summer solstice

As I sat stranded in the incompetent road management system imposed on the dwellers of Lincoln, which takes the edge of pleasure firmly off a fabulous rural tradition – the Lincolnshire Show – I listened to a debate about how open (or not) Stonehenge should be to the public on radio 4 It reminded me I was in the longest traffic queue of the year on the longest day of the year. In view of these ruminations I thought Id bring you a ley (get the pun?) person’s guide to what its all about. This article tells us:

What does ‘solstice’ actually mean?

The term ‘solstice’ derives from the Latin word ‘solstitium’, meaning ‘sun standing still’. Some prefer the more teutonic term ‘sunturn’ to describe the event.

Astrologers say the sun seems to ‘stand still’ at the point on the horizon where it appears to rise and set, before moving off in the reverse direction.

Why did people celebrate the summer solstice?

Pagans have always believed the summer solstice – also known as midsummer as it was the midpoint of the growing season – holds a special power.

Midsummer’s eve was believed to be a time when the veil between this world and the next is at its thinnest and when fairies were thought to be at their most powerful.

The day has inspired festivals and midsummer celebrations involving bonfires, picnics, singing and Maypole dancing over the centuries. Many towns and villages across Britain still celebrate the day.

One ritual that’s now died out was the lighting of fires with the idea that the flames would keep the dark days from approaching.

Why is Stonehenge so significant?

Thousands of garland-wearing hippies, druids and curious tourists descend on Stonehenge in Avebury, Wiltshire every year to watch the sunrise.

The ancient prehistoric structure has been a place of worship and celebration at the time of summer solstice for thousands of years and is seen by many as a sacred site.

The Pagan monument is famously aligned to the solstices. The rising sun only reaches the middle of the stones one day of the year when it shines on the central altar.

Despite it’s obvious connections to the sun, the exact purpose of the mysterious circle still remains unknown.

Built in three phases between 3,000 B.C. and 1,600 B.C, the huge stones were brought from very long distances – the bluestones from the Preseli Hills more than 150 miles away, and the sarsens probably from the Marlborough Downs, 19 miles to the north.