How to Celebrate the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice marks the opposite point in the year as the winter solstice. It is the point when the day is the longest and the night the shortest, and has traditionally been a time for celebration and revelry. While the winter solstice celebrates hope and rebirth, the summer solstice is a time when people could revel in the warm weather, the fresh crops and the life that was all around them. Hundreds of years from the first solstice celebrations, it's still happening and you can still hold celebrations in the style of ways previous.

Instructions

1. Light a bonfire. Bonfires have been a central piece of summer solstice celebrations for years. They are thought to have turned away evil spirits who wandered after the sun as the nights begin to get longer. Now, they are still great places for friends and family to gather for some modern-day festivities.

2. Hold or attend a music festival. Music has always been an inarguable part of human nature, and there's few better times to celebrate it than during a holiday dedicated to the life and the forces that keep us alive. There are countless music festivals scheduled for the time of the summer solstice, but you don't have to attend a professionally done one in order to participate. While it may take some convincing, friends and family sitting around a bonfire are sure to join in when someone brings a guitar.

3. Look for will o' wisps. These ghostly lights of folklore have been said to appear on the summer solstice, and mark the place of treasure. While they may show where riches are to be found, be careful, as they're also closely associated with doomed souls and spirits, much like those the bonfires are designed to keep away.

4. Gather with friends and family. The most important part of the solstice celebration is spending it with others.

Tips & Warnings

• Traditionally, the bigger the bonfire, the better. But be sure to exercise caution around any fire, and not let it get out of control.