Today (June 21st) is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, which is approximately 23 degrees north latitude (the same as the earth’s axial tilt).

For a few days preceding and following, the sun’s relative position in the sky at noon does not appear to change much. The word “solstice” is derived from Latin words “sol” (sun) and “sistere” (to come to a stop).

During Summer Solstice, festivals around the word celebrate the summer and the fertility of the Earth – especially in northern countries where the sun does not set for weeks. The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks baseball team holds their Midnight Sun Game. It starts at 10:00 p.m. and goes through the night with no artificial light. Thousands of people, including modern-day druids and pagans, gather at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise on solstice. In Sweden and Finland people dance around Maypoles. Homes are decorated with flower garlands, greenery, and tree branches. Many people light bonfires and stay up all night drinking, singing, and dancing. People of Ålesund, Norway set a world record in 2016 with a 155.5-foot celebratory bonfire.

Today in Victoria, the sun rose at 5:12 a.m. and will set at 9:19 p.m. which means there will be 16 hours and 7 minutes of sunshine!

How are you planning on celebrating Summer Solstice?

Mathieu Powell I President
Coastline Marketing Inc.
“In touch and on time”.
Main Office: 778-425-4644
Sales: 250-516-6287
mathieu@coastline.marketing
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