Happy solstice!

[LordofTruth]

Happy solstice, dear JREF Forum!

[Astreja]

(passes LordofTruth a bottle of Her homemade champagne mead, and cracks one open for Herself) And a happy solstice to you, too! *CLINK*

And now that spring's finally over, I can kick back and relax a bit for the next 9 months. :yahoo

[Beelzebuddy]

I'd be down with a solstice party.

So what pagan festivals can we coopt for this shindig? Most of the ones I know concerned bringing the harvest in for the winter, surviving the winter, or being happy you survived the winter.

Anyone have any favorites they'd like to nominate?

[ETA] According to wikipedia this really is the lamest of the year-based holidays. Bonfires burning witches in effigy, a little herb-gathering/fornication, and cheese with caraway seeds. Break out the reserve party hats, people, it's gonna get hot tonight.

[ETAA] Most of the others have a food theme matching their season, so let's add one of those. This solstice, gorge yourself on fresh fruits, soft cheeses, deli meats, berry wine and applejack.

[TimCallahan]

So, it's today, the 20th., this year. When my wife and I got married in a portion of Ferndale Park (itself a portion of L.A.'s Griffith Park) in 1980, we did it as close to the solstice as we could reserve the place. That was on June 22. At the time, we were really poor and actually had to have a pot-luck reception. After it was all done, and we were cleaning up, Bonnie, my wife, had to go use the lady's room. She came back laughing: She had narrowly missed disturbing a family of skunks who had taken up residence there.

We will be celebrating our 32nd. anniversary on Friday, a bit after the solstice, but still in high summer. I hope all of you are celebrating the high side of life, and I wish all of you well. I might also add that I hope you will still be celebrating when the winter solstice rolls around on December 21, 2012. Then, we can all toast the pseudo-Mayan pseudo-apocalypse.

[Pope130]

Congratulations TimCallahan (and Mrs. Tim!)

My wife and I married in a park on the solstice at moonrise (full moon at that). The 21st of June that year, but we celebrate on the solstice day, rather than the calender date. Just back from a picnic dinner in the same park.

[psionl0]

Now we can all sit back and listen to the winter rain falling on our roof tops.

[lionking]

Now we can all sit back and listen to the winter rain falling on our roof tops.

Yup, and going to work and arriving home in the dark.

[psionl0]

Yup, and going to work and arriving home in the dark.Ain't it grand?

I don't know how these Northern Hemispherians cope with their cold Christmases and clockwise running sun dials. :cool:

[pakeha]

Now we can all sit back and listen to the winter rain falling on our roof tops.
That.

[Jorghnassen]

As much as I like the actual solstice, I'd rather celebrate it on the 24th, like it was meant to be (Midsummer, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, whatever other solstice celebration/excuse for drinking large amounts of beer you want to call it).

[TimCallahan]

Congratulations TimCallahan (and Mrs. Tim!)

My wife and I married in a park on the solstice at moonrise (full moon at that). The 21st of June that year, but we celebrate on the solstice day, rather than the calender date. Just back from a picnic dinner in the same park.

Great! Happy anniversary!

[TimCallahan]

As much as I like the actual solstice, I'd rather celebrate it on the 24th, like it was meant to be (Midsummer, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, whatever other solstice celebration/excuse for drinking large amounts of beer you want to call it).

Don't forget Kupala. (http://us.fotolog.com/bogdan_the_k0zak/46104180/)

[Jorghnassen]

Don't forget Kupala. (http://us.fotolog.com/bogdan_the_k0zak/46104180/)

Nice, but you might want to NSFW tag that link.