical noon rays straightly elevate at the Tropic of Cancer. Thus, more than three-quarters of the hemisphere is in sunlight at the moment of solstice.
At the same time, the Southern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day and happens between 20th December and 23rd December. This event occurs because the southern hemisphere inclines to 23.4 degrees Celsius and moves away from the sun, and less than half the hemisphere is in sunlight. Therefore, we refer to the exact dates in the opposite hemisphere as the winter solstice.
Summer Solstice celebrations
The summer solstice is traditionally celebrated since ancient days. People from ancient cultures believe that it marks the day of renewal, life, fertility, and potential for a good harvest. They also think that it gives inner and outer abundance, ascension, and the total return of the sun’s light on the day of the summer solstice. At present, people worldwide celebrate the summer approaches with outdoor feasts, singing, dancing, or bonfires.
For example, The Swedish welcome the summer solstice by celebrating midsummer as their celebration known as ‘ Midsommarstang.’ At the same time, Nordic countries like Norway and Finland have huge barrel bonfires. And Iceland usually throws a massive three-day Secret Solstice Midnight Sun Music Festival.When it comes to Spain, their celebrations are famous for bonfires and firework displays.UK and Ireland have typical celebrations with processions, plays, and bonfires. Whereas in the USA, the vast Yoga event taking place at the Time’s Square is another special summer solstice celebration witnessed among festivals around the world.
