Summer Solstice Wedding

Why The Summer Solstice Is The Perfect Day For Love

The longest day of the year may also be the hottest day of the year — for love.

The summer solstice is here and if ancient tradition proves right, today could be the best day of the year for romance. The summer solstice, derived from Latin words sol ("sun") and sister ("to stand still"), is the longest day of the year in the Northern hemisphere when daylight lasts over 15 hours.

This astronomical event usually takes place around June 21 and has long been associated with love, sexuality and fertility. One reason is because people wanted to ensure that their children would be born in the springtime, when they would have a better shot at staying healthy. "Spiritually, the summer solstice is a time when Cancer, the nurturing feminine energy, is entering the world and the season of harvest begins. Therefore, it’s a great time for love and sexuality."

Throughout our civilization, the summer solstice has been celebrated as a major holiday by cultures around the globe. The Chinese honored Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light, and the Druids believed it was a marriage of masculine and feminine dieties, or the wedding of heaven and Earth. Ancient Pagans celebrated the solstice with bonfires where pairs of lovers would jump through the flames for good luck. They called the midsummer moon the "Honey Moon," using honey in wedding ceremonies in June. They also wore gardlands of herbs and flowers to ward away evil spirits because they believe it was a magical time.

The summer solstice is especially significant in Sweden where it is called Midsummer, and a tree was set up and decorated in each town for the villagers to dance around. "There is a sweet Swedish proverb that says midsummer's night isn’t long but it sets many cradles rocking," says Henes. Shakespeare's famous play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, was about the solstice and Midsummer Festivals still take place in Europe to mark the occasion.  

"It was considered lucky to mate at the summer solstice," "In Egypt, there was a special ceremony at the temples that were dedicated to the goddess Vesta and her vestal Virgins, where the fires would be extinguished and rekindled. There was a saying that you shouldn't mate until the ashes from Vesta's fire are washed down the Nile. That would signal to folks that it was time."