The Meaning of Summer Solstice Celebrations
What is the purposes for celebrating the summer solstice and what personal significance should it have for each of us? Of course the personal significance question can only be answered by the individual, however the question about the purpose can be clarified by looking at the meaning of the summer solstice celebrations.
Since man first began to question and understand the world around him, he came to the realization that it was harder to survive during the winter than during the summer. After all, life flourishes far better in the warm months than it does in the cold months. It goes deeper than this however. Moving from springtime into the warm days of summer, there are more hours of sunlight during the day, with each day getting longer until the summer solstice.
This means that not only can more work be accomplished during the days of summer; there are also more hours of leisure time. No day of the year has more hours and minutes of light than the day of summer solstice. Yet that day, for many cultures from the very beginning of civilization, is a day to pause and to rest.
Up until that day, much of the time has been spent getting the crops in the ground and getting them to grow, and to other similar pursuits, which are designed to reap benefits in the future. Days that follow will be filled with work that inevitably leads up to the harvest. It is only right to pause and to give thanks for the vibrant life and the realization that all we've done to that point has given us the possibility for that harvest.
In this age, far fewer people are concerned with planting and growing crops. Many work in artificial environments of steel and concrete, where electricity provides light for any number of hours, and where heating and cooling are done by machine. Still, the celebration of light and life beats on strongly in the hearts of people.
The celebrations remind us of our roots, and of the things we have in the world that are good and are plentiful. At the same time, they allow us to stop to catch our breath amidst our busy schedules.
To the American Indian, and to many others, the celebration of the solstice was a time of joy, of belonging, of community, of thanks, and of feasting. The celebrations, while they have changed in substance over the years, still have the same meaning today. To the Native American, if a person doesn't take the time to occasionally stop, look around, rejoice, and give thanks, they begin to lose sight of what life really means.
In other words, they get wrapped up in necessities and stop feeling the joy of simply living. In terms of today, they become so focused on making a living and getting ahead; they lose sight of the fact that we are all on a temporary one-way trip that we can't get out of alive. They forget that each day is a special gift that should be treasured, not for how much we can make, but for how much we already have.
Summer solstice is an ideal time for celebrations of this sort. It is a time when we are likely to be most aware of the comforts we each have, and when we are the most apt to truly be thankful. It is also a time when it is easiest to see in clarity how much the efforts of other people around us make in our own lives, and how we influence theirs.
The meaning of the celebrations on summer solstice is fairly simple and is shared by many cultures all around the globe. At the same time, the meaning is profound and at times overwhelming. It is a time to recognize life, and to live it to its fullest, while being thankful for what that life means. Each of us impacts everyone else, whether we know it or not. This is yet one more thing to be thankful for.
