Beltane Celebrations and Maypole Dancing Glastonbury 2015

So I'm finally sitting down on Sunday afternoon to write a little about Beltane in Glastonbury this year, 2015. We had a lovely day and this year it stayed dry all day! The sun did try to shine on us a little to bring in the glorious start to summer but it was a very brief showing!

Beltane celebrates the start of the summer on the Pagan Wheel of the Year and it is celebrated in great style in Glastonbury with much joy and merriment. This follows ancient traditions, Beltane always was a festival of great joy, a time for honouring all of our Mother Earth's bounty and the love and fertility that is all around us at this time of year. Beltane is not for the shy it is for celebrating love and not being afraid to express that love.

We started the day with a beautiful ceremony in the Chalice Well Gardens. Having driven down just for the day I didn't think I could make it through the day getting up at 2am so we had to forgo the dawn ceremony on top of the Tor which was a shame. The Chalice Well was beautiful as usual and the fire jumping occurred with great gusto this year which was immense fun! I met Tessa and Sosha there, both looking beautiful in this pic. 

Celebrating the love at Beltane

The crowning of the May King and Queen and the entertainment in the Town Square was as usual hugely enjoyable with lots of folk joining in with a song to contribute. We the processed up to the White Spring for the blessing of the May Pole. I chatted to Julie Ann there who makes many of the handmade cloaks being worn today. www.avaloncloaks.co.uk. We then made our way unto Bushey Coombe for the ceremony and Maypole dance.

I hope you enjoy the photos and if you were there please do drop me a line. If any of you are in them and you would rather I take them down then please do say and I will take them down right away.

Beltane blessings to you all,

AstarteAlison

Photographs owned by myself. Please feel free to use them for personal use, any professional use please contact me for prices.

The origins of Maypole and Morris Dancing at Beltane

This week we are looking forward to Beltane on the Pagan Wheel of the Year calendar.

Greenmen and the Maypole Glastonbury Beltane 2014

Beltane really does herald the beginning of spring. I have just this morning noticed that my beautiful Ceanothus in the back garden is showing its first blue buds. The tadpoles are turning into little frogs, the birds are looking after their young and the grass once more needs mowing. Spring is indeed in full swing!

Maypole Dancing Glastonbury 2014

Our ancient ancestors worshipped the earth we walk upon and venerated her for what she gives her, giving thanks at every turn of the wheel and as Pagan's we like to do the same. At Beltane this is a wonderful time to give thanks to our Mother Earth for all she provides for us. There has been a lovely increase in popularity in recent times in local maypole dances and morris dances so I'm sure you could find one near you happening over this Beltane may bank holiday. The may pole was a traditional symbol of fertility and the red and white ribbons symbolised the entwining of male and female energies. Morris dancing has long been popular at Beltane, reference's made

Morris Dancers Glastonbury Tor Beltane 2014

by Shakespeare in 'All's Well that Ends Well' point to Morris Dancing being performed on May 1st. It is believed that the Morris dances have magic weaved into them and can bring about luck and ward off evil. More information about the customs and traditions of Beltane or Beltain can be found here Beltane Traditions

I am particularly looking forward to going down to Glastonbury where there will be much Maypole and Morris dancing to welcome in the Summer. We shall welcome in the dawn with Morris dancing on the top of the Tor followed by a ceremony and Maypole at the Chalice Well followed by another Maypole dance at Bushey Coombe. Do try and get to a celebration if you are able to. If not perhaps you can entwine some ribbons whilst you think of our wonderful Mother Earth and all she provides for us, if you are able to get up and see the sunrise, enjoy the splendour of a new dawn, the wonder of our amazing sun.

Morris Dancers welcome the sun Glastonbury Tor

Beltane blessings to you,

AstarteAlison

As always if you are featured in any of my pics and would like me to take it down then please message me, many thanks, Alison 

The Pagan origins of St Valentines Day

It is Valentine's Day on Saturday and at the moment it feels like the world has gone crazy with red roses and hearts everywhere!

I'm not against most of these celebrations that we have it just feels like every year there is more and more stuff you can buy! As someone selling things to folk though I don't feel I can complain too much about the commercialisaion of these celebratory days that we have!(http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk if you want to check the site out, sorry unashamedly advertising there but girl's got to pay her bills!!)

It is estimated that approximately a billion Valentine's cards will be sent around the globe on February 14th! I wonder how many roses will be sent to accompany them!

http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk

February 14th was originally a Pagan festival of love celebrated in Rome. It was the feast day of Juno, Queen of the Gods and the Patroness of Marriage. This day was followed by the feast of Lupercalia. The feast was named for Lupercus the hunter of Wolves, he has also gone by the name of Pan (Greek), Baal, and Nimrod in other Pagan cultures. The God Baal was known as the Sun god to the ancient Pagans. It is also said that the symbol of the heart was obtained from the Babylonians and that the word for heart was 'bal'. Thus the heart became the symbol for Nimrod or Baal.This could be the origin of the heart we now associate with Valentines Day.

Couples that had been matched together during the feast of Juno would stay together throughout the celebrations of Lupercalia. The match making occurred from the boys pulling the names of the girls they would be with out of a jar. Often these unions despite how they started would prove to be deep and long lasting. 

It was towards the end of the 5th century that the Christian church decided to ensure there were no Pagan overtones to the day and dedicated February 14th to St Valentine.

However you celebrate and whatever you call the day I hope you enjoy some time with your loved ones.

With love light and blessings to you all, AstarteAlison

http://www.astarte-moon.co.uk

Imbolc Blessings to you, sending gratitude to Gaia

Imbolc blessings to you and all you hold dear. The earth is struggling to awaken although much of our planet is still in the grips of winter, we hold onto the idea that spring is around the corner. Snowdrops fight their way out of the cold still earth, reminding us that there is hope in the stillness.

We also send our Lammas love to all those in the Southern hemisphere, giving thanks for the harvest that our Mother Earth brings us at this time.

Wherever you are send out thoughts of gratitude today to our wonderful Mother Earth Gaia for all she provides for us at these times of the turning of the wheel and every day of our lives to sustain us, remember each and every living creature in your prayers, they are all part of this wonderful world we are lucky to be a part of.

Imbolc and Lammas blessings, Alison ☽✪☾

Ten Fun Facts You may not know about Imbolc, festival of Brighde

Ten Facts You may not know about Imbolc

So of course you know that Imbolc is celebrated on 2nd February and that is is the festival of the Goddess Brighde, Brigid or Brigit. There seems to be many different spellings of her name around! Imbolc celebrates the beginning of our earth's awakening and the return of the light. So the following are just a few facts about Imbolc that I put together that you may or may not know!

Imbolc derives from the word Oimelc which means lactating sheep, hence the connection to the spring time and fertility.

Imbolc is also said to be translated as 'in the belly'

Brighde is known as the Goddess of fire and Imbolc is strongly related to fire with bonfires being lit throughout the land in ancient times.

Brighde or Bridey dolls and Brigits cross are strong Imbolc symbols

Imbolc is often a good time for spring cleaning and cleansing of ones living space to prepare for the year ahead.

Imbolc was re-named Candlemas and celebrated by Christianity 

Groundhog day is celebrated on Imbolc and it is said it originates from the legend of Brighde's snake emerging from the ground.

Trees representing Imbolc are the Rowan and the Willow.

Other symbols for Imbolc are the snowdrop, the swan, candles and the plough.

Enjoy this wonderful season of our earth's awakening, may the spirit of Brighde bring love and light into your hearts and your homes.

Blessings, Alison

On Combining Christmas and Yule, Winter Solstice

How do you combine Christmas and Yule in your family traditions? Do you celebrate both traditions?

In our family I have only been a Pagan for approximately four years. My teenage daughters therefore in regards to Paganism, how can I put it; 'gently support' what they term their Mum's 'hippy ways'! They love what I do and I know a lot of it is rubbing off on them but they in in no way put them selves in my camp it just wouldn't be cool! Perhaps if I had become a Pagan whilst they were toddlers it might have been different. I look wistfully every year at the mothers and their very young children all dressed up with flowers in

their hair at the maypole in Glastonbury for Beltane!

Christmas is therefore a very big event in our house. Although adults really now my girls adore Christmas and get really excited which I love. I have no problem with celebrating Christian holidays alongside Pagan ones and have not let go of a lot of my Catholic upbringing. I believe in religious tolerance for all religions, every religion has something to offer and we can never say one is better than another. Personally I like to draw from many different religions in my personal beliefs. For me Paganism is about worshipping our Mother Earth not about whose religion is the better one.

My Yule Altar

So to celebrate Yule at the Winter Solstice this year I will be lighting candles and having a private mediation, welcoming the return of the sun. I struggle with the long dark days so will be very glad that our sun is returning to light our earth. For that I give gratitude to our wonderful Mother Earth Gaia. I like to bring the outside into the house at this time of year so have made our mantlepiece into an altar to honour our Mother Earth, the Goddess Gaia. This is following ancient Pagan customs of bringing greenery such as holly ivy and mistletoe into homes for good luck, more on ancient customs can be found here

Our Pagan Christmas tree

Although our Christmas tree is festooned with baubles and memories of holidays past I also like to Paganise it a little with ornaments I have made and pentacle charms. Perhaps you can have a go at making your own pentacle charm to go on your Christmas tree this year? Pentacle charms like the one depicted here are still available in the Astarte Moon Shop  as well. 

Yule Pentacle charm-Astarte-Moon Shop

Blessings of love and light for the return of the sun at Yule to you, AstarteAlison

November Full Frost Snow Beaver Moon. Which name is your favourite?

On Thursday 6th November we will have the beauty of a wonderful full moon gracing our skies once again.

As we consistently see, a lot of our ancient ancestors named our moons depending on what Mother Nature was doing at that particular time of year. November is unsurprisingly no different. Thus we see names such as Snow Moon and Frost Moon for the cold weather we will experience in November. One descriptive one I like is the Dakotah Sioux Moon when Horns are broken off. This refers to the rutting season of the deer. Their neighbours the Lakota referred to the November full moon as ‘the Moon of the falling leaves’. Meanwhile the Ojibwe name was ‘the freezing moon’ and the Osage called it ‘the Coon breeding Moon’

The time of the November full moon was often a traditional time for trading amongst the traditional native American Indians. It was the traditional time for the friendship festival called ‘Adohuna’. Adohuna was a day for atonement for the Cherokee and ritual fasting was observed on the day itself. It was a time for charity and the needy in all the local area were looked out for.

Other popular names for the November name are Hunter's moon and Beaver Moon. More information can information can be found here

In Japan the Goddess Kami was honoured as the Goddess of the kitchen. She is responsible for the food that comes into our kitchens and its preparation into the food that we eat.

Enjoy the cold crispy days of November, as the last of the Autumn leaves fall we see our mother earth gently settling down into the winter slumber. We can look forward to cozy nights in front of the fire or tucked up in bed with a good book(that’s me!) Look out for our wonderful November Frost Moon in the night sky, perhaps you would like to give her your own personal name?

Below are the full moon times in different time zones around the world.

Moon sign: Taurus 14° 25'

Thursday 6th November 2014 11:22:54 pm(CET)
WELLINGTON = Friday * 7th Nov 2014 * 11:22:54 am (NZDT)
SYDNEY = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 09:22:54 am (AEDT)
TOKYO = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 07:22:54 am (JST)
BEIJING = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 06:22:54 am (CST)
BANGKOK = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 05:22:54 am (ICT)
DELHI = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 03:52:54 am (IST)
MOSCOW = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 02:22:54 am (MSK)
RIYADH = Friday * 7th November 2014 * 01:22:54 am (AST)
BERLIN = Thursday * 6th November 2014 * 11:22:54 pm (CET)
LAGOS = Thursday * 6th November 2014 * 11:22:54 pm (WAT)
LONDON = Thursday * 6th November 2014 * 10:22:54 pm (GMT)
RIO = Thursday * 6th November 2014 * 08:22:54 pm (BRST)
NEW YORK = Thursday * 6th Nov 2014 * 05:22:54 pm (EST)
MEXICO CITY = Thursday * 6th Nov 2014 * 04:22:54 pm (CST)
LOS ANGELES = Thursday * 6th Nov 2014 * 02:22:54 pm (PST)
HONOLULU = Thursday * 6th Nov 2014 * 12:22:54 pm (HAST)

Full November moon blessings to you, AstarteAlison xxx

Ten Facts you may not know about Samhain

Ten Facts you may not know about Samhain

It is pronounced Sow-wen.

Samhain comes from the Gaelic ‘Samhuin’ meaning Summer’s end.

Samhain bonfires were traditionally lit in Scotland and were called Samhnagan.

Samhain is the first day of the Celtic New Year.

Other names for Samhain include Shadowfest(Strega) and Martinmas(celtic Scottish)

It is the time on the Wheel of the year when the veil between our world and the spirit world is thought to be at it’s thinnest.

Samhain was traditionally a time for honouring one’s ancestors: often food was left out.

Originally turnips were carved into lanterns, these later became pumpkins in Halloween traditions.

On the Isle of Man Samhain is celebrated as Hop-tu-Naa

Costumes and masks were worn to ward off evil spirits, this custom has been absorbed into Halloween traditions of today.

Much more in depth information about Samhain traditions can be found here: Samhain

Samhain blessings to you, Alison

Mabon Autumn equinox blessings to you, free e-cards to send!

Mabon or the Autumn Equinox will soon be upon us. This is a time when the earth is in perfect balance, day and night are of equal length. Mabon is celebrated on September 21st, in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Southern Hemsiphere it is the time for Oestara, the spring Equinox.  Mabon is the season of the second harvest, a time when apples, cherries, plums and blackberries are seen all around us and it is a wonderful time to give thanks to our Mother Earth for all she has provided for us. I particularly like going blackberry picking, despite the thorns there is something wonderful about just being able to pick plum ripe blackberries straight from the hedgerows and eat them, knowing they are just growing there as nature intended them to be.

Anytime is a time to let loved ones know you are thinking of them however Mabon would be a good moment in time to take a breath to catch up with those loved ones and perhaps drop them a line or two to say hi. I've made these free e-cards so that you can do just that and I shall try and get around to making a few more over the next few days. Simply right click on any of these images and save them to your computer, print out or email to your loved ones.

Mabon or Ostara blessings to you all wherever in the world you are, AstarteAlison

Full Super Moon Harvest September 2014 a cause for Gratitude and why is it Orange?!

Well our moon for September 2014 is currently waxing at 83% of her fullness at the time I write this and I can feel her energy ever building. I haven't been lucky enough to see her on the last few nights as it has been cloudy here in England so I'm hoping for a few clear nights as we reach the nights of her fullness. 

This September moon is the moon closest to the Pagan festival of Mabon. Therefore a lot of the names that have been given over time to this full moon are to do with the harvest that takes place around this time of year. Mabon is the second harvest in the Pagan wheel of the Year, we shall see the last one being the traditional one of Samhain or Halloween. Common names for the September moon therefore included Harvest Moon, Barley Moon and Corn Moon.

It is often thought that this harvest moon is a particularly orange colour, is there any truth or science behind this fact? When we see the moon rising it looks much larger to our eyes as we are seeing it against the background of other objects. Due to the fact that we are looking at the moon through a greater amount of atmospheric particles including pollution the moon will take on an orange or reddish tint. The atmosphere will scatter the blue particles but allow the red component of light to travel direct to our eyes. Thus we see a larger looking red/orange Harvest Moon rising in our skies on the evening of the September Full Moon. 

This September Harvest Moon is of course the third in the trio of Super moons that we will have seen in 2014, therefore it's orange glow will look even more spectacular as it will appear slightly larger.  It will not be as large as the Supermoon that occurred in August. That super moon was the largest of the year because the moon was the closest to us. Supermoon's can appear up to 14% brighter and 30% bigger. Supermoons occur because our moon does not follow a circular path around our earth, it follows an elliptical one. Therefore at its furthest away it is 405,000 km away, this is called an apogee, and at its nearest it is 363,000, this is called a perigree. When the time of the perigree aligns with a full or new moon it is called a super moon. Much more information on why Supermoon's occur and how they might affect us can be found here:What is a Supermoon 

Other names for the September Full Supermoon include Mulberry Moon, Leaf Fall Moon, Kindly Moon and Little Chestnut Moon.

The September Mabon moon is all about achieving balance in our lives. We are nearing the Autumn equinox. Look to any areas of your lives that feel our of kilter right now, what do you need to do to bring that balance back? This is also a time of Gratitude. It is a time when we say thank you to our Mother Earth. She has provided us with a lot over this past year asking for nothing in return, the least we can do is offer her our gratitude. It is up to you how you do this, you may like to get together with family and friends or simply spend some time in nature offering up your silent thanks to the Mother Earth that feeds us and keeps us alive.

Do you have a favourite for the September Mabon Moon? I'm going to go with Blackberry Moon this year as the blackberries are early and there are already so many of them in my garden..delicious!

Full Mabon Supermoon Harvest Moon blessings to you,

AstarteAlison

Supermoon in Aquarius August 10th 2014 and Perseid Meteor Shower. Feel the amazing energy.

This August we are blessed with the brightest Supermoon of 2014.  August’s supermoon will reach her fullness at 1.10pm CDT 18 10 UT on August 10^th 2014.  She will have reached her closest point to earth just a few minutes earlier at 12.44 CDT. The fact that these two phenomena co-incide means that this supermoon will be a particularly spectacuar event this August. At this point of perigree she will be just 221,765 miles away from earth, our supermoon won’t be as close as this again until September 2015.

 What is a Supermoon?

We have three supermoons this year, the first was in July, did any of you see it? I didn’t manage it as it was cloudy here! The third supermoon will be in September. August’s supermoon will be the most spectacular though, being closest to our earth of the three so will surely prove to be an event not to be missed. Supermoon’s are on average 14% larger and 30% brighter but I can’t find a statistic of how much brighter this August moon will be, she sure will however be a sight not to be missed!

 

Super mini moons astroblogger.com

The best time to view our wonderful moon will be just as she rises which will be just after sunset on Sunday.  The moon on the horizon always seems to look larger than when she is is high in the sky, this is because of what is known as the ‘Ponzo Illusion’

“Most supermoons appear larger than they really are because of what's called the "Ponzo Illusion." First put forth in 1913 by Italian psychologist Mario Ponzo, it holds that the human mind judges the size of an object based on its background.

Most people perceive the horizon as being farther away than the point straight above their heads. "When the moon is on the horizon, your brain thinks it’s far away, much farther than when it’s overhead," writes Phil Plait in his Bad Astronomy blog. "So the Ponzo Illusion kicks in: Your brain sees the moon as being huge, and it looks like you could fall into it." http://www.al.com

Why do super moons occur?

How will the super moon affect me?

August’s Supermoon also coincides with the Perseids meteor shower, her super brightness will mean that the Perseids may be a little harder to view this year. There will be a lot of energy however happening in the skies above us. This will be quite a turbulent and power fuelled time for all of us!

 

Perseids from VEoz.com

This Supermoon will be in Aquarius. Although the time of the full moon will be a turbulent one it will bring about a breaking down of barriers and a releasing of any pent up emotion that needs to be let go of. Aquarius is an air sign known for shattering perceptions and breaking rules. You will emerge feeling cleansed and refreshed. Let go of all that you do not need, break down those walls, you will feel so much better for it.

The August Supermoon is also the Lunar Lammas falling midway between the summer and Autumn Equinoxes. Lammas or Lughnasadh is a celebration of the first harvest, of giving thanks for the fruits of our labour and looking forward to the months ahead.

Our supermoon this August has many names given to it, it has been called the Grain Moon, Mating Moon, Chokeberry Moon, Summertime Moon, Corn Moon , Moon when Cherries Turn Black and the Barley Moon.

One interesting name is the Dog Day’s moon which refers to the hot days of the late summer in the northern hemisphere that occur in late July and August. The Old Farmer’s Almanac lists the traditional period of the Dog days as the 40 days beginning July 3^rd and ending august 11^th.  The name Dog Days was believed to originate from the ancient Romans and Greeks who named these days after the star Sirius, the Dog Star, brightest star in the sky. The Dog Days originally were the days when Sirius rose just before or at the same time as sunrise, this was known as a heliacal rising.

Enjoy this Aquarius Supermoon. Pass through this time of turbulence and emerge refreshed at the other end. Hopefully you will have caught a glimpse of some of the wonderful Perseid meteors to light your path along the way!

Supermoon blessings to you, AstarteAlison xxx

Free Lammas/Lughnasadh e-cards. Lammas/Lughnassadh greetings to all my friends

Free Lammas/Lughnasadh e-cards. Please feel free to save and send these free Lammas e-cards to friends and family to show them that you are thinking of them this Lughnassad. For more information on this point on the Wheel of the Year see my post lammas traditions

Lammas/Lughnassadh greetings to all my friends, near, far, in person and in my computer! I value you all and wish for you a day filled with love, sunshine and happiness!

Lammas Lughnassadh blessings to you and all you hold dear. May the warmth of the Lammas fires keep you happy and healthy all year long. Sending you warm and sunny blessings.

Lammas Lughnasadh blessings to you. May your home be blessed with the warmth of the Lammas fire and your harvest be bountiful this year and all the years to come.

Lammas Lughnassad Blessings to you, may the warmth of the sun's rays penetrate your heart and continue to bring joy all year long to you and all those you hold dear.

Lammas/ Lughnasadh greetings to you all, may the sun always shine brightly for you. Sunny blessings, AstarteAlison

Lammas greetings to all my friends. Free lughnassadh e-card

Lammas greetings to all my friends. You lift my days and warm my heart. Without you the sun wouldn't look so bright and the days wouldn't feel so warm. So I just wanted to take this opportunity on this happy celebration of summer to say thank-you for being there, at the end of the phone, text, email, letter, tweet!
Happy Lammas, may your day be a sunny one!

Sunny Lammas Lughnassadh blessings to all my friends, both near far, via the internet and wherever you are! Alison xxx

Please feel free to send this free Lammas e-card to all of your friends and family to show them you are thinking of them this Lughnassadh.

Ten Fun Facts you may not know about Lammas Lughnasadh Lughnassad

Ten Fun Facts about Lammas/ Lughnasadh

You may know that Lammas or Lughnasadh falls on 1^st August.  Below are a few facts you may not know about this point on the Pagan Wheel of the Year celebrating the height of summer. Further information about this Pagan festival may be found here: Lammas History and traditions

Lughnasadh, or Lugnasad is named from the Celtic Sun God Lugh. He was believed to be the son of the Sun and the God of Light.

Lammas is thought to take it’s name from loaf-mass, named for the traditional loaves that were baked at this time.

Lammas has an even older name Bron Trograin meaning painful labour, referring to first fruits the earth gives birth to.

To bring good luck at Lughnasadh farmers would let the first loaves go stale and then sprinkle the crumbs over the corners of their barns.

Trial marriages often took place at Lammas called Teltown marriages.

Corn dollies are hung over the fire place to bring good luck to the harvest at the time of Lammas.

Wakes weeks common in many towns in England originated from the Lammas tradition of fifteen days of feasting.

It was customary to give gifts of gloves at Lughnassadh particularly for workers to receive from their employees.

The Talitean games originated at Lughnassad Lammas, echoes of which may be found in the Olympic games and modern football.

Lughnassadh is the first of the three harvest festivals, the other two being Mabon and Samhain

Litha Summer Solstice Blessings, Free e cards for friends and family

So it's the Summer Solstice or Litha this weekend 21st June 2014. A lot of us are not fortunate enough to live near to our closest family and friends. Or perhaps we have a lot of Pagan friends that we have met over the internet who we would like to send a Litha greeting to.

I have therefore made a couple of free e-cards for you to send to your family and friends that you are not able to be with this Litha, please feel free to right click on the image and send your Litha greetings via the internet. Send a little love this Summer Solstice!

Although I can't be with you on this longest day of the Summer Solstice I send you love and warm wishes to light your days. May your heart be filled with sunshine and happiness today and all days.

Litha Summer Solstice Blessings to you. May the sun's rays penetrate your crown chakra and fill your whole body with warmth and strength whilst like the sunflower you remain constantly rooted and grounded upon our Mother Earth. 

Enjoy the wonderful light that the longest day brings into our lives this summer solstice. Wherever you are enjoy the friends and family you have near you and send out thoughts and good wishes to those that cannot be with you on this wonderful day.

Litha blessings to you all, AstarteAlison

Ten fun facts about the Summer Solstice or Litha

Ten fun facts about the Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year and is  generally celebrated on the 21^st June. So those are facts that you knew already! Below are a few facts that you may or may not know about this wonderful time of year, a celebration of the wonderful strength of our amazing sun.

The common name used amongst Pagans for the Summer Solstice is Litha. Other names for Litha include: Lithia, Alban Hefin(Gaelic for light of the shore), Sun Blessing, Gathering Day, Feill-Sheathain, Whit Sunday, Whitsuntide, Vestalia(Roman), The Feast of Epona(Ancient Gaulish) Thing-Tide, Sank Hans Aften(Denmak) and St. John's Day. If you have heard of any more I would love to hear from you!

The word Solstice comes from the Latin ‘solstitium’ meaning 'Sun stands still' because the apparent movement of the Sun's path north or south stops before changing direction.

Litha is often synonymous with Midsummer and is said to be associated with Faeries or the fey folk. Offerings of milk and honey were often left out for them.

Transformed by Ruth Calder Murphy

As well as faeries there were thought to be evil sprits around at this time of year therefore our ancesters wore garlands of herbs and flowerflowers to protect themselves. The most popular of these was St Johns wort which was known as ‘chase’devil’

Litha was known as Sankt Hans Aften in Denmark and was an official holiday until 1770.

Litha was celebrated with bonfires as a reflection of the sun. Folk would jump through the fires and it was said that the height that they jumped would be the height of their crops the following year.

The Chinese celebrate this time of year by honouring Li the Goddess of Light

The Druids celebrated the day as the wedding of heaven and earth. They believed this to be a very sacred day, seeing the wonderful long day as a blessing given to us by mother earth. Handfasting ceremonies became very popular during June and even today it remains popular to have a June wedding.

The full moon that occurs near the time of the Summer Solstice is often termed Mead moon, name for the drink made from honey, often served at handfasting ceremonies.

In Poland the night of merrymaking - also known as St. John’s Night or “Noc Świętojańska” - is still observed in some areas and some Polish communities in the United States