Summer solstice this year is on the 21st of June. What does it mean? It means that, on this particular day, we experience the longest day – the most hours of light and the shortest night.

Also, from the Earth’s and Nature’s point of view summer starts.

You can argue that summer started way before…”It was so hot at the end of May!” but if you notice the little changes and details you will understand. For example, here in Muscat, from the point of view of Europeans, you can say it is always summer because of the temperatures.

In April – May the temperatures go to 40s C and it’s all so hot and dry.

Around the solstice this year, I felt the change and said now this is summer here! What do I mean by that? The humidity changes drastically. All because sticky, your glasses are sweating, and even tile walls and the windows sometimes.

I like to believe that I am more in tune with nature and I like to raise Ana as well like this. We always observe and learn from nature so I took the chance to remember some earth science lessons like the Earth’s rotation. You can find lots of nice videos on Youtube, we quite like the Peekaboo Kids channel, even though at times Ana seems too old for it, hehehe.

Besides the scientific part we talked about the mythical. Pagan traditions are found in many European countries but also in older cultures on other continents.

In Romania, the solstice is tied in with celebrating the Sânziene, they are good fairies from the forests but there are legends that say, if you do not honour them they turn into bad fairies – Iele.

The night before people believe skies will open, is a magical time, and the traditions are related to love spells, girls dancing in horã with flowers called also Sânziene (in English Yellow bedstraw) in their hair.

There is a beautiful story by my favourite Romanian author – Mircea Eliade – which was also translated into other languages: The Forbidden Forest which is a fantasy novel revolving around the idea of this magical night. It is considered Eliade’s best work and I do recommend it, above 14 though.

Ana also learnt about Midsommar, the Swedish celebration of the solstice and a very big thing in Sweden. We celebrated it also with lego, as you can see in the picture, dancing around the house, thinking of fairies and having some of the summer bounties like summer fruits.

If the skies really open or not I don’t know…maybe they do for who knows how to see it…