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<\/p>\n\t\t\t\tMark your celestial calendars for June 21 \u2026<\/p>\n
the Summer Solstice!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At 12:24 am EST, the earth\u2019s northern hemisphere will tilt toward the sun in its most dramatic fashion of the year, and that means we\u2019ll experience both the shortest night and longest day of 2017.<\/p>\n
This event marks the official beginning of summer here on the northern half of the globe, while the southern hemisphere starts its winter season.<\/p>\n
This solstice has been celebrated by cultures above the equator for eons, and many of those rituals linger in modern festivities from California to Croatia (and dozens of destinations in between). Here are a few Summer Solstice traditions to tickle your travel bone.<\/p>\n
S\u00e2nzienele at Cric\u0103u Festival in Romania<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by Saturnian via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n S\u00e2nzian\u0103 is the Romanian name for bedstraw flowers, as well as fairies of local folklore, and the annual solstice festival in the Carpathian Mountains is held in their honor. According to Wikipedia, the most village maidens dress in white and spend all day picking flowers, of which one MUST be Galium verum<\/em> (Lady’s bedstraw or Yellow bedstraw). The girls braid the flowers into crowns, which they wear upon returning to the village at nightfall. There, they meet the fellows they fancy and dance around a bonfire. The crowns are thrown onto roofs of the village houses. If a crown falls, it is said that someone will die in that house; if the crown stays on the roof, then good harvest and wealth will be bestowed upon the owners.<\/p>\n Stonehenge Solstice Celebration in England<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by Paul Townsend via Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe site itself is cloaked in mystery, and historians, archaeologists and mystics alike have long debated its baffling construction. And while theories abound, we may never know for sure whether it was an ancient burial ground, a temple of worship to ancient earth gods, a prehistoric observatory, or something we\u2019ve yet to consider. Today, the summer solstice draws an eclectic mix of revelers to Stonehenge to witness the sun rising above the stone circle, which aligns perfectly with the summer solstice sunrise,\u201d reports the Huffington Post<\/em>.<\/p>\n Santa Barbara\u2019s Summer Solstice Parade in the USA<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by Antandrus via Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n Santa Barbara\u2019s Summer Solstice Parade began in 1974 as a lavish birthday celebration for Michael Gonzalez, a local mime and artist. The parade has grown into the largest single-day event in Santa Barbara County, attracting massive crowds of visitors. Weeks before the parade, artists and technicians collaborate with the community to conceive ideas, build floats, make costumes, and prepare for the elaborate June show.<\/p>\n Solstice Fires on Kupala Night in Belarus <\/strong><\/p>\n Photo by On Being via Flickr<\/p><\/div>\n To celebrate Kupala, an ancient fertility rite at the Summer Solstice, young people jump over the flames of bonfires to test their bravery and faith. The failure of a couple in love to complete the jump while holding hands is a sign of their destined separation. Girls will also float floral wreaths of flowers lit with candles on rivers, attempting to divine knowledge of their future spouses. Young men attempt to capture the wreaths in hopes of wooing the women who floated them.<\/p>\n Astrofest in Croatia<\/strong><\/p>\n Photo courtesy of MaxPixel.com<\/p><\/div>\n Astrofest, a celestial celebration of the solstice, attracts amateur astronomers and stargazing enthusiasts to the Vi\u0161njan Observatory in Istria, Croatia. According to the Huffington Post<\/em>, \u201cThe event is a unique and magical way to celebrate the solstice, combining science and spirituality, celestial skygazing, and New Age music, drum circles, and performances. Istria also boasts exceptional wine and local cuisine, making the event gastro- and astro-nomical.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Mark your celestial calendars for June 21 \u2026 the Summer Solstice! At 12:24 am EST, the earth\u2019s northern hemisphere will tilt toward the sun in its most dramatic fashion of the year, and that means we\u2019ll experience both the shortest … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/www.raisingjane.org\/journal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/800px-Cricau_Festival_2013_-_Sanziene_-_24.jpg\")
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