What Is Litha?

Litha is a celebration of the summer solstice, which was on the 21st, a mere three days ago. Solstice comes from the Latin term solstitium (“sun stands still), The sun on this date, is at its highest point. Certain monuments such as Stonehenge are designed to orient to the rising sun.

In ancient times, Midsummer was actually celebrated with bonfires. Litha rituals are varied because, for pagans, it is a time of gathering. The fires caused cinders to be leftover, and then people would throw the cinders on top of the crops to have a good harvest.

In modern times, Litha is about balance, attaining a balance between the elements of fire and water. Ancient Europe celebrated this day by throwing large wheels on fire, sending them rolling to the nearest body of water.

In the United States, midsummer is a time of equality between the dark night and the light of day, but in Scandinavian countries, Litha is about more light compared to the darkness of the other six months of the year. Some people who aren’t necessarily pagan celebrate the solstice by having yoga festivals such as the one in New York.

Summer solstice is effectively, the longest day of the year, according to the sun because June 21st is about the first harvest time, not the second. May and June are good times to plant a garden in California, which some people do.

Another summer solstice tradition is to leap through a bonfire without getting yourself burnt. The Sun God has his most powerful day of the year on this date. Even as the sun is setting later and later, taking its sweet time to go down, the solstice is well after daylight savings in North America. This festival is also marked with torchlight processions.

Fire can be used to divine the future if you know how to read the flames right. Litha is a good day to gather, to celebrate the arrival of summer as well as the sun. The sun eventually recedes from the sky until Yule time when the days turn longer.

People who can use the fire element safely light a candle for the whole day, to celebrate Litha, with rituals being performed at noon. You can also make protective amulets the week before Litha. Some people bury their protective amulets each Midsummer’s Eve, in order to build new ones.

June 21st is the first day of summer, so for that reason, many human traditions have left their mark because of this date. Weddings take place in the summer, so you can wear a dress. Many couples decide to make their marriage work with certainty on this date.

Litha can be a day to do divinations on romance and love situations. Sometimes some people do not use candles such as lighting a Litha candle and letting it burn out. Litha is about having outdoor picnics or making crowns with flowers. June 21st is also a great day to have a huge party. People still gather at Stonehenge in England to watch the sun through the rock formations.

Litha is an interesting way to mark the passage of time. In the Southern hemisphere, Litha occurs on December 21st, as this is summertime for those regions. Litha is a Sabbat, not necessarily coinciding with a full moon this year.

Midsummer is a time of manifestation, meaning you have to write down what you want to happen the next year. Litha is also a good time to commune with nature spirits. The Sun does a lot of things for the human race like give us the power we use in solar cells, or make our crops grow. The Sun allows life to exist on this planet because we wouldn’t have a civilization without it.

Works Cited

https://www.thoughtco.com/history-of-summer-solstice-holiday-litha-2562244

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-pagans-celebrate-litha-the-summer-solstice_us_57632742e4b015db1bc8ce5c

https://thepaganandthepen.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/celebrating-the-pagan-summer-solstice/

http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk/the_wheel_of_the_year/litha_-_summer_solstice.asp

https://www.ravenandcrone.com/catalog/a8/Litha,-Summer-Solstice-Rituals,-Activities-and-Lore/article_info.html