The summer solstice is one of the four great solar festivals. The Celts celebrated for 12 days. This time is also called midsummer. In nature everything grew and prospered. The earth goddess was pregnant with ripening fruits, many of which could already be harvested. People could smell and taste nature in all its fullness.

Midsummer was a festival of thanksgiving and joy. Women brewed beer, which they mixed with herbs that had an aphrodisiac effect. A midsummer fire was lit as a bonfire around which people danced all night. They were naked and wore only a belt of verbena or mugwort to show their connection to nature. On their hair they wore wreaths of flowers.

The Celts believed that on Midsummer (as well as on other festivals of the yearly cycle), gates to other states of consciousness should open and people could see gods and nature spirits dancing. In the times of the Celts, the state of consciousness changed during the dance around the fire by herbs that made people ecstatic. The morning after, the dew was collected from the meadows as it was said to have healing powers. Celebrate the start of Midsummer with us.