Lighting and jumping over bonfires on Midsummer’s Eve dates to pre-Christian pagan customs. It was thought to keep demons away and bring good luck to lovers. I think, mostly, it was just a fun thing to do.
For those more nature-based in their beliefs, the season of Litha begins at the Summer Solstice. It’s a time when fertile energy is at its peak, and all around us life is rapidly growing. On the Wheel of the Year, this marks the time when the seeds have been sown and begin to grow in abundance until Lughnasadh on August 1st (the first harvest).
From the Vernal (Spring) equinox the days have become progressively longer. Now at the Summer Solstice, or Litha, the days become gradually shorter until Yule when the days begin to grow steadily longer again.
Litha is typically a bright and exciting celebration. The Early Europeans took a more symbolic approach to their midsummer rituals. They set alight large wheels and rolled them downhill. At the bottom of the hill, the wheel would roll into a body of water. There is much speculation as to the purposes behind this tradition, but the obvious theory of course is that the wheel is representative of the Sun. The wheel turns down the hill and is extinguished at the end, just as Litha is marking the onset of the darker half of the year.
In some spiritual paths the story of the Oak King and the Holly King are told during this season. The story of the Oak King and the Holy King will be told here next week.
... Continued later this week
