Happy Solstice, Midsummer, Kupala, Ukon juhla! How will you be celebrating the longest day of the year?
At Farm Discovery we are weaving flowers, building a bonfire (or a small wildfire safe campfire) and making cob oven pizzas at our campout, and curling up in farm crates when we need a break (because didn’t your baby hang out in farm crates before she could crawl?).
Today and tonight, and in some cases last night, people from all different cultures, climates, and countries will be celebrating the fact that the sun does its longest trip across our sky and some of their celebrations will include some of the same elements as ours.
Fire. Fire is an important element in celebrating solstice. In winter it represents the light and heat we are so in need of during those long dark nights. In summer, its association with passion, creativity and rebirth are honored. In Greece, Spain, and probably other places as well, men build big bonfires on Solstice and then jump over them. If they jump over them three times a wish is granted. We won’t be jumping over the fire tonight but we will be singing around it.
Flowers. They are abundant this time of year, they represent fertility, they brighten everything they are in proximity to. Women (mostly, but not exclusively) wear them, weave them, and decorate with them. Our campers are picking them and weaving them in our garden looms, they may also get to press them into lovely little thank you cards.
Water. In some places the cleansing and purifying properties of water are honored. In Bulgaria women swim in the rivers. In Poland women send flower wreaths across the rivers to be caught by the man they will marry. In Greece they fill a pot with seawater and drop trinkets in and leave it under a fig tree. On the farm today we will run a sprinkler around the fire circle to wet the ground for fire safety AND cool the kids off on this 80º day.
May this solstice bring you love, creativity, passion and renewal.
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