Page 11 - The Flickering Cauldron Magazine - June 2022

Yes, a time of great celebrations and feasting. Bonfires would have been lit throughout the land to encourage the sun to continue to shine on crops until they were ripe and bring a bountiful harvest.
However, fertile crops were not the only purpose of the festival. Livestock would have been driven through the smoke of fires to cleanse them from disease.
Young couples would be encouraged to ‘marry’ by way of a handfasting ceremony and together, leap over a small fire to enhance their fertility.
Litha would have been a really big deal to our ancestors. It was the height of summer and the following months would have meant everything to their survival. A bountiful crop would see them through the harsh winter months they knew were coming.
Whilst Litha celebrates the longest day of sunlight in the year, it’s also the turning point to when the Sun begins to slowly descend and the hours of daylight in a day become less and the hours of darkness slowly increase.
It would be remiss of us to not mention that on a Midsummer's night the fae will be out and about and celebrating, and we expect them to be creating a little mischief.
The Fae know they are always welcome here at the Flickering HQ, but if you suspect they might want to have a little fun at your expense, then simply take your top off, and turn it inside out and you will totally confuse them - just don’t tell them we told you!
The significance of this turning point in the year has been acknowledged many times over the centuries - the great bard himself refers to it and its magical consequences in The 'Tempest', 'Macbeth', and of course in 'A Midsummers Night Dream'.
The Flickering Cauldron® Magazine - The Magic of Midsummer| 11