Summer Solstice

I have not been keeping up with our daily lists for several reasons. Partly b/c we are on a break of sorts. Partly because I don't have to keep records for school right now. But also because we were very busy last week preparing for the Summer Solstice on Friday evening.

The most ancient of religions were Earth-based and our ancestors celebrated the beauty in the seasons. The information is just as true today as it was thousands of years ago so we, as a family, follow these celebrations as well. The Summer Solstice, sometimes called Midsummer, or Litha, is the time of year when we say goodbye to the sunlight as the days get shorter and shorter until we welcome the light back at the Winter Solstice. (And I will add here that most religions have a festival of lights at this time of year - Hanukkah, Christmas - humans are innately aware of the changing of the seasons and I find that beautiful.)

We celebrate the Summer Solstiuce by watching the sun set as a way to remember that we are saying goodbye to the light. This year we joined two other families at the bay to celebrate. The kids played in the water for awhile and then we got out and lit some candles, blessing them with sunflower leaves Anne had gathered from her garden. We danced areound the candles in the sand and had some summery snacks - sun-shaped cakes, lemon bars and lemonade. We threw around a sun-shaped pinata filled with sun-colored suckers. We danced near the bonfire, joyful that summer was here and that the weather was warm. We ran out of time to do henna that night but I did a couple of designs on myself the next day.

Click the photo below if you would like to see the whole set. Photos in which the other kids appear are available only to my "friends and family" on Flickr. If you would like to see those, please join Flicker (it's free!) and make me your contact. If I know you, I'll give permission. Soon enough I plan to make all the kids' photos private so you will want to join anyway. :)