May 31, 2017
The Summer Solstice
By Eloise Graham
The summer solstice, or estival solstice, occurs twice a year: once in the northern hemisphere and then again in the southern hemisphere. This happens when the planet’s axis is most inclined toward the star that it orbits. In our case, it is the Earth orbiting the Sun and happens sometime on the 20th or 21st of June. This year it will be June 20 at 11:24 pm central time zone. Our daylight hours will be the longest of the year on June 21 this year.
Interesting facts:
1. Summer solstice is also known as Midsummer Night.
2. Last year’s solstice date was the first time in nearly 70 years that a full moon and the solstice occurred on the same day. Just as the sun was setting the full moon was rising.
Hours of daylight in different locations in the Americas:
| CITY | SUNRISE | SUNSET | LENGTH |
| Fairbanks, AK USA | 2:57 AM | 11:29 PM | 21 h 49 m |
| Anchorage, AK USA | 4:20 AM | 11:41 PM | 19 h 21 m |
| Vancouver, BC CAN | 5:06 AM | 9:21 PM | 16 h 14 m |
| Seattle, WA USA | 5:11 AM | 9:10 PM | 15 h 15 m |
| New York, NY USA | 5:24 AM | 8:30 PM | 15 h 05 m |
| Los Angeles, CA USA | 5:42 AM | 8:07 PM | 14 h 25 m |
| Miami, FL USA | 6:30 AM | 8:14 PM | 13 h 44 m |
| Havana, Cuba | 6:44 AM | 8:17 PM | 13 h 33 m |
| Mexico City, Mexico | 6:49 AM | 8:17 PM | 13 h 18 m |
| Bogota’ , Columbia | 5:21 AM | 6:09 PM | 12 h 23 m |
| Rio de Janerio, Brazil | 6:32 AM | 5:16 PM | 10 h 43 m |
| Ushuaia, Argentina | 9:58 AM | 5:11 PM | 7 h 12 m |
Summer Solstice / Midsummer Myths, Legends and Traditions:
Every year, thousands gather at Stonehenge to celebrate the Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year. Many are followers of Neo-Druidism, a form of spirituality that seeks harmony with nature but “Midsummer Day” has always held an important place in folklore and legend.
In some early pagan cultures, Sunwheels – often a ball of hay and straw – were lit on fire and rolled down a hill into lakes and rivers.
For many Scandinavian countries, midsummer is still a festive celebration. In Sweden bonfires are lit near lakes and by the sea. Music festivals and cookouts are also very common and traditionally, unmarried women collect several flowers and place them on their bed to dream of their future husband. They also tie flowers in their hair and dance & sing around the Midsummer tree.
