Spice Of Life: Sex & The Summer Solstice

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, you probably look at the start of summer with a lot anticipation and a bit of dread. "Yay" for warm weather and less clothing, but "bummer" to the fact that everyone’s still coming out of their homes—pasty white and squinty. And, around mid- June, North America is treated to the longest day of the year, with sunrise around 5:00am and the sun setting just before 9:00pm, giving Oregonians around 16 hours of light— an event known as Summer (or June ) Solstice. "Summer Solstice is the time of the year, when the sun stops its northern climb and stands briefly before turning back toward the equator," explains astronomy expert Jim Todd at Portland’s OMSI. "This is the day that the Earth is tilted, so that the North Pole is at its closest point with the sun."

While the scientific facts are cool enough, Summer Solstice also represents a time of fertility and sexuality and kicks off a season of harvest. "A lot of children are born nine months after Midsummer [Solstice] in Sweden," said Jan-Öjvind Swahn, a Swedish ethnologist and the author of several books on the subject in an interview with CNN. The Swedish do get pretty fanatical with the holiday. Next to Christmas, it’s the country’s largest celebration.

According to VisitSweden.com, the event lasts for four days and involves a "never-ending party formula that includes flowers in your hair, dancing around a pole, singing songs while drinking unsweetened, flavored schnapps (and) downing a whole load of pickled herring served with delightful new potatoes, chives and sour cream."

Okay, but there has to be more to Solstice than just getting dressed up, getting drunk, eating hearty and getting laid (although, all that sounds good enough for me). "When there is more sunlight each day, our mood and energy are biologically pumped up," says Christopher Berland of Psychology Today. "Midsummer is a supercharged time physically and emotionally, which makes it ideal for making resolutions to kickstart new habits, strengthen human relationships and let go of negativity."

For some of the population, Solstice is a pagan holiday known as Litha or Midsummer. Pagans celebrate by honoring what they see as light and dark energies and celebrations are held internationally, with bonfires and day-long events. Many pagans perform personal rituals, with the intent of utilizing the sun’s energy. Bonfires are believed to be symbolic during Solstice, acknowledging the time (before Christianity) when pagans believed bonfires would "boost the sun’s energy for the rest of the growing season and guarantee a good harvest for the fall." Bonfires were also associated with magic and were thought to "banish demons and evil spirits, and lead maidens to their future husbands," according to History.com. Couples would also leap through the bonfire flames for good luck. According to legend, ancient Romans celebrated around Solstice by honoring the goddess Vesta, goddess of the hearth. During the celebration—known as Vestalia—married women were allowed to enter the goddess’ temple with offerings, in exchange for blessings for their families. And, in China, Solstice celebrations were centered around the feminine force known as "Yin."

A number of local Oregon businesses have their own Solstice celebrations. At press time, Sweet Cheeks Winery (Eugene), Mudra Yoga (Eugene), 10 Barrel Brewing Company (Bend), Ecliptic Brewing (Portland) have events scheduled for Solstice. Further down the coast, Santa Barbara, California hosts one of the largest Solstice festivals, featuring a parade, performance artists and a three-day-long celebration. Up north, Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood also hosts a celebration put on by The Fremont Arts Council. The 2018 June Solstice happens on June 21 at 3:07am west coast time in North America.

Happy fornicating!