The Summer Solstice is a spiritually and scientifically significant time for civilizations around the world and throughout history. It is the longest day of the year and it marks when the sun is at its highest point in the sky; after which, the sun will begin shining less and less until the winter solstice.
Culturally Significant Across Places and Time:
In ancient Egypt, the Sphinx commemorates this event as the sun sets precisely between the two Great Pyramids on the summer solstice.
Stonehenge in England is perhaps one of the most famous summer solstice celebrations today. It aligns with the sun on the solstice, Druid and Celtic priests gather to light bonfires and connect with nature during this day.
In the US, Wyoming’s Bighorn medicine wheel built by the Plains First Nation tribes was a site of an annual Sioux ritual sundance called the “wi wanyang wacipi” (sun gazing dance). It took place during the summer solstice at sunrise and sunset, and it celebrated the connection between heaven and Earth.
Watch the summer solstice live from Stonehenge via the English Heritage Facebook Page.
Do you celebrate the Summer Solstice? Tell us about it in the comments.