You see, you can term it “old-fashioned desire” if you like. The longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere marks the official start of summer and crop plenty. It is hardly strange, then, that the solstice is associated with fertility in locations worldwide, both plant and human.
On Monday, June 21, it will occur at precisely 03:32 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). The date of the solstice is determined by the time zone linked with UTC. Here’s how UTC corresponds to local time in many areas across the world.
— Tokyo: Monday 12:32 p.m.
— Bangkok, Thailand: Monday 10:32 a.m.
— Kolkata, India: Monday 9:02 a.m.
— Dubai: Monday 7:32 a.m.
— Istanbul: Monday 6:32 a.m.
— Krakow, Poland: Monday 5:32 a.m.
— Lisbon, Portugal: Monday 4:32 a.m.
— Dakar, Senegal: Monday 3:32 a.m.
— Rio de Janeiro: Monday 12:32 a.m.
— Philadelphia: Sunday 11:32 p.m.
— Mexico City: Sunday 10:32 p.m.
— Calgary, Canada: Sunday 9:32 p.m.
— San Francisco: Sunday 8:32 p.m.
— Honolulu: Sunday 5:32 p.m.
The most common inquiry about the Summer Solstice is if it occurs throughout the planet. And the answer is, of course, no. It is the longest day alone in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the year’s shortest day south of the equator. Southern Hemisphere residents, such as Argentina, South Africa, and New Zealand, face a three-month winter.
And as you get closer to the poles and further from the equator, the difference in sunlight becomes highly noticeable. Residents of northern St. Petersburg, Russia, for example, are exposed to sunrise and nearly 19 hours of light at 3:35 a.m. It’s not as dark at night.
People in Singapore, a city-state in the Northern Hemisphere close above the equator, are oblivious to the distinction. They only get an additional 11 minutes of sunlight. If the penguins defending their eggs in Antarctica can communicate, they will teach us a lot about living in the dark for 24 hours.
People wonder why we don’t bask in the sun for 12 hours every day of the year. During the spring equinox, people on Earth received almost equal amounts of day and night Returns. However, the quantity of sunshine accessible in the Northern Hemisphere has been steadily rising since then. Why? Because our globe is aligned on the top axis, a fictional pole passes through the middle of our world. However, this axis is slanted at a 23.5-degree angle.
Sensual tradition: midsummer in Sweden
So, what should we be looking for? In our hearts, we have the solstice, passionate and sexual side. In Sweden their custom is dancing around a Maypole. This is known as a cock symbol. They also like herring and many vodkas (whether this is romantic or not is probably a question of personal preference).
“Sweden has many children nine months after midsummer,” Jan-Öjvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and author of many books on the subject, told CNN before his death in 2016. Yes, I did.
“The most common midsummer custom is drinking. “There are historical photographs of individuals drinking till they can no longer drink,” Swan explained. The ensuing birth boom is influenced by libation, although Swan pointed out that midsummer is a period of love rituals even without alcohol.
“The most common midsummer custom is drinking. “There are historical photographs of individuals drinking till they can no longer drink,” Swan explained.
The ensuing birth boom is influenced by libation, although Swan pointed out that midsummer is a period of love rituals even without alcohol.
Greek pagan ritual
In certain parts of Greece, there is a myth concerning dreaming of a future husband. Like in many other European nations, Christianity appropriated the pagan solstice and renamed it St. John’s Day. Nonetheless, traditional rites are still observed in several communities in the country’s north.
Clydonus, one of the earliest rites, includes a local virgin gathering water from the sea.
Every unmarried woman in the hamlet places her personal things in a pot and leaves it overnight under a fig tree. Folklore has it covered. The day’s magic imbues the object with prophetic power, and the young lady dreams of her future spouse.
The next day, all the ladies in the community gather to take out an object and recite a rhyming renku to forecast the love fate of the item’s owner. However, the celebration has now become an opportunity for the women’s community to share sly jokes.
“In my town, elderly ladies usually seem to rhyme the dirtiest,” Eleni Fanariotou, who documented the practice, said. Later that day, men and women gather to leap over a campfire.
It signifies that anyone who successfully jumps over the flame three times would have their wishes granted. According to Fanariotou, festivals frequently bring about marriage.
Slavic cupid
The summer solstice is connected with Ivan Kupala Day in Eastern Europe, a celebration with romantic connotations for many Slavs (“kupala” is derived from the same word as “cupid”). It’s also known as Kuparanite (love doesn’t appear to follow a rigid timeline).
“It was originally thought that the night in Kupala was a time for people to fall in love, and those who celebrated it would be happy and successful all year,” Agnieszka Bigaj of the Polish Tourism Board remembers.
In the past, an unmarried young woman would float a wreath down the river, and an eager bachelor on the other side would try to capture the flower. She continues.
The guy and lady in question will be a pair, according to Polish legend. Bonfires are also a big part of the holidays, and it’s a tradition for couples to jump over the flames together. It is claimed that if they do not let go, their love will endure.
Neighbouring Ukraine celebrates Kuparanite on July 7. Suppose it appears to be a little off the solstice of June 21. This is due to a difference between the contemporary Gregorian calendar and the old Julian calendar, both used throughout most of the globe.
Several Eastern Orthodox Churches And the holidays continue to be observed according to the old Julian calendar, which was created by none other than Julius Caesar himself. Kupala is June 24 in the Julian calendar. When translated to the Gregorian calendar, the date is July 7. People may sing about love and passion throughout the event. Some ladies may be dressed in traditional attire, complete with needlework and wreaths on their hair.
Chinese tradition
For millennia, the summer solstice has been honored by cultures other than European. According to Song dynasty (960-1279) records, officials may take a three-day holiday on the summer solstice. It was named “Chaojie,” and “ladies exchanged a colorful fan and a bag.” Fans could keep them cool, and the pouch kept insects at bay. “To make them smell nice. With the dawn at 3:23 a.m. in Mohe, the northernmost city of Heilongjiang Province in China, you may enjoy 17 hours of sunlight.
Stonehenge
Stonehenge, England, hosts one of the most renowned solstice festivities in the world, with thousands of people gathering each year. The custom had to adapt for a pandemic, as it did for many other events in 2020.
Hopefully, the year 2021 will be different. The Covid-19 limitations, however, will remain in effect on June 21. As a result, the British Heritage Association Live program will be repeated. You may witness the sunset on June 20 and the dawn on June 21 from these carefully arranged huge stone sites.
And talk about a whirlwind of a night. On June 20, the sunset is at 9:26 p.m. local time, and the dawn is at 4:52 a.m. local time. Stonehenge, which goes back to the Druid and Pagan periods, has an enigmatic allure.
“Every druid ceremony includes a birthing aspect, and the solstice is no exception,” senior Druid monk Arthur Pendragon explained. “We celebrate the marriage of the male and female gods, the sun and the earth, on the longest day of the year.”
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