International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice; June 21st.

FORUM: "Strengthening the ties among peoples." International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice 2024. The celebration of those events is an embodiment of the unity of the cultural heritage and centuries-long traditions, and further play a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples on the basis of mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good-neighborliness.

The summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere occurs on June 20, 2024, at 4:51 p.m. EDT (2051 GMT), and the summer solstice for the Southern Hemisphere occurs on Dec. 21, 2024, at 5:29 a.m. EST (0929 GMT).

The summer solstice marks the official start of astronomical summer and the longest day of the year. It occurs when one of Earth's poles is tilted toward the sun at its most extreme angle, and due to Earth's tilt, this happens twice a year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice falls in June (while the Southern Hemisphere experiences the winter solstice), and in the Southern Hemisphere, it falls in December (while the Northern Hemisphere experiences the winter solstice). The summer solstice and subsequent longest day of the year are celebrated by many cultures around the world with numerous traditions, holidays and festivals. From sunrise gatherings to midsummer festivals, summer solstice celebrations certainly blow the winter cobwebs away.

WHAT CAUSES THE SUMMER SOLSTICE?

 

This infographic shows Earth during the June solstice and the December solstice. Hours of daylight and darkness for comparison. During the June solstice, the Arctic Circle receives 24 hours of daylight and but during the December solstice, the Arctic Circle receives 24 hours of darkness.

We have Earth's tilt to thank for the seasons, and without it both hemispheres would receive equal light throughout the year. As Earth orbits the sun, the axis of rotation of Earth is slightly tilted at 23.44°.1 according to the Royal Museums Greenwich. This means that as Earth orbits the sun, the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun during one half of the year. During the other half of the year, the Southern Hemisphere tilts towards it. When the Northern or Southern Hemisphere is most tilted towards the sun, it experiences the summer solstice; when it is most tilted away, it experiences the winter solstice.

The solstices also do not land on the same calendar day every year because the astronomical year is 365.25 days long. As such, the summer solstice for the Northern Hemisphere — also known as the June solstice — currently shifts between June 20, 21 and 22. The summer solstice does, however, occur at the same time for every country independently of which side of Earth is facing the sun. This means the exact moment of summer solstice can occur in the middle of the night for some people and the middle of the day for others.

EVENTS: June 21sr; Worldwide celebrations of the International Day of the Celebration of the Solstice 2024. 

SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS.

Humans have been observing the sun's position in the sky for thousands of years, and monuments such as Stonehenge in England, Karnak in Egypt, and Chankillo in Peru stand as a testament to our fascination with our nearest star. Solstices have also influenced many traditions and celebrations around the world.

At Stonehenge in the U.K., the sun rises behind the ancient entrance to a stone circle and "the sunlight is channeled into the center of the monument," the BBC reported. Researchers believe that solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years. The stone circle is particularly important to pagans and druids.According to some ancient Greek calendars, the summer solstice heralded the beginning of the new year and marked the one-month countdown to the start of the Olympic Games, according to St Neots Museum in the U.K.

In Sweden, midsummer celebrations rooted in paganism are the highlight of the year for many. The weekend surrounding the solstice is filled with food, drink and plenty of singing, according to Lonely Planet. Flower-wreath-wearing revelers take part in maypole and folk dances such as the traditional "Små grodorna".

In the U.S., some Native American tribes living in the plains and The Rocky Mountains perform a Sun Dance to celebrate the summer solstice. In Fairbanks, Alaska, a baseball game known as the "Midnight Sun Game" traditionally starts at 10:30 p.m and takes a brief pause close to midnight for everyone to sing the Alaska Flag Song.

In the Wiccan religion, people celebrate Yule at the winter solstice to herald the return of the sun and warmer months.