Summer Solstice - the Longest Day - Litha - Midsummer.

In 2025 in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice will occur on Saturday 21st June at 3.41am BST, as the Sun moves into the Sign of Cancer.

What is the summer solstice?

The summer solstice occurs in June in the Northern Hemisphere and marks midsummer: the ‘longest day’ and ‘shortest night’ of the year. One of my big bugbears is hearing it called the first day of Summer – it’s not, summer starts at Beltane, the 1st of May (May Day).

On the summer solstice, the number of hours of daylight is at its maximum, while the number of hours of the night is at its minimum and after this day, the sun will begin its descent once more and the hours of daylight will begin to shorten – hence Midsummer, the middle of Summer! (rant over lol)

Most people consider the summer solstice to be a day, it is in reality an exact moment in time that falls upon that day. This moment comes when whichever hemisphere you’re in is most tilted towards the Sun.

What is a solstice? The astronomical definition*

Our Earth rotates on its axis once each day, producing the cycle of day and night.

At the same time, the Earth moves around the Sun on its orbit over the course of a year.

However, the axis of rotation of the Earth is not lined up with the axis of motion around the Sun. Instead, it is tilted slightly at 23.44°.1

This tilt means that during one half of the year the North side of the Earth is tilted slightly towards the Sun and the South is tilted away. For the other half of the year the reverse is true.

At the exact moment that the northern hemisphere is most tilted towards the Sun, the northern hemisphere experiences its summer solstice. The southern hemisphere, by contrast, has its winter solstice.

About six months later, the northern hemisphere has its winter solstice while the southern hemisphere is at its summer solstice.

These key points in the year, along with the equinoxes, help to determine the seasons on Earth.

*taken from “Summer Solstice” by the Royal Museum

Why do we celebrate the solstice?

The solstices are astronomical events, occurring in line with the suns relationship with the earth and so occur around the same dates every year, unlike the other pagan celebrations based around the farming calendar, the fire festivals of Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain, which are not astronomical so would have been flexible, more seasonal, and possibly based around the times of the first full moons after the equinoxes and solstices.

The dates have been put into the wheel of the year to give us a frame of reference to make it easy to follow and celebrate. I feel the fire festivals are much more open to personal experience and can be celebrated when the season feels “right”, even when is more convenient for us, whereas the solstices and the equinoxes occur at specific times, although the energies around them can be felt for a few days either side - much like with the moons.

The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (“sun”) and sistere (“to stand still”), because at the solstices, the Sun’s movement appears to “stand still” (as seen from Earth) and pauses at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction.

Known as Litha by pagans, The name “Litha” is traced back to an old Anglo-Saxon word for the month of June, and came into use as a Wiccan name for this Sabbat in the second half of the 20th century. However, many Pagans use the more traditional “Midsummer.”

Litha pronunciation: LEE-thaThemes: abundance, growth, masculine energy, love, magic. Also known as: Midsummer, Midsummer’s Eve, Gathering Day, St. John’s Day, St. John’s Eve, Summer Solstice, Alban Hefin, Feill-Sheathain*

However, the name Litha is one definition that I cannot seem to find the true answer behind, as there are many references to meanings derived from old words for “calm” and “gentle” or “navigable“, because in this month the calm breezes are gentle which allowed smooth sailing. Or a variation of Letha, which is borrowed from Líða, the Old English name of the months roughly corresponding to June and July.

I have even found one definition, from South Africa, that says the name Litha is of Xhosa origin and means “a light shinning brightly“. So I guess, like many of our old traditions, it’s open to interpretation and what resonates for you!

*Taken from an article by Wicca Living

Celebrating

And so the summer solstice is a time to pause… rejoice… its the peak of all life here in the northern hemisphere… we are at our closest to that big fire ball sun – maximum warmth, life, expansiveness!

Our ancestors would have spent the Spring planning, toiling, preparing, sowing seeds and crops, I know for me right now it’s such a busy time in the garden and as a hedgerow herbalist – so much to forage and make. For the last couple of years I have held off sowing my seeds until the Spring equinox, and up until this year, 2025, it paid off, all my seedlings took, and grew strong so it was definitely worth cultivating patience at Imbolc! However this year I am really struggling with getting seeds to sprout! It just makes me realise how lucky we are to not to have to need to grow things in our modern lives! And gives an understanding how leaving offerings to the deities and weather gods would have been just part of life!

At Litha, our farming Ancestors could kick back and relax a bit, knowing Mother Nature was doing her thing!…  its no coincidence that we still all pause for a break in the summer… the schools break-up, we take our holidays. Now is a social time, a time for community and connection, to see and feel the abundance all around us, to notice not only the growth of nature, our gardens, maybe our crops, but also bring attention to our own spiritual growth… how are the intentions and seeds that we planted earlier in the year within us flourishing?

All around the world, all cultures and traditions celebrate the solstices in some way, here in the UK we can trace back as far as Stonehenge, which dates back over 5,000 years, meaning that honouring this special time has been part of our culture, heritage and in our psyches since the beginning of our history. The Sun is at its maximum power now, energy is high and it is a time for rejoicing, a period of pause when we can bask in its warmth, knowing that the crops are ripening in the fields, the frantic fertile period of Spring has passed, life is filled with abundance. The Solstice was a time of celebration and a break from the norm. Many cultures believed that magic took place on the night of the Summer Solstice, with fairies showing themselves to humans, while evil spirits were dispelled from their lives. Different cultures around the world celebrate the Summer Solstice in different ways, but with the same theme recurring, celebrating the energy and feel good factor of the warmth and light!

As with all our Pagan festivals and rituals, there is no one “right” way to celebrate, it’s all about doing what feels right for you.

Although the sun is at it’s peak, for me I can feel that there is an air of melancholy, as we know that it will begin it’s descent into the darker days from now on, and so personal rituals that involve not only manifestation, but also release, are appropriate. Although I am not a fan of the excess heat that begins to manifest from this time onwards into the late Summer, so I am looking forward to Mabon!! More info on the Autumn Equinox, Fall, on my blog here.

But back to the Summer Solstice! It, along with Beltane, is considered one of the most joyful Sabbats of the year. This is when people gathered (and still gather) at Stonehenge as well as at many other sacred sites around the country for day and night long celebrations watching the sun align and shine through a certain point in the structure. In its most basic essence, this day is a celebration of the sun and that it is still shining on us. It will go out one day and we should revel in the fact that we were born at this point in the Earth’s evolution. The solstice also holds deeper nature metaphors for life, fertility, and the cycle of time and seasons. No matter what your view of spirituality or nature, the sun and summertime is always a thing worth celebrating.

Weddings and handfastings also traditionally held at this time, beginning at Beltane and culminating in the Summer.

We can give thanks and feel gratitude for all the abundance that we have in our lives. Even in the darkest of nights there is always a glimmer of light, and we can always find something or someone to show appreciation for.

Get outside! Take advantage of the longest day and go for walks (preferably without your phone), go to the beach, to any park or forest or even the smallest park can suffice if you’re city locked. There is more and more evidence of how being out in nature helps our mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

This longest night is a time to celebrate the seasons and set intentions for the months to come. Sit up all night, watch the sun set and then rise again.

Spend time with the flowers. Garden, grow your own and pick flowers and and foliage and arrange them all over your home, or explore a botanical garden. Flowers are symbols of the solstice and have magical energies, and are linked to the Fae on this night, as with all the nights of transition and liminality.

Hang out with friends, chat, drum, share food, meditate, leave offerings for the fairies, have fun!

Fire Magic

The sun is the symbol of the fire element of the solstice. Set your intentions with a fire ritual. Some cultures would light bonfires and dance all night until the flames reduced to embers. Then they would jump over the burning coals to make their wishes for the months ahead. A more modern and practical ritual can include lighting a candle, setting your wish or intention, and blowing it out, sound familiar? Even our birthday rituals hold pagan roots…and even more importantly, as you make your wish, speak it aloud!… words are spells and have power.

It’s easy to bring the element of fire into our gardens these days with a small firepit or chiminea. If you are celebrating outside with a fire, burn plants like chamomile, mugwort, st. john’s wort, rosemary, sage, thyme, lemon balm and lavender for good health, protection and healing, as well as keeping the biting insects away!!

Ground yourself

Ground yourself with yoga, meditation, or take up Qi Gong. There’s strong sun energy brewing on the solstice, which can feel intense for some. Help yourself with meditative rituals that connect you to mind, body and spirit. Go to a class, or practice a Qi Gong or yoga tutorial or meditation / visualisation on youtube, listen to soothing music, or nature sounds (I personally love the sound of rain) and try to do these rituals outside if you can, these things will help to ground and cool the intense Yang fire energy that midsummer brings. (See my Litha meditations on YouTube, or listen on my podcast here)

Crystal Magic

If there is ever a time to cleanse your crystals in sunlight, it’s now, around the time of the Solstice. Let the energy of the sun purify your crystals from built-up negative energy in the longest sunlight of the year and then sleep with the crystals near your bed when you go to bed at night. For extra grounding, hold onto your black grounding stones like obsidian, black tourmaline, and shungite.

Ritual Self-Care

Solstice night is a perfect time for a ritual bath. Light candles, fill your bath with salts and essential oils, even flower petals, or add essential oils to your shower and hang flowers and herbs in bundles from the shower head, or just let them float in the bath – my favourite bath herb bundles at the moment include rosemary, lavender, lemon balm and mugwort. Pamper yourself with a beautiful homemade rose petal infused oil and make simple body scrubs from sugar and honey to keep your summer skin in perfect silky condition.

Be a Kitchen Witch!

This is a busy time for the herb witch, and a great time to infuse potions and tinctures for summer. Bake cakes infused with honey (the symbol of the June moon), flower treats, and homemade beauty products made from plants and flowers. Make flower garlands for your hair. Decorate your altar, your home and your garden. Make smudge sticks – you can find more information on this on my YouTube channel, my podcast and in lots of my blogs from last year. You can even come and join me to craft your own on my smokestick making workshop event. Check out the events page - or you could even buy one - my homemade smokesticks are available in The Green Witchery shop to buy from around the middle to end of May. As part of my latest offerings I have also been putting together ritual guides - as digital downloads that give loads of extra info on the sabbats and how to celebrate them. They are only £5 in the shop, but if you sign up to the newsletter, you get them free, along with links to a seasonal Spotify playlist and meditations.

Create herbal teas, or a special loose incense from flowers and plants in your garden to drink and burn at the solstice and future celebrations, or a personal oil blend using your favourite  essential oils (remember always mix pure essential oils with a carrier oil before using them on your skin), or just make simple teas and cold infusions from the abundance of flowers.

For more rituals and meditations for Midsummer, check out my Summer Solstice Ritual Guide - I send one of these out for free with my newsletter, along with a spotify playlist for the season, and youtube meditations and Qigong flows. Hit the subscribe button on my homepage to join The Green Witchery Coven.

Summer Solstice Ritual Guide

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As well as the smokestick workshop I also run a herbal tea making one - these are such fun and I love sharing the plant wisdom!

You can see all the workshops and events I am holding on my events page here.

Or to really keep in the loop, and also be the first to hear about new products and receive special discounts, recipes and rituals only available to subscribers, you can sign up to my newsletter here.

Smoke Stick Making Workshop

12 July 2025, 11:00–13:00 BST|The Cabin

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Lughnasadh, Lammas Circle

2 August 2025, 13:00–15:30|The Space Within Wellbeing Studio

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Global Celebrations Of The Summer Solstice – Interesting facts!!

The Summer Solstice has been celebrated across all cultures and times, here are some ways that ancient cultures around the world and across time have celebrated the Solstice:

Ancient Greece:

Those living in Ancient Greece would use the Summer Solstice to mark the beginning of a new year. It would kickstart the month-long countdown to the Olympics. Not only did the Greeks celebrate Litha, but also the festival of Kronia. During Kronia, they would worship Cronus, the god of agriculture, meaning that all slaves were given the same rights as their owners. This unsurprisingly became a welcomed holiday as slaves were finally allowed to participate in games, festivities and some cases, reverse roles with their owners.

Ancient Egypt:

Similarly to Greece, in Ancient Egypt, the Summer Solstice also represented the start of a new year. However, in this case, it would be used to express the coming of the brightest star, Sirius. They believed that Sirius was responsible for floods as not long after the beginning of the Summer Solstice, the Nile would flood its banks and create the season of wealth from the land.

Ancient Romans:

The Ancient Romans commonly celebrated the festival of Vestalia, which honoured the goddess of the hearth (home). During celebrations, married women would visit the temple of Vesta and bring offerings in the hope that the goddess would provide blessings for their families. Due to this, the Vesta also adopted the name of the goddess for women and would protect married women and virginity. When visiting Vesta’s temple, women would also bake a sacred cake which was created using a strict recipe. As part of the recipe, sacred Springwater would be used which would be carried in blessed jugs that prevented it from coming into contact with the Earth.

Northern Europe:

In Northern Europe, the Summer Solstice was celebrated through bonfires. Pagans believed that the bonfires would help to banish any evil spirits or demon and in return, cultivate magic. When delving deeper into the different Summer Solstice celebrations, you will notice that bonfires become a reoccurring theme across cultures, almost always accompanied by feasting and dancing.

The Celts:

Again, the Celts would gather around bonfires to celebrate the Summer Solstice in the belief that it would enable them to open a path towards the light. One by one, they would launch themselves over the fire to purify their soul and burn away any impurities.

Slavic Nations:

Bonfires were again a popular form of celebrations for Slavic Nations Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus during the Summer Solstice. Couples were encouraged to jump over the fire while holding hands. If they were able to maintain a grip while jumping, their relationship would be considered as strong and striving for success and happiness. If, on the other hand, they lost their grip, they believed that it was a sign that their relationship was doomed. While bonfires were used for couples, rivers would be used for single women. The women would create rings of flowers that would be released into the water. A bachelor would wait on the other side of the river to catch the flowers, in the hope that they would find a partner.

Native Americans:

The Summer Solstice was widely celebrated in Native America. During the day, Sioux’s famous Sundance would take place. Tribes would gather for Sun gazing dances around the sacred cottonwood tree, a symbol of the connection between Heaven and Earth. They would use the Bighorn Medicine Wheel in Wyoming, which aligned with the sunrise and sunset during the Solstice.

Ancient China:

In Ancient China, the Solstice’s are represented by male and female energy. The Summer Solstice was the feminine energy, “yin” and the Winter Solstice was the masculine energy, “yang”. Many different festivities were celebrated on this day.

Vikings:

While other cultures were celebrating during Summer Solstice, the Vikings were tackling more serious matters. Thanks to the longer days during the Summer, the Vikings used the Solstice productively. They would discuss legal issues and resolve disputes. It remained the prime time to conduct trade, shipping, fishing, and of course, raids.

After familiarising yourself with the Summer Solstice celebrations of ancient cultures, it becomes clear that this festival has widely become a time of celebration. It is thought the feeling of joy is down to the increasing sunlight and longer days. The Solstice marks the longest day in the calendar year and the beginning of the Summer.

Sunlight is not only effective in bringing happiness, but also promoting mental and physical health. The sunlight and vitamin D enhances a form of human photosynthesis, instantly improving our mood, immune system capabilities and strength of the bones and heart. The Sun is essential for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Stonehenge and The Summer Solstice

A guide to the Summer Solstice cannot be complete without mentioning Stonehenge. Although the famous monolithic site remains somewhat a mystery, it is clear that the solstices were an impetus in its construction. On the evening of the Summer Solstice, the sunset cleverly aligns with the base stone of the monument and continues to shine brightly through the others.

Many historians have concluded that the construction of Stonehenge was a societal ceremony. While the construction dates back as far as 3,000 and 2,000 BCE, they believe that it was created to bring individuals together and show collective strength to outsiders. Nowadays, during the Summer Solstice, people from across the globe still come on pilgrimages to celebrate at Stonehenge.

Stillness

I hope I've given you some ideas on celebrating the Summer Solstice - if you have signed up to my newsletter there will also be some ritual ideas to do as well, but however you celebrate,  with family, or on your own, be like the Sun, take some time to pause and find that stillness within.

We are all so busy “doing” all the things, that we forget to just stop, savour the moment, be present. The solstices give us the opportunity to do that.

With heartfelt Litha, Summer Solstice and Midsummer Blessings to you,

Love and green blessings

Sam AuroraStar Green Witch XXX