So I am wishing all of our Penigma Readers (and Authors) a very happy Summer Solstice and Midsummer celebration this June 21st, 2011. In aid of marking that occasion, I offer the hotword explanation, from dictionary.com, one of my favorite sites:
Wait a minute, is this solstice “Midsummer’s Eve?” Let us explain . .
The Gregorian calendar tells us that the summer solstice marks the longest day of the calendar year and the beginning of the summer season in the northern hemisphere. However, literature refers to a point called Midsummer’s Night. So which, and when, is it? This is a celestial quandary that involves the sun, the earth and…William Shakespeare.I celebrated last night by watching the PBS series Nova episode, Secrets of Stonehenge.
The term solstice is derived from the Latin scientific term solstitium. Containing the Latin so- meaning “the sun” and stittium meaning “stoppage,” the term translates “point at which the sun seems to stand still.” Just as the Roman author and philosopher Pliny the Elder used the term in his Natural History, an encyclopedia published in AD 77-79, solstice continues to be used today to describe the exact moment when the earth’s axial tilt is closest to or furthest from the sun.
The meteorological start of the season is based primarily on temperature patterns. According to meteorologists, summer encompasses the months of June, July and August in the northern hemisphere. Astronomically speaking, days continue to lengthen from equinox to solstice, after which they progressively shorten. According to astronomers, midsummer happens on the day of the summer solstice.
(What is the difference between an equinox and a solstice? Find out here.)
William Shakespeare clearly had astronomy on his mind when he chose the title A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1590 – 1596), a play that takes place on midsummer’s eve, or as we commonly refer to it as – the summer solstice.
Ancient cultures celebrated the summer solstice in colorful and distinct ways. For example, ancient Rome’s festival of Vestalia – a celebration honoring the Roman Goddess of the hearth, Vesta, was the only time of the year that married woman were allowed to enter the shrine of Vesta. Only the vestal virgins were permitted inside for the remaining 359 days of the year. In ancient China, the solstice was marked by honoring the earth, the feminine, and the yin forces.
How will you celebrate the upcoming solstice? Let us know.
If you missed the episode, here is a glimpse of what the event looks like:
If this has piqued your curiosity, here is the wikipedia link to read a little bit more, here and here.
Enjoy!
As a child, we stopped at Stonehenge one night while driving to Devon. It's very creepy at night.
ReplyDeleteAnn