Summer Solstice - June 20, 2024 | Spirit Of The Holidays

As the sun creeps up over the hills and into your town on June 20, you’ll know it’s here. That blessed time of year when barbecues and beach trips reign, when work slows and summer holidays mean getting together with friends and family. Just thinking about it likely brings up the smell of fresh cut grass and the taste of cold lemonade. Summer Solstice — also known as the first day of summer — has arrived.

(We interrupt this poetic paragraph to remind you that this applies only to those living north of the equator.)

Now then — people have celebrated this day for thousands of years. Some of the earliest party animals were the ancient Mesopotamians, Celtic Druids, Chinese, and Egyptians, and all of these cultures had their own ways of celebrating that make even our craziest backyard barbecues look tame. When was the last time you had a multi-story bonfire and danced around it naked? That’s what we thought. But cultures have had good reason to celebrate since ancient times right up until today.

It’s the longest day of the year. Enjoy!

Oh, and Dairy Queens are celebrating today by giving away free cones (with any purchase) all day long! Download their mobile app for details.

Summer Solstice Activities

Don’t miss a minute

Yes, this requires waking up early — very early — but don’t let that stop you. This actually starts the day before by making a list of everything you want to accomplish on June 21. Try to wake up before the sunrise, and find a place to watch it. Then, go about completing your list. Don’t rush too much; you’ve got plenty of time today. Then, find a spot to watch the sun go back down. It may only be by a few seconds, but you just successfully spent the longest day of the year being extremely productive.

Get outside

All over the world, one of the most common ways to celebrate Summer Solstice is to spend it outside. Take the family camping, have a cookout with your best friends, make a slip’n slide in the yard for the kids. All of these are surefire ways to take full advantage of the prolonged sunlight.

Do as the ancients did

If you’re up for a crazy party, do some research into how ancient cultures welcomed the summer season, and host a party with more or less the same celebrations. For example, if you wanted to emulate Northern European culture, you could throw a Litha party. Eat fresh fruit and vegetables that are ready for picking at this time of year, have a giant bonfire of oak and dance wildly around a maypole. Encourage ancient-era clothing for a really memorable, albeit strange, Summer Solstice celebration.

Why We Love Summer Solstice

Welcome the dog days

School’s out, and for many businesses, summer also marks a slowdown period. Perhaps we leave the office a little earlier, or our schedules aren’t packed quite as full with meetings. We plan family vacations and take extended time off, which research has shown is a critical part of staying focused and committed to your work when things aren’t so slow. It’s a time for rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation.

Summer fun

From baseball in the U.S. (and Canada) to fiesta season in Spain, summer is deeply rooted in traditions all over the northern hemisphere. One of the most common summer traditions includes travel, which has enabled people from all over the world to learn more about the summertime traditions of other countries.

Summer makes us happy

We all know the early morning rays of summer bring a smile to our face, but there’s plenty of scientific proof to back that up. One recent study conducted by psychologists at BYU found that temperatures, pollution, and rain didn’t have nearly as much of an effect on a person’s mood as the amount of sunlight they received. The most significant variable that positively affected people’s moods was the amount of time between sunrise and sunset. So, get out there and take advantage of all that vitamin D.

Also on Thu Jun 20, 2024...