Celebrating Litha
What is Litha?
Well, to my family and me, Litha is our home. Litha is the name of our sailboat as we travel the world. But what is Litha, and why did we choose it as her name?
Litha is the Celtic/Pagan celebration of the Summer Solstice, and marks the first day of summer. It is opposite of Yule (the Winter Solstice) on the Wheel of the Year. The wheel shows the four “Sabbats”, or Solar Celebrations, coinciding with the Solstices and Equinoxes. And also the four earth celebrations, or “cross quarter days” between solar points. For instance, Samhain (modern day Halloween) is halfway between the Fall Equinox and Winter Solstice.
Litha is the longest, brightest day of the year. The word “Solstice” comes from the latin word “Solstitium” meaning “sun stands still”. Ancient Celts used to celebrate Litha by traveling to the hilltops and lighting bonfires to honor the space between the earth and the heavens, land and sky.
Other ancient rituals included lighting a large wheel on fire and rolling it down a hill into the water. Litha is the most powerful day for the sun, but it also marks the days becoming shorter again. The water and fiery wheel may have represented soothing the sun’s strong fire, and was an offering to the gods to prevent drought for their crops.
Litha has been known as an important day for ritual. From the Romans honoring Juno, the Goddess of women, childbirth, and marriage, by naming the month of June after her as crops and nature thrive in summer; to offering cinders from bonfires to crops as a blessing. Even William Shakespeare associated ritual and witchcraft with the Summer Solstice in at least three of his plays. It’s a powerful day. Earth and Air, Fire and Water, Day and Night. The sun leaves Gemini with such duality, and enters Cancer, the sign of warmth, home, and comfort.
A modern day ritual that I would recommend today would definitely include focusing on your Solar Plexus Chakra. This Chakra is located just below your ribcage at your sternum. The color associated with your Solar Plexus is yellow, and it represents your own inner sun: Your fire, your willpower, and your sense of self. As you light your own bonfire tonight, write down aspects of your self that do not make you feel as powerful and confident as you truly are. Burn these small pieces of paper in the fire to rid of them and increase your self worth and shine! Stay up late and say goodnight to the sun tonight. Play music, light a BBQ, and enjoy the longest day of the year!
We named our home afloat Litha for our own balance in life; to celebrate a never-ending summer of wanderlust for our family. Follow us at http://www.lifeoffthedeepend.com
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