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Summer Solstice: June 20-23

Litha, St. John's Day, Midsummer

Solstice is the longest day of the year and from time out of mind, like Winter Solstice, has been a time of celebration.   These extremes of day and night are felt by all living things and only natural to mark them in some way.   The traditional form of celebration usually consisted reliably of bonfires and food.   Modern days are no exception, whether it be campfires, beach fires or a gas grill on the patio.   All in all not much has changed from the pre-Christian celebrations of Midsummer or Litha to our observance of Summer vacation or, not too far from solstice, Independence Day.   The Christians named this festival day after St. John the Baptist as his birthday, so it's also known as St. John's Day.

Lughnasadh: August 2

Also known as Lammas, State Fair.

The word Lughnasadh means mourning for Lugh who was the sun-god of ancient times.   By this time of year all could see that he was dying, as were the crops in the field.   So the harvest festival was also a wake, recognizing that nothing is gained without some loss; honoring the harvest and the death that comes with it.

The Christians turned this festival into Lammas, meaning loaf-mass and with the same sentiment the loaves of bread were brought to the church to be blessed, symbolizing the blessing of the harvest.   Also, they inserted Marymas into August 15, also known as Lady-Day-in-Harvest.

Now, in our times of repressed spirituality, we still cannot help but honor the first weeks of August with state fairs cropping up all over the nation.   These relics of the farming community, though becoming more scarce, especially the displays of produce, home canning and 4H projects, still hang in there.   I predict that with the popularity of slow food, buying locally and CSA's that the local fairs will stay afloat and we will continue to experience our modern version of Lughnasadh.