Posts
My second favorite pagan
holiday…
With arrival of the solstice, Summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere at 23:09 Greenwich MeanTime on 20 June 2012.
Solstice
is taken from the Latin solstitium, sol (sun) and stitium (to stop), reflecting the idea that the noonday Sun appears to stop
rising higher in the sky on this day. It
also marks the longest day – as measured from sunrise to sunset - of the year.
This and other celestial events
were tracked by anonymous early peoples who may be regarded as humankind’s
first astronomers using structures such as Stonehenge.
A pagan holiday since
pre-historic times, Summer Solstice was co-opted and re-purposed by Christians
for celebration as the birthday of John the Baptist. Winter Solstice became the much more high profile Christmas.
These days various
neo-pagans, history buffs, and amateur astronomers still pause to note the turn
of the seasons as inscribed in the heavens.
Happy Solstice!
Image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge
