House Diary: Litha
[Cover Photo: My own personal Stonehenge – the rays of the rising sun illuminate its coppery representation on my living room wall for just the few days surrounding summer solstice]
Litha is the pagan term for summer solstice, the longest day of the year (or thereabouts) in the northern hemisphere. Ancient Stonehenge is set to catch the rising sun’s rays on this date, which was once celebrated with considerably more panoply than today. Also known as Midsummer (based on the old agricultural calendar, which divided the year into just two seasons, light and dark, starting with the equinoxes), Litha was commonly observed with the burning of huge bonfires to celebrate the sun at the peak of its maximum, life-giving strength.
It’s been a dry spring here at the house, but relatively cool. Now as Litha and the summer season commences, the temps are rising, but it’s just as dry as ever. Not a good combo for yours truly, who feels like some botanical version of Gunga Din, lugging gallons of water daily to keep my precious plant babies alive. But last night some drenching thunderstorms doused the garden, so I’m taking a much-needed morning off to compose this diary entry.