Summer Solstice

The Summer Solstice occurs on June 21st this year. It is the longest day of the year and the time when the sun is at its maximum elevation. It has been considered to have spiritual significance for thousands of years. The Celts celebrated with bonfires that would add to the sun's energy, Christians placed the feast of St John the Baptist towards the end of June and it is also the festival of Li, the Chinese Goddess of light. For Pagans, it is a time to celebrate growth and life but also time to acknowledge that the sun will now begin to decline once more towards winter. Ancient sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury and Glastonbury Tor tend to be the focal point for solstice celebrations as people gather together to watch the sun rising on the first morning of summer.

Lammas Day

Lammas Day (loaf-mass day) is celebrated on August 1st and is the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. It was traditional to bring a loaf of bread made from the first crop into Church and to celebrate the bounty with feasting and dancing.