Discover the Magic: Top 10 Fun Facts About the Summer Solstice You Never Knew!

1. Mother Nature's Missed Appointment

If Mother Nature had a universal hairdresser to blow out her "summer highlights," they'd definitely miss the appointment on June 21: Although the summer solstice might feel like it should be Earth's "hottest do" of the year, the highest temperatures of the season usually don't make their entrance until weeks or even months later, all thanks to a phenomenon known as the delay or lag of the seasons – the time it takes for our planet's oceans and landmasses to warm up and push our global thermometer to its peak.
Source => timeanddate.com

2. Sweden's Hoppy Celebration

You've heard of dancing around the issue, but how about dancing around a maypole to officially welcome summer? Frogs even get their own theme song for this hoppy occasion: During the Swedish Midsummer festival on the summer solstice, locals can be found dancing, singing, and hopping around a flower-adorned maypole to the tune of "Små grodorna." This quirky custom celebrates the beginning of summer, with the maypole symbolizing a sacred link between the underworld, earth, and the heavens – a must-see for any countryside visit to Sweden.
Source => bortonoverseas.com

Did you know the winter solstice brings the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere? Discover more about Old Man Winter's mysterious ways!

=> Fun Facts about Winter-Solstice

3. Stonehenge's Prehistoric Party

Before Stonehenge was the ultimate prehistoric party spot, druids were duking it out like it was 1999...or rather, 3000 BC: The ancient site is perfectly aligned so that on summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone, casting rays into the center of the circle – but its celebrations were banned for 15 years due to clashes between police and partygoers. Since reopening in 2000, though, the get-togethers have been much more chill, with only minor arrests at the annual event.
Source => cbsnews.com

4. Times Square Yoga Blitz

Ready to stretch out, take a deep breath, and sun salutation your way into the heart of the concrete jungle? Here's your chance to channel your inner Zen master and downward dog amidst the hustle and skyscrapers of Times Square: The 21st annual Solstice in Times Square: Mind Over Madness Yoga event takes place on June 21, 2023, offering seven free yoga sessions to experienced yogis and rookies alike. Participants can not only find calm in chaos but also donate to Community First, an initiative aiding vulnerable people in the area. Don't fret if you can't make it – the entire affair will be live-streamed on TSQ.org/Solstice via YouTube and Facebook. Namaste, New Yorkers!
Source => timessquarenyc.org

5. Moonstruck Solstice

In a stunning display of celestial synchronization that left sky-gazers moonstruck, our lunar partner performed a riveting round of cosmic peekaboo with the sun: In 2016, a rare event occurred where a full moon coincided with the Northern Hemisphere's summer solstice, creating the spectacular sight of the moon rising just as the sun set, an enchanting performance not seen in nearly 70 years and not set to grace our skies until 2062.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

6. Sun's Clingy Moment

When the Sun gets a little too clingy to the Northern Hemisphere and just won't let go: the summer solstice marks the longest day of the year, with the most sunlight hugging our half of the Earth as the Sun's daily path reaches its northernmost point and appears to pause for a brief moment before turning back.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. Solstice-ville Festivities

It's always sunny in Solstice-ville: The summer solstice is an age-old excuse for merrymaking, with folks across the globe paying homage to the sun god through ceremonial sun dances, divine feasts, and magical tunes. This luminous occasion has brought people to places like Stonehenge for millennia, transforming a pile of rocks into the literal hotspot for sunrise and sunset appreciation!
Source => cachevalleydaily.com

8. Celestial Celebrity Birthdays

As the sun flexes its muscles and shows off its biceps in a 24-hour daylight marathon, celebrities unite in a solar-powered birthday extravaganza: On June 21st, the summer solstice not only marks the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, but also sees stars like Chris Pratt, Meredith Baxter, Michael Gross, Carrie Preston, Juliette Lewis, and Rebecca Black blowing out their candles on this astronomically exceptional day.
Source => cleveland.com

9. Midnight Sun Baseball

In a land of the midnight sun where vampires fear to tread and spectators squint as they cheer, a baseball game unfolds in nature's spotlight: The Alaska Goldpanners, a collegiate team with over 200 MLB alumni, embrace the summer solstice with their Midnight Sun Game on June 21st, requiring nary an artificial watt as they pitch, swing, and score well into the endless day.
Source => explorefairbanks.com

10. Egypt's Sirius Superstar

As the sun moonwalked across the sky, ancient Egyptians kept their eyes on their original superstar, Sirius: This niftily-aligned entrance shaft of the Great Pyramid coincides with the summer solstice, but the beginning of their calendar was marked by the heliacal rising of the star Sirius, which signaled the "dog days" of summer and helped predict the key agricultural event—the annual flooding of the Nile River.
Source => astronomy.com