The International Space Station orbited over New England and across Canada capturing the Sun's glint on the North Atlantic Ocean.NASA
The day the sun stands still...
Before the convenience of clocks, computers, and electric lights, people told the time and marked the seasons by the movement of the sun. However, eagle-eyed ancient astronomers noticed that on certain days the celestial body appeared to pause altogether. They called this the solstice from the Latin word "sol" meaning sun and "sistere" meaning to make stand.
This occurs because the Earth is tilted on its axis so that as the planet rotates, the sun appears to sit at different places in the sky. Twice a year, the sun reaches its highest or lowest possible point and changes direction, making it appear to stand still for a day.
Astronomical diagram: The Earth's annual revolution around the Sun (1851) by Reynolds, James (publisher) and Emslie, John (engraver)Science Museum
In the Northern Hemisphere the June solstice is when the sun is at its furthest distance from the Earth before it starts to move closer, making it the longest day of the year and the official start of summer. In the Southern Hemisphere it’s at its closest point. This makes it the shortest day of the year and means winter is here. Every December the reverse happens in each hemisphere.
The solstice has held a great significance for people all over the world for thousands of years. We take a look at how it’s celebrated...
United States of America
The Hopi are a Native American tribe who base their culture on a deep respect for the Earth and the resources it provides. They believe in invisible beings called kachinas, ancestral spirits who act as messengers between the supernatural realm and the Hopi people.
Each kachina represents a different thing in the natural world, such as the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, and insects. If honored and respected properly, kachinas can bring rainfall, a bountiful harvest, healing, fertility, and protection.
Hopi Corn Dance (c. 1925) by Fred (Nakayoma) KabotieThe Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
The Hopi believe that the December solstice is the shortest day of the year because the Sun God has travelled as far as possible from Earth. The kachinas join the Hopi and the tribe hold a ceremony called Soyaluna. The kachinas are personified by members of the community over the next six months and sacred rituals are performed to ask for a good year ahead and to persuade the Sun God to return.
Tableta (c. 1955)Dallas Museum of Art
Siberia
The Yakut people of Sakha are a semi-nomadic ethnic group native to Eastern Siberia, one of the coldest inhabited places on earth during winter. Around the June solstice, the Yakut throw a huge summer festival called Yhyakh that celebrates the awakening of nature and gives thanks to the sun. Throughout this festival there is plenty of dancing, concerts, sports and ancient sacred rituals.
During the holiday "Ysyakh" of skilled workers of author's school of A.N. Zvereva in the Namsky village (2010) by Zhirkova Lyudmila PetrovnaNational Library of Republic Sakha (Yakutia)
At dusk a priest will sprinkle kumis (fermented mare’s milk) on the surrounding ground and summon the Aiyy, divine spirits that offer protection to families, hunters, and homes.
Ysyakh Olonkho Ysyakh OlonkhoNational Library of Republic Sakha (Yakutia)
China
In ancient Beijing, altar sites were built as sacred places for the emperor to perform rituals that would bring prosperity to the country, each one serving a different purpose.
Emperor's court robe (1875-1908 (made) - 1908) by UnknownThe Victoria and Albert Museum
The summer solstice was seen as a time to worship the Earth in the hopes of a good harvest and good weather for the season to come. In June, the emperor would perform rituals at the Temple of the Earth, where he would make offerings to appease the gods. The ritual vessels used, the emperor’s robes, and the tiles in the temple were all yellow, as this color represented the soil.
Altar vessel 'fu' (19th century) by UnknownArt Gallery of New South Wales
The people of Beijing celebrate the summer solstice by eating noodles as this is the time of year when wheat ripens – the first chance to taste the new harvest.
Midsummer Dance (1897) by Anders ZornNationalmuseum Sweden
Sweden
The summer solstice is one of Sweden’s most celebrated holidays, known as Midsommar. It’s the time of year when the nights can be seriously short, spanning only one or two hours in the south while in the north the sun doesn’t set at all.
The focal point of the festivities is the maypole. People collect flowers early in the morning to make wreaths to place on the pole, which is raised in an open spot to give plenty of room for the spirited dancing that will come later. In the traditional dance Små grodorna (The Little Frogs) everyone sings a song about how frogs lack ears and tails while they hop around in a ring.
By Mark KauffmanLIFE Photo Collection
South America
As Peru is south of the equator, the June solstice means the end of the harvest season and the arrival of winter. This is time for one of South America's biggest traditional festivals, Inti Raymi, which dates from the time of the Incas and prays for the Sun God to return.
Kero (1501 - 1750)Museo de América
During Inca times, 25,000 people would gather in Cusco to watch a parade of cloth-wrapped mummies that were brought from nearby temples and shrines.The festivities took place from dawn until dusk, and involved the sacrifice of 200 llamas, ritual dancing, and the burning of coca leaves. Nowadays there is a modern-day reenactment (minus the mummies and sacrifices) that starts at the Incan Temple of the Sun and ends at the archeological site of Sacsayhuaman.
Stonehenge, England (2006-05-23) by John FoxxGetty Images
United Kingdom
Stonehenge is a prehistoric site in Amesbury, England made up of a ring of standing stones. It is thought to have been built in three phases between 3,000 B.C and 1,600 B.C but the rest of its story is largely a mystery. What is certain is that on the days of the solstice, the sun is in the exact position to rise behind the stone known as the heel stone and perfectly channel its light into the center of the monument.
World Heritage Sites To Go Online (2009-11-30) by Matt CardyGetty Images
Archaeological findings suggest that there was once a large settlement two miles away where the people who built Stonehenge might have lived. Around the area numerous bones of nine-month-old pigs and cows have been found, which could suggest that animals born in spring were sacrificed at the winter solstice at big celebratory feasts.
Pagan wedding during Winter Solstice, Stonehenge, Amesbury, Wiltshire (2004-12-21) by Nigel Corrie, English HeritageHistoric England
Happy solstice day!
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