This year the Summer solstice falls on Saturday June 21 at 4:42 (Italian time): in addition to being the longer day of the yearfrom an astronomical point of view, the event marks the start of the summer season in the northern hemisphere. At noon, in fact, the Sun record his Maximum height from the horizon of the whole year and in Tropic of Cancer It reaches the Zenith: this moment was chosen as the official start point of the summer season.
Throughout history, the beginning of the summer has always been celebrated as a Symbolic moment of passage and “return to life”, especially from the populations who live in the extreme north or to the extreme south and therefore find themselves with periods of prolonged darkness.
But how yes celebrate the summer solstice in the various parts of the world? Among the traditions of greatest impact there is certainly the dawn a Stonehengeduring which the sun aligns perfectly between megalitis of the Archaeological Park, but the official arrival of summer is also very felt in the Scandinavian countries with the Midsommar and in Spainwhere the night of San Giovanni is celebrated with gods bonfire on the beach. In AlaskaInstead, it is traditional to play one baseball match In the late evening and then admire the “midnight sun”.
- 1The summer solstice in Stonehenge admiring the dawn
- 2The night of San Juan in Spain and Sardinia
- 3The Midsommar party in Sweden
- 4The midnight baseball match in Alaska
The summer solstice in Stonehenge admiring the dawn
Admire the dawn a Stonehenge It is certainly one of the traditions of greatest impact: during the summer solstice, in fact, the first rays of the sun yes perfectly align with the arrangement of megalitis within the archaeological site. In particular, the sun rises to the left of the Heel Stone (the largest of all megalites, about 30 tons of weight) and passes exactly through thecentral axis of the whole rocky complex, whose origin was traced back to a period between 2600 and 1600 BC
The peculiarity of this phenomenon brings together a large crowd of every year visitorswhich reach the South of Great Britain to attend the show in one of the most fascinating sites on the earth.
The night of San Juan in Spain and Sardinia
In Spain, the celebrations related to the arrival of the summer are held a few days after the solstice, in particular in the Night between 23 and 24 Junei.e. the Noche de San Juan. During what, in fact, is the shortest night of the year, the Spaniards find themselves on the beach, where they turn on bonfire near the sea: tradition provides that all participants must jumpas a symbolic rite of purification.
The origin of this ritual dates back to the time paganswhen the population ignited several bonfires with the aim of “sending strength” to the sun, which from that moment on became weaker with thegradually shortening the days.
With the advent of Christianitythen, the tradition was maintained even if slightly modified: the rituals related to the fire remained, but the holiday became a commemoration of the birth of San Giovanni Battistathat is, the prophet who baptized Jesus.
Among other things, the night of San Giovanni is celebrated in the same way also in Sardiniaprecisely because of the influence that the Catalans have had on the island throughout history: the city of Algheroin particular, has been for centuries under the domain of the Crown of Aragon And today it maintains some of the most popular cultural rituals in those years.
The party of Midsommar in Sweden
In general, i Scandinavian countries they tend to celebrate the summer solstice more, also through pagan rites handed down over time and linked to the fertility of the earthto the connection with the nature And at the end of the long winter.
Among these there is also the Swedenwhere the party of Midsommar dedicated to the beginning of the summer. The celebrations, in particular, are held over the weekend At the turn of the summer solstice: the community meets mainly in open spaces, where she wears floral theme clothes and the traditional blomsterkransa crown handmade with field flowers And green branches.
The real center of the Midsommarhowever, is the Majstång: it is a pole decorated with leaves and flowers and on which two intertwined rings are mounted. Around this pole, then, they are made popular dances accompanied by folk music.
In NorwayInstead, it is traditional to organize gods bonfire Particularly impressive: in 2016 the citizens of ålesund, in the south-west of the country, built the largest bonfire in the world, about 48 meters and composed of a massive structure of stacked wooden pallets.
The midnight baseball match in Alaska
In Alaska on June 21 it is instead dedicated to baseball and al Fairbanks Midnight Sun Baseball Game: It is a tradition that dates back to 1906, born due to a wager between two local bars. Its name Midnight Sun (literally midnight sun) derives from the fact that, during the entire game, no artificial lighting is ever used, but only and exclusively sunlight, which remains until late evening. Being close to Arctic Circlein fact, for about three months a year in Alaska the phenomenon of “midnight sun” occurs.
Baseball teams, playing at the level amateuralways challenge the night of the June 21stwith the first launch of the ball that takes place between 22 and 22:30, so that we can end the game in time with the sun that goes down under thehorizon. The town of Fairbanks, the second largest in Alaska, also organizes other types of celebrations dedicated to the solstice, including one river marathona midnight race and live music festivals.
