Community Corner
Today Welcomes the Summer Solstice, the First Day of Summer and Longest Day of the Year
Summer officially begins at 10:16 a.m. in Southern California.
It’s a jam-packed day today, June 21. We welcome the 2011 summer solstice, the first day of summer and the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer solstice occurs when the Earth’s axial tilt is most inclined toward the sun.
According to the Old Farmer's Almanac website, the word "solstice" comes from the Latin words for "sun" and "to stop," because the sun appears to stop in the sky. The sun is directly overhead at its most northern point, at "high noon," on the summer solstice, creating more sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere on this day than on any other.
On the solstice, we hit the longest day of the year. After today, the days begin to get shorter.
Find out what's happening in Laguna Niguel-Dana Pointfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"This year's summer solstice is a time for contemplation and rebirth," said patch columnist "Pull out a white candle and a glass of wine and celebrate with some friends. Meditate on the goals you want to accomplish while the energy is aligned to support you."
Here are some more facts about the summer solstice:
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- Ancient pagans celebrated the summer solstice with bonfires. Couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump.
- Summer solstice was thought to be a magical time, when evil spirits would disappear.
- Pagans called the summer solstice moon the “honey moon” for the mead made from fermented honey that was part of wedding ceremonies performed at summer solstice.
Here are some great videos from around the world dedicated to the summer solstice.
