The Longest Day
Thursday June 15, 2006
The Summer Solstice is on June 21. Read all about its history and significance.
Summer Solstice –the day with the most hours of sunlight and the least
night and the official beginning of summer.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, summer arrives on June 21, 8:26
A.M. EDT. The word solstice originates from a Latin word and means that the sun stood
still. It is a weather event, a
celestial event and a celebration. In our region of the southeast, most of our
garden plantings are in the ground by the time of the solstice, but it is a
signal to gardeners to check the height of their corn and the number of blooms
on the tomatoes.
The summer solstice has been associated with myths and
legends of many civilizations from the Greeks to Native Americans to Britain’s
Stonehenge and the approximately 3000 other stone circles found in England. While the true purpose of these
stone circles remains unknown, we do know that many, including Stonehenge, are
perfectly aligned with sunrise on both the summer and winter solstice. How that
is connected with their use is something that has been debated for a long time,
but whatever the true function and purpose of Stonehenge, thousands of revelers
show up to celebrate the beginning of summer at the site each year.
In researching the history of events associated with the
summer solstice, the earliest event said to have occurred on summer solstice
occurred in Greece. In 246 B.C., the Greek, Eratosthenes of Kyrene, was
summoned from his homeland to undertake supervision of the great library at Alexandria. By chance he
happened to be at Aswan during the summer solstice. Looking into a well, he
noted that the sun was absolutely, directly overhead. Yet, on the same day in
Alexandria, (500 miles to the north) the sun cast shadows that inclined at an
angle of about 7.2°. With these few rudimentary elements, Eratosthenes reasoned that the change
in the angle of the shadows was brought about because he had moved about over
the surface of the planet. Knowing that the earth was round, and further
knowing the circumference of a circle to be 360°, this all-but forgotten genius
calculated the circumference of the earth at roughly 25,000 miles. He was off
by less than 1% -- the actual figure is 24,901.55 miles. Makes you wonder if
we’ll ever reach that height of logic again.
On the Christian calendar,
the solstice is associated with St. John the Baptist day. The festivities included lighting large bonfires to ward off
evil. These fires also were believed to help warm the earth and encourage
strong crops. The full moon occurring during these celebrations became know as
the “honey moon” because bee hives were often full of honey. Need I say more
about how certain other traditions are born?
In Pueblo Indian culture there are several ancient sites
associated with the both winter and summer solstice. The most well known of
these is probably the Chaco Canyon site. At summer solstice in 1977, Anna Sofaer discovered the Sun Dagger on
top of Fajada Butte in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon. The calendar marks, with
precise light patterns, the summer and winter solstices, the spring and fall
equinoxes, and the nineteen year cycle of the moon.
Take some time to notice this
year’s solstice and consider the importance of this event in many cultures and
maybe give a little time to considering its importance in our own connection to
nature.
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