Season of joy for the bee...
Rich fresh wine
of June, we stagger into you smeared
with pollen, overcome as the turtle
laying her eggs in roadside sand.
- Marge Piercy
Litha has been celebrated since the Stone Age.
Litha or the Summer Solstice, occurs on or around June 21st in the Northern Hemisphere. Both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids have hinted at celebrating the Summer Solstice with their specific design in relation to the sun's movements.
On the Summer Solstice, the power of the sun is amplified. It is a time of blooming and blossoming, the Northern Hemisphere redolent with light. Having a large bonfire, or lighting a whole host of candles, is a beautiful way to symbolically honor the sun's fire and heat. Litha is also a day of balancing fire with water. Having pools or bowls of water and symbols of rivers, lakes, and the sea are a way to recall this balance.
Herbs and flowers are abundant at the height of summer, which also encourages the balance of masculine and feminine at this time of year. Both energies support one another during Litha in rituals which honor unity and contentment. This is the natural reason for marriage and renewal of vows on Litha.
You may wish to honor all things related to the sun, fire, and summer's bliss through lazy picnics, making daisy chains or flower crowns, and floating candles in handmade stick rafts upon the water. Above all, allow time to lie back and relax at length in the warmth of our dear Sun. Once the Summer Solstice passes, we witness the fading of the light once again.