Summer solstice
 

The solstice is just about here for the 2013 season. What are you planting? Can the egg really stand on its end that day?

Way too late to plant anything around here. I'll be tending the plants already in the ground through the heat and plan on a fall/winter garden. Tomatoes are coming along nicely this year compared to the last two, so hope for a bumper crop.

Does anyone celebrate the summer solstice without religious traditions indicating they should? If so, what do you do?

We live in the far north and Longest Day and Longest Night are huge celebrations. Longest night is fireworks, and bonfires and live music and dancing in the snow. Longest day is picnics and bar-b-ques under the midnight sun. No fireworks of course but lots of sunscreen needed. And a huge bagpipe concert from on top of the bluff spilling out across the entire valley.

emdeen, now that sounds like a good time,
In the past we've celebrated with a huge bonfire, plenty of food, friends and fireworks with Celtic music on the outdoor boombox....
These days maybe a few bottle rockets, a fancy store bought beer and some hugs and prayers on the back porch.
Almost like we treat the Christmas holiday these days.

Both celebrations are a blast. And there is so much more - music festivals, highland games, longest dog sled race.

We like to take in the solstice celebration down the road a ways just into Tn. Love to hear the drum circles rolling all night. :)

I will just be sorry to see the days getting shorter again. It takes so long for them to get lighter!

Hi,
Some years we go to the MREA energy fair in WI -- the best energy fair in the world!

Always held on the Summer Solstice.

Gary

Are you going this year?


Gary

We plan to observe Litha on the lake with a barbecue to put the small bonfire to good use.

Planting more OKRA here.

Yes, We Celebrate the Summer and Winter Solstices, every year. Some years we have a few folks come over for a little Solstice Party. We have a little bonfire. And sometimes for Mid-Summer or Yule, we make a Sun Wheel, and light it up on the night of the Solstice. We use evergreen fronds and if it has had enough time to dry out, it burns merrily in the night.

We always have plenty of good Mead & Ale to share with our guests. And, of course we have a little Feast, back at the house. It's all sort of a Family custom.

Not going to be able to make it this. I think we will go next summer.

Gary

Hey! this weekend going to the Naked Bike and Solstice Parades in Fremont in Seattle, and out here in Xanadu the summer solstice celebrations kinda go on for a month ha, going to the Oregon Country Fair in July.

Actually my celebrations started last weekend with a house dance :D

It does if you sprinkle salt on the floor first.

It absolutely DOES stand on end all by itself. No salt, no nothing. We don't put it on the floor, but on the kitchen table. It's truly amazing to feel it being pulled right from your hand. Try it sometime :-)

emdeengee, that sounds like so much fun! Enjoy : )

I wired up 10 more solar panels yesterday in celebration.....using a design I stole off your website :D

Nice!

That looks like Doug's welded pipe frame supports -- should last forever.

Gary

Not sure if you're aware of this but Europe celebrates this holiday but in a different way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kupala_Night and http://wonderful-russia.net/russian-...la-day-russia/ Beautiful ways.