Summer Solstice!

[Snowwark]

Today, Summer begins. Really, it does, those rain clouds have to go away sometime, and today would be good!

~Ancient Celebrations~

# Ancient Rome: Bring out the food! The Festival of Vestalia went on from June 7th to June 15th in preparation for summer. It was held in honor of the Roman goddess of the hearth, Vesta. Married women were allowed to enter the Vesta shrine during this festival. Normally, only virgins were allowed inside.

# Ancient Sweden: In each town a tree was set up and villagers danced around the Midsummer tree. Women and girls gave up their bathtubs and washed in the local river instead. This ritual was supposed to be magical and bring rain for the crops.

# Native Americans: The Natchez tribe in the southern US worshipped the sun because they believed their ruler came from it. Every summer they had a fruit festival. Nobody was allowed to harvest any corn until after the feast.

I don't think I'm ready to give up my shower and bathe in the river though....

Are you planning on marking the occasion in any special way? I've stocked up on my new fav cooler...lol...Bacardi Breezers ~Island Pineapple~, and hopefully, if the temps heat up today, I'll be cracking one open.

Thinking of all my Buds, of course.....

 

[gina2000]

Yeah, I'm stocking up on umbrellas! LOL

We usually would spend the day at the pool, chillin' out....hanging with friends.

We're chillin', alright....just CHILLY is more like it!

I like that vestal virgin action! And the food! Skip bathing in the river....too cold these day!

 

[DixieDreamer]

I started the summer solstice off by walking in the sunrise at the Cancer Relay for Life Event here in my home town. I had walked and worked at it til late the night before (got home at 11:30 pm) went to bed and got up again at 3 AM to get in for my 4:00 am shifts of walking. It was beautiful though to arrive in the early morning... to see the lit luminaries from the prior night STILL BURNING! Most of them were still going... including the large word "HOPE" that I had helped to put on the bleachers using the luminaries to spell it out. It was glowing in the early morning dark as I got there. Then my DD and I walked - we walked for over an hour as part of our shift... and we went from almost dark to the sun being up. As we strolled we read the names on the luminarie bags... so many people we know from our community who had either lost the battle with cancer... or are fighting it currently. Nice to bring in the summer with a contribution towards fighting this horrible disease.

 

[faith]

Happy Summer SnowWark! Your island pineapple breezer sounds good. DixieD what a great cause you and your daughter walked for this morning. The early morning sunrise sounds beautiful.

 

[Mamu]

Are you sure it June and summer official starts. I think someone moved the calendar ahead a month and never told us.

It sure doesn't feel like summer has started. Maybe this means we are going to have a great fall.

Forget the river bathing, I'm do all I can do to keep warm and stay dry. The last thing I need is to be wetter or colder then I already am.

Bring on the summer!

 

[NHMickey]

Hey what happened to Spring. It get canceled? I miss a meeting or something?? Come on people we need to post these meeting notes. Oh Well. Hope everyone has a great start to summer!!!!