Did you happen to notice how long the sun shined in Los Angeles this week? On June 21, the sun rose at 5:42am and set at 8:07pm, marking the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer. That’s a whopping 14 hours and 25 minutes of golden sunlight at USC!
But imagine a place where the sun shines the whole day. Yes, 24 hours of sun, can you believe it? This is what is happening in the northern parts of Alaska, Canada, Russia, and Nordic countries this week. It is called the summer solstice.
In fact, solstices occur twice every year, when the sun reaches its farthest position in the sky either north or south. In June, countries in the northern hemisphere experience the summer solstice, getting the most sunlight of the year. Countries in the southern hemisphere experience the least amount of sunlight of the year on this day and conversely, the most sunlight on December 21. Meanwhile, countries near the equator are barely affected by these events because the region is sunny year-round. Locations on the equator experience the shortest sunrises and sunsets because the sun’s daily path is nearly perpendicular to the horizon for most of the year.
For centuries, solstices have been honored by cultural traditions and holidays, often called midsummer. For example, Celtic, Slavic and Germanic people marked the beginning of the summer by lighting bonfires and dancing around them all night until the flames reduced to embers. When the fire smoldered, they would jump over the burning coals and make wishes for the rest of the year.
One of the most popular ways to celebrate the summer solstice around the globe may be the midsummer festival, which happens annually in Sweden on the eve of June 24. Historically, it was the Vikings who celebrated the abundance of harvest during that time of year. Today, Nordic countries still honor the beginning of the summer by going on holiday or engaging in festivities.
Gry Nystrom, a theater student from Sweden explains a typical midsummer, “We spend the day making flower crowns by hand using fresh flowers, and decorating the midsommar pole in leaves. We then usually move to the dinner table area, in which there would be a large assortment of food options such as pie, herring, meatballs, potatoes, and more. We sing songs while taking shots of schnapps. Then we dance around the midsommar pole, singing our songs. We usually end the night by taking a dip either in the pool or in the lake as children, while parents watch and keep drinking.”
Undergraduate economics student Victor Johansson, also from Sweden, believes midsummer in Sweden is “the most beautiful day of the year. It’s literally bright for an entire day. I’m very lucky to experience it. If you have the opportunity to be in Sweden during this time of the year, take it. You will not regret it.”
Some people choose to celebrate this special day more quietly. Finnish scholar Mikko Männistö will spend the summer solstice “relaxing in the silent, peaceful nature” in a small village in Finland. “There’s a small wooden sauna right by a lake close to the cottage and we’ll go there in the evenings as is the tradition,” he shares. “We’ll probably have a small barbeque on Saturday and do a day trip to a town nearby. Our way of spending midsummer is probably the most traditional and stereotypical way of spending it; people really love to take a break from their normal lives in midsummer.” Kalle Kariniemi, another USC scholar from Finland, adds “many Finnish people also tend to burn the traditional midsummer Bonfire (juhannuskokko) which is believed to keep the evil spirits away.”
In Iran, residents celebrate the occasion by eating watermelons and pomegranates, as these fruits have a lot of seeds and are perceived to be symbolic of fertility. Additionally, ancient Iranians threw bracelets in the stream as an act of worship for the River spirit who also controls the rains. They made this sacrifice to ensure rain will be plentiful for the upcoming year.
This weekend, thousands of California residents are expected to descend on Santa Barbara for its annual solstice celebration. The event includes live music, activities, and a parade. The theme of the 48th annual Santa Barbara Summer Solstice is “Shine.” Read more about what’s planned this year.
Do you celebrate the solstices in your home country? Shoot us a DM at @oisusc on Instagram to let us know about the tradition in your country!
Written by: Yana Borodyuk, OIS Communications Editor, Master of Arts – Public Relations and Advertising, USC Annenberg 2023 and Tamara Amhaz, OIS Communications Editor, Master of Communication Management, USC Annenberg 2022