06/20/2026
The Summer Solstice, (Throughout the world, the date is sometime between June 19 and 21. In most parts of the US, it is the 21st), the longest day and shortest night, is also called Midsummer, Litha, and St John’s Day (John the Baptist.) Last year I checked the time of the sunrise and sunset each day, and found that for us, the solstice was a few days different from the ‘official’ solstice. Be that as it may, the long, hot (depending upon where you are) summer days are very slowly becoming shorter right about now. It may feel that way in some places, but in many places, we are just about to face the hottest weather, so it may not seem that summer is melting away (pun intended!) But it is.
Now is the time when our ancestors were preparing for winter. Thinking about that… the harvesting, preserving, and canning food, all that they did, might make us question the words of the song, “Summertime.” It doesn’t seem that the living could have been so easy!
This was also considered the time when the veil between the world of the fairy-people, or fae, was thin. Fairies would cross into the human world, either to give blessings, or to make mischief, or a little of both. Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is a story of just this! Some countries, like one that is part of my mixed heritage, Sweden, still have great festivals at this time.
Wherever we are and whatever our ancestry, Summer Solstice can be a time for celebration. so enjoy!!!!
