Stonehenge, the 5,000-year-old ring of standing stones in southwest England, aligns with the direction of the sunrise on the summer solstice. The Evolution of Summer Camps What does Stonehenge have to do with the summer solstice? Remaining tribes still take part in solstice rituals, according to. According to, the Sioux took part in a 'ceremonial sun dance around a tree while wearing symbolic colors.' Researchers believe that Wyoming's Bighorn Medicine Wheel, an arrangement of stones that has been found to align with the rising sun at the summer solstice, was the site of the tribe's annual dance. Many Native American tribes performed solstice rituals. That's because if you're standing directly in front of the Sphinx, the sun sets precisely between the two pyramids on the summer solstice. The alignment of Ancient archaeological structures such as the Great Pyramids of Kufu and Khafre on Egypt’s Giza plateau suggests Ancient Egypt observed the summer solstice as well. Even slaves were allowed to break social codes and participate in the festivities. In Ancient Greece, the summer solstice sometimes marked the new year and became a time to hold a festival for Cronus, the god of agriculture. Women would enter temples named for the goddess to leave offerings with the hopes of receiving good blessings for their families. 'The significance of the summer solstice to ancient cultures had many aspects, including calendaring, crop planting and agriculture, moving their camp or housing location for nomadic peoples, and annual cultural ceremonies,” said Aparna Venkatesan, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of San Francisco.Īncient Romans celebrated the arrival of the summer with a religious festival in honor of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, according to. In the past, summer solstice traditions included spreading ashes from bonfires across one's garden to bring a bountiful harvest, to wearing protective garlands of herbs and flowers to ward off evil spirits, according to. The summer solstice has been observed by humans since as early as the Stone Age, and was a significant holiday for many ancient cultures. What are summer solstice traditions and rituals? This year, the solstice will occur on June 21 at 5:14 a.m. The summer solstice usually falls between June 20 and 22 each year. In contrast, the Northern Hemisphere will mark the winter solstice as it experiences the shortest day of the year.

20 and 22, when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. The longest day of the year for those south of the equator occurs between Dec. For those living above the Tropic of Cancer, it is the longest day of the year.įor those who live in the Southern Hemisphere, this is the shortest day of the year and marks the arrival of winter. The summer solstice occurs when the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer, which is the circle marking the latitude 23.5 degrees north, and which runs through Mexico, the Bahamas, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India and southern China, according to the National Weather Service. Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox.

Broom standing up summer solstice pagan