This year, 2021, Summer Solstice (the longest day of the year and the shortest night) in the Northern Hemisphere will occur at 8:32 PM PDT, 11:32 PM EDT, and 3:32 UTC, marking the start of the astronomical summer season.
Thematic Images for Summer Solstice Astronomy
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Thematic Images for Summer Solstice Sun
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Thematic Images for Summer Solstice or Midsummer
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Thematic Images for Litha (Neo-pagan Midsummer)
June-Litha (Anglo-Saxon)
Aerra-Litha, Anglo-Saxon name for June
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"Midsummer Night" (Craft)
Thematic Images for Midsummer Figures
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Thematic Images for Pan, the God of Summer
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Bacchanal Before the Statue of Pan (Poussin)
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The Magic of Pan's Flute (Weguelin 1905)
from D.H. Lawrence's essay, "Pan In America"
Giant Redwood Trees of California (Bierstadt)
"We need the universe to live again, so that we can live with it. A conquered universe, a dead Pan, leaves us nothing to live with. You have to abandon the conquest, before Pan will live.” ~ D.H. Lawrence, "Pan in America"
The significance of the Lawrencean Pan: "Lawrence's search for god, and his search for the vivid life of the body here on earth, both led him to Pan." It is further specified that, although Pantheism was not "a serious option as a religion" for his contemporaries, "Lawrence took it upon himself to make it so; not just an option, but a necessity for sanity and survival.” ~ Keith Sagar: D.H. Lawrence: Life Into Art
Thematic Images for Summer Solstice or Midsummer Celebrations
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Thematic Images for Summer Solstice or Midsummer Fire Celebrations
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For the GS's exposition on the dating of the Misummer's Eve festival, click here
Thematic Images for Summer Solstice Stonehenge Sunrise Celebrations
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Thematic Images for Other Summer Solstice Sunrise Sites
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Thematic Images for Summer Solstice Sunrise & Sunset
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Thematic Images for Midsummer & the Summer Season
Song:
How sweet I roam'd from field to field
How sweet I roam'd from field to field, And tasted all the summer's pride, 'Till I the prince of love beheld, Who in the sunny beams did glide!
He shew'd me lilies for my hair, And blushing roses for my brow; He led me through his gardens fair, Where all his golden pleasures grow....
~ William Blake
O thou who passest thro’ our valleys in Thy strength, curb thy fierce steeds, allay the heat That flames from their large nostrils! thou, O Summer, Oft pitchedst here thy golden tent, and oft Beneath our oaks hast slept, while we beheld With joy, thy ruddy limbs and flourishing hair.
Beneath our thickest shades we oft have heard Thy voice, when noon upon his fervid car Rode o’er the deep of heaven: beside our springs Sit down, and in our mossy valleys, on Some bank beside a river clear, throw thy Silk draperies off, and rush into the stream: Our valleys love the Summer in his pride.
Our bards are famed who strike the silver wire: Our youth are bolder than the southern swains: Our maidens fairer in the sprightly dance: We lack not songs, nor instruments of joy, Nor echoes sweet, nor waters clear as heaven, Nor laurel wreaths against the sultry heat.
"To Summer" by William Blake (Poetical Sketches, 1783)
Pagan Stream
Pagan Stream
The theme of World Music Day 2021 is “Music at the intersections”. The other name of the event is “Make Music Day”, which stresses on the importance of nurturing one’s passion for music and sharing music with all without any restrictions. To encourage musicians, music lovers organize different musical concerts and events on World Music Day. It is celebrated to honor the musicians and singers for the gift of music provide and to provide a platform for amateur and professional musicians to showcase their talents. Some 120 countries celebrate World Music Day on June 21 annually, organizing public concerts free of cost in more than 700 cities of the world. France is the hub of World Music Day and the country organizes the highest number of events commemorating the day. World Music Day is observed to celebrate the power of the art of music.
Music Day is celebrated to highlight the importance of music and how it is beneficial for the human mind and body. Many studies and experts have pointed out that music helps in reducing stress, provides better sleep and keeps us going. Music therapy has proved wonders for people battling mental issues and it can also help an individual to exercise better. With the right kind of music, people can concentrate on their jobs and also perform better.
World Music Day on June 21 also marks the beginning of the summer solstice.
Music Day is also known as Fête de la Musique in France.
History of Music Day:
The idea originally came from the American musician Joel Cohen, who was then working for a French radio station. He wanted bands to play on the evening of June 21, the first day of summer. This idea was finally adapted by Maurice Fleuret and implemented in France by Jack Lange, the Minister of Art and Culture. Fleuret, who played a crucial role in initiating a day for celebrating music, was a French composer, music journalist, festival organizer and radio producer. They wanted to make music accessible to everyone. Thus, World Music Day, Fete de la Musique, was first celebrated in the year 1982 on Solstice in Paris, France. And since then, music has become very popular in various countries across the globe.The slogan of the holiday is “Faites de la musique, fête de la musique” (Make music, celebrate music.) It’s a play on words. The word “fête” (celebrate) sounds the same as the verb “faire” (to make) in the third person plural imperative. So, many musicians live by this slogan. Every June 21 in France, there are about 18,000 concerts from about 5 million amateur musicians and singers, who bring together nearly 10 million people. The date of the 21st most often corresponds to the summer solstice in France. In Paris, for instance, the streets are jam-packed with the sound of music and music lovers groove to it. Music lovers in Paris and other places in France come for Fete de la Musique and enjoy fests, feasts, parades and fairs.
Music Day was first exported in 1985 for the European Year of Music. In less than fifteen years, it has been adopted by about 120 countries on five continents.
