Litha ~ The Festival of the Sun

Litha or the Summer Solstice (C.21st June) is the festival of the crowning of the Solar King. The peak of the sun's climb, it is a time when magic overfloweth! This is the beginning of the time of true abundance and ripeness, but also marks the beginning of the suns decline, the longest day of the year - after this point the nights begin to lengthen once more. It is a time to learn to balance between flesh and spirit, keeping your feet on the ground, even if your head is in the clouds! Awake before dawn and watch the sun rise. Toast with a glass of orange juice, or similarly bright, sunny beverage and as you drink imagine you are drinking in the sunshine, see the light and warmth filling your soul.

June always brings with it my mother in law's delicious elderflower cordial, and usually the first springs of lavender are appearing, so on midsummers day we drink elderflower and lavender cocktails - quite simply a good glug of cordial, topped with sparkling wine or champagne (you could make your own elderflower champagne of course, I keep meaning to, but so far haven't got around to it....) with sprigs of lavender to stir. Leave them in the glass and the flavour gradually seeps into the drink, 'tis really yummy! Every year we have a barbeque, and every year it rains. It has become quite a tradition, the annual, rainy Litha bbq, to the point that this year, I was oddly disappointed to find that it was actually a lovely day! As it happens, I'd also neglected to organise anything, so we found ourselves celebrating on our own, on the most summery summer solstice in recent memory! It was very lovely actually, me, the hubby and the littlun sitting in the garden, basking in sunbeams and eating burnt sausages direct from the firey furnace that was the bbq, and then throwing flowers and incense onto the glowing coals and making wishes, to be carried away towards the sun on the scented smoke, aaah!

Traditional symbols & associated bits and bobs....
Colour: red and yellow
Flowers: roses, oak leaves
Gods/Goddess: Sun Gods, The Oak King, Faery Queen
Symbols: fire, water, faeries, wreaths of summer flowers
Foods: summer squash, peppers, food cooked over fire