Litha, the summer solstice, or Saint John Days, these were the names for the celebration of the Midsummer, the longest Day of the year and the shortest night.

Litha Falls between June 20-22nd in the Northern hemisphere. The Ancient Greeks Calendar marks the summer solstice as the start of the new year. The Greeks had a festival called Kronia honoring the Greek God Cronus during this time. Cronus is the god of agriculture for the Greek Pantheon. During this festival, they dismantled the social hierarchy. Slaves could have equal rights to any other, some instances of their masters serving them.

During the summer solstice for the Norse, they celebrated with huge bonfires, much drinking and dancing. This celebration also brought serious discussions as well for the vikings, taking this time to discuss legal issues and resolve disputes which were unsettled. During Litha, magic was the strongest. Bonfires would help banish demons and evil spirits. They discouraged evil spirts from sticking around by wearing “chase devil” or, as known to us today, Saint John Wart. During Litha was also a time for perspective girls to find their future husbands.

Christians reconverted this holiday to honor the birth of Saint John, as it was also a halfway point to the next festival on December 25^th.

I was never the one to celebrate Litha, so I am finding myself looking for ways now to incorporate it into my life.

For many in this current era, we celebrate it like it was in the old ways: bonfires are lit, girls wear flowers in their hair, and they decorated homes with wreaths and other greenery. People Gather around Stonehenge to take in the longest day of the year.

History.com Editors. “Summer Solstice.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 10 Aug. 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/history-of-summer-solstice.

“Midsummer.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 17 June 2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer.