Summer Solstice
Summer is almost here!
Though we have experienced several spells of unseasonably warm and sunny weather, teasing us into thinking summer is here, there have been the occasional inevitable frost alerts that still for some reason take us by surprise and we know Mother Nature was just messing with us. According to the Gregorian calendar, however, summer will officially be here on June 21. When the sun travels its most northern path in our sky, the northern hemisphere gets the most sunlight during the summer solstice – woohoo – the longest day of the year.
This year, I would really like to welcome Summer with all my heart and soul given what these past pandemic months have thrown, and am planning a summer solstice celebration. Hmmmm, but how best to do this? There are many nations that celebrate the summer solstice and so I started reading up on a few.
Many of the traditions I’ve read about seem to be centered on pagan rites or rooted in reverence to St. John the Baptist. The Scandinavian countries seem to get top mention for their summer solstice celebrations.
Sweden celebrates Midsommarstång, by indulging in traditional foods such as pickled herring, salmon, and potatoes and revel in the sun in their flower wreaths folksongs. Norway and Finland too celebrate with ginourmous barrel bonfires. Never to be outdone and an event that is now on my bucket list, Iceland celebrates their 21 hours of daylight with a three-day bash and the their Secret Solstice music festival (which, due to the pandemic, will only run next in 2022).
And no nod to the summer can be made without mention of Stonehenge, the Neolithic monument in the UK, which welcomes many to its location to see the summer solstice sunrise as it perfectly rises behind the Heel Stone. If you are so inclined, you can watch this event remotely.
All my life, I have been reminded by my Latvian relatives of the festival of Jāņi (pronounced, YA-nee, after John the Baptist) and how Latvians celebrate the summer solstice. And because I have only ever attended one such festival in my entire life, my memory of this event is a bizarre combination of religious and pagan rituals. My mother has fond memories of celebrating Jāņi at her great uncle’s farm outside Riga, and in speaking to her recently about this festival, I find my memory is not too far from the truth! Latvians are known for floral headwear for women and Jani is a time when this particularly obvious. I remember making mine out of dandelions! Jāņi, is a huge annual event earmarked with plenty of beer, Jāņu siers (caraway cheese), traditional folk songs (līgo dziesmas), and a whole lot of ill-advised leaping over mighty bonfires (not to mention healthy portions of pickled herring and potatoes, just like the Swedes!).
Here in North American, there is a mishmash of traditions, due in large part to the fact that most of us are settlers here.
The French-Canadians have their festival, one based in religious reverence to, which is celebrated as a provincial statutory holiday annually on June 24 (also known as fête nationale du Québec). That’s right; Quebecers get a day off work for their revelling and partying.
Indigenous Peoples have been celebrating the summer solstice for thousands of years before settlers arrived. It’s fitting that in Canada, June 21st marks National Indigenous Peoples Day. It is a day to both honour the contributions and struggles of Indigenous peoples in a Canadian context, while recognizing the continued wisdom of Indigenous people in the face of colonization. If there was ever a time to consider my role as a Canadian in recognition of the rights, titles and jurisdictions of Indigenous Peoples and nations, it would be now. Please check out the offerings of the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival.
Though long overdue on my part, I hope this year to start a new summer solstice tradition that respects my Latvian roots and my current existence on indigenous land as a settler. While the pandemic still restricts gatherings, you will find me tending my little outdoor campfire, making my floral wreath, streaming Latvian līgo dziesmas, and considering the calls to action in Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. I promise I won’t attempt any jumping over my fire!
However you choose to welcome summer, be it a pagan or Christian tradition, the festival of Jāņi, or appropriate recognition of our indigenous nations, you will be in good company. I hope you too are inspired to welcome summer with some degree of celebration and reverence beyond merely noting it on the calendar. Just remember the words of William Shakespeare: “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”
Welcome Summer!
Photo Credits:
Jackson David
Jonathan Petersson
MTL
Sydsvenken
