The sun rising over Stonehenge on the summer s...

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Today is both the last day of exams for the boys  and the “official” start of summer, namely the summer solstice. Summer solstice celebrates the longest hours of daylight all year and the shortest night. Summer solstice actually refers to the exact moment in time when the earth axis is tilted the most toward the sun and north of the Tropic of Cancer here in the Northern Hemisphere. That will occur at 1:16 p.m. today. Generally though, the entire day in which the solstice occurs is called the summer solstice and is celebrated the world over (in the Northern Hemisphere at least – Southern Hemisphere celebrates its longest day on our shortest day – in December).

Did you know?

  • On June 21st there are 24 hours of daylight north of the Arctic Circle and 24 hours of darkness south of the Antarctic Circle.
  • The world’s largest gathering for summer solstice occurs each year at Stonehenge in England.
  • The Druids celebrated the summer solstice as the marriage of Heaven and Earth and it is deemed to be a lucky day, which is how the tradition of June weddings came to be
  • The moon during the summer solstice is called the Honey Moon, since it is considered the best time to harvest honey. Mead was fermented from honey and served at weddings occurring during early summer.
  • Summer solstice is not the hottest day of the year, nor is it the earliest sunrise.

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