As I am writing this, we are only 48 hours away from Summer Solstice, or Midsummer, the longest day of the year. It is a bittersweet time for me because while it marks the first day of summer, it also means the days will begin growing shorter again. In more ancient times, it marked the midway point between planting and harvesting. The calendar year was divided into quarters and cross-quarters, which reflected the natural progression of the seasons. Lughnasadh (31 July/1 August) falls in between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox (21-22 September.) Samhain (31 October/1 November,) or All Hallow’s Eve, is the midpoint between the beginning of Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, which is followed by Imbolc (1-2 February.) Beltane (30 April/1 May) lies at the halfway point between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice (20-23 June.), These are referred to as cross-quarters, thus dividing the year into eight equal periods.
Most modern holidays, as we know them, have been borrowed and tweaked by Christianity, but all were derived from ancient Celtic festivals. Although we have no comparable celebration for Summer Solstice here in the U.S., today (Juneteenth) is a celebration of the independence of African slaves. July 4th is a celebration of our country’s independence from England. Sadly, due to industrialized farming and the abundance of food year round, we have no celebration that coincides with Lughnasadh, a time when new wheat was harvested. Neither do we have a modern holiday to mark the Autumn Equinox. We have Halloween, which coincides with Samhain. Winter Solstice is now celebrated as Christmas, Groundhogs Day, instead of Imbolc, Easter in place of Spring Equinox, and May Day replaces Beltane.
I stopped celebrating the modern holidays years ago, mainly because of the commercialism and the mass production of cheap plastic crap that ends up in landfills. We have lost the sacred rituals and festivals that honored the seasons and the cycles of life. We have lost our connection with Nature. We need to return to our “roots” – our oneness with Earth and with all Life.
