2017 solstice and equinox dates code#

In the days leading up to the summer solstice, the ancient Romans celebrated Vestalia, a religious festival in honor of Vesta, goddess of the hearth.

2017 solstice and equinox dates code#

The Greeks’ strict social code was temporarily turned on its head during Kronia, with slaves participating in the merriment as equals or even being served by their masters. Kronia, a festival celebrating Cronus, the god of agriculture, was also held around this time. The summer solstice also marked the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic games. Solstice in Ancient CulturesĪccording to some ancient Greek calendars, the summer solstice marked the start of the New Year. John’s Day to commemorate the birth of John the Baptist. Wiccans and other Neopagan groups call it Litha, while some Christian churches recognize the summer solstice as St. In Northern Europe, it’s often referred to as Midsummer. Its observance may have helped to predict annual flooding.ĭifferent cultures and religious traditions have different names for the summer solstice. In Ancient Egypt, the summer solstice corresponded with the rise of the Nile River. Neolithic humans may initially have started to observe the summer solstice as a marker to figure out when to plant and harvest crops. (During the winter solstice, the sun does the opposite, and begins moving northward as winter slowly turns to spring.) The ancients noticed that as summer progressed, the sun stopped moving northward in the sky, then begin tracking southward again as summer turned to autumn. The word “solstice” comes from the Latin words “sol” (sun) and “stitium” (still or stopped). This day marks the start of astronomical summer and the tipping point at which days start to become shorter and nights longer. The Northern Hemisphere receives more daylight than any other day of the year on the summer solstice.