Litha/Midsummer

Posted Jun 8, 2020 07:09 AM

Merry meet, everyone!

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The Summer Solstice is fast approaching, so I thought I'd dedicate this blog post to its history and traditions, as well as my personal plans.

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First, a short intro into what this High Day is all about. Litha, or Midsummer, takes place on the Summer Solstice, usually around June 21st of each year. It is a celebration of the sun and the fertility it brings the world. The beginning of Summer marks the end of planting crops as we wait until harvest time. All the plants are pregnant with the fruits they will soon be blossoming. In a correlative fashion, this High Day is often used for love spells and divination, particularly of young women trying to determine who and when they will marry. Many pagan paths also mark this as the time of year when the Holly King returns to do battle with the Oak King and is victorious, reigning until the Winter Solstice.

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The solstice also marks one of the two periods of the year when the Fairy Folk are most active. Some believe the Fae are mischievous protectors of nature while others think they're simply pranksters and nothing else. Regardless of what one believes, it is generally accepted that this is one of the times they come out and one should be careful around them. It is a good idea to leave offerings, but not too close to one's home so the Fae aren't tempted.

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I personally follow the Norse Pantheon and so for Litha, I recognize and celebrate Sunna as Goddess of the Sun, Baldur as God of Light, and siblings Freyr and Freya as God and Goddess of fertility, love and pleasure, to name a few. This will be my first time openly celebrating, as I've only been a pagan for a year or two and have no local peers that I know of. It's an exciting time for me.

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Ideally, these festivities involve a whole group of people. Unfortunately, that's just not feasible if you live in a rural location like I do. But one of the benefits of paganism is how adaptable it is. Since the old traditions have been largely lost or coopted by Christianity, many modern pagans believe that what matters most in rituals is that they feel right to the participants. So anything intended for a group is easily enough done as a solitary practitioner. Preparing a feast for one can be just as special as for one hundred. Divination is another good example.

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During the day's festivities, several crafts and activities are favored. These include lighting bonfires and perhaps jumping over them symbolizing cleansing and purification, having a cookout with family and friends while enjoying nature on the longest day of the year, decorating and dancing around the Maypole, and playing wholesome games such as Tug of War or egg and spoon races.

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Everyone loves a good barbecue and some s'mores!
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I still have my Maypole set up from Beltane and plan on decorating it a bit more. Then, I'll do some gardening before having a campfire and top off the night with a solitary ritual where I will invoke, commune with, and thank the Gods and Goddesses for their presence in my life.

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I'm going to try and get my daughter involved but at four years old I'm less than optimistic. She didn't really care for Beltane, either. I think Samhain is going to be way more her bag.

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So that's Litha/Midsummer in a nutshell. I hope I did a good job explaining it, as I'm still learning every day. I'll likely post about the next High Day when this one passes by. I've found that having to explain them in a single communication helps me retain information.

Are there any other pagans on Hack Forums? And if so, what are your plans for the upcoming holiday?

Thanks for reading. Fare well and blessed be.

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