It’s Summer Solstice!
~ Natalia Radcliffe ~ It’s the summer solstice this week, everyone! Thursday will be the longest day of the year. Get out and enjoy the extra sun! Let’s cross our fingers it won’t be too hot.
Many countries have traditions or holidays around the summer solstice. For example, people in Denmark have a festival called Sankt Hans (Saint Hans, or in English John the Baptist). During this holiday, people enjoy a nice meal with their families, before heading out to a community bonfire (oftentimes located near a beach, park, or lake) staying up late into evening, basking in the lingering sun rays at night, enjoying good company and speeches. It’s also a tradition to sing the song “Midsommersvisen", a poem written by Danish poet Holger Drachmann in the 1880s.
Information obtained from: https://denmark.dk/people-and-culture/danish-traditions
Lighting bonfires is also a tradition in Norway, but residents take it to a whole other level, constructing towering bonfires that can be seen for miles. In fact, in 2016 the country held the world record for the tallest bonfire, coming at over 155 feet tall, until the record was bested a few years later by another country.
Information obtained from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/nine-ways-people-celebrate-the-summer-solstice-around-the-world-180982398/
In Alaska, people enjoy watching a baseball game in Fairbanks under the soft glow of a midnight sun. It’s over a hundred year tradition that started way back in 1909, thanks to a bar bet, and has been enjoyed by many, many people since then. In Nome, people celebrate a multi-day festival that includes Native dancing, food, music, a parade, beach bonfires, and many other activities. Residents even take a swim in the Bering sea as part of the celebrations!
Information obtained from: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/nine-ways-people-celebrate-the-summer-solstice-around-the-world-180982398/
Whatever traditions you may enjoy this time of year, we hope you enjoy the extra daylight hours this Thursday! If you are heading to the areas of Ventura, Santa Monica or Malibu this week, we have a vintage 1972 Airstream, a Conestoga Covered Wagon, or a Safari tent you can stay in if you are planning an overnight stay. You can enjoy the peace and quiet of the outdoors while just a few minutes away from civilization under the once-in-a-year nighttime sun.
Thumbnail: Background picture by Fotorech on Pixabay.com.
