Summer Solstice

Now I know as well as most people, that summer solstice is the 21st of June -- the first day of summer and the longest day of the year, and that is how I have always viewed it. However, there are others throughout the world that actually have summer solstice celebrations, most of which are paganistic in nature. These rituals date back to Druid times or earlier. (The internet has a lot of intersting facts about summer solistice). Growing up in Utah I was rather sheltered. If such paganistic rituals took place here I never knew about them. My first experience with such was while living in Washington. There is a fun, quirky-funky little suburb of Seattle called Fremont. I may have liked Fremont had I not been there during summer solstice celebrations. Why, you ask would you be there then? Rich was a volunteer for an organization called Teen Link, which is a crisis hotline for teens. Rich had to work a certain number of community hours and so he had volunteered to work the Fremont Festival, where Sterling and I tagged along. Like most fairs there were booths promoting and selling all kinds of things from fun and practical to the odd and weird. What we didn't know was that some people in the parade (mostly bicyclists) were nude. Granted they had painted themselves, however the fact remained they were NuDe! The first person I saw as we turned the corner happened to be an old man who I swear had to be 80. I turned to Sterling and said, "That old man is wearing painted shorts!" Yes indeed, all he was wearing was his helmet, "shorts", and sneakers. Not a pretty sight on most people but certainly not when you are close to 80. I turned to Rich and said, "Rich, we're not in Utah anymore." We didn't go to the parade that year, but the following year Rich had to work the fair again. This time we attended the parade. The only thing I remember were the "nude bicyclists with painted clothing" and a group of belly dancers. The dancers were dressed in Red and there was one man also dressed in red that they danced with and around. He had short dark hair and a goatee (I thought he looked like Satan). I looked at the banners/flags that they were carrying and thought to myself, "What an intersting flower." Then I realized what I was looking at -- it wasn't a flower but a uterus and fallopian tubes. I was so glad that we didn't have to go again. It was just too Paganistic and wrong for this Utah girl. Even Rich thought so and he was about 14-15.

On MSN news I saw an article from Hagerstown, MD about Sunday being a "nude hiking day". Summer solstice is the one day a year where this group hike naked. Of course hikers who prefer clothes are not happy, as it is Father's day and families will be hiking with their children. It doesn't indicate that this is summer solstice celebration, but they do choose that day.

I tried to find a correlation between being nude and summer solstice. There is one thing I found that may be a correlation -- "Many esoteric traditions celebrate various rituals during this important event. The ancient Druids gathered at this time period to celebrate the forces of light. Many Pagans celebrate this time period as Litha or Midsummer’s Eve. It is celebrated as a triumph for the forces of light over the forces of darkness with a huge bonfire. Wiccans honor the Horned God in all his glory and the Goddess as pregnant, and ready to bear the fruit of the harvest.

Altogether, Midsummer is a favorite holiday for many Witches in that it is so hospitable to outdoor celebrations. The warm summer night seems to invite it. And if the celebrants are not in fact skyclad, then you may be fairly certain that the long ritual robes of winter have yielded place to short, tunic-style apparel. As with the longer gowns, tradition dictates that one should wear nothing underneath -- the next best thing to skyclad, to be sure. (Incidentally, now you know the REAL answer to the old Scottish joke, 'What is worn underneath the kilt?')" I don't know if this the reason or if it has to do with fertility. Who knows? I think I'll just continue to stick with Christianity.