Summer Breezes   
written by Lisa Levstein for WellNow Inc.

Summertime, and the living is easy… says a well-known song. Summer invariably evokes a myriad of images and associations. Nature is in full bloom bursting with bright colours, sunny days and soaring temperatures, the scent of newly cut grass and freshly turned soil. Children, relieved from the trials and tribulations of school, burst forth with a natural enthusiasm that is highly infectious. Less and lighter clothing prevails. We vacation, taking the time to play and experience new activities with joy and wonder. Our spirits are renewed.
 
Many of the present associations and activities originated in ancient times and have been retained throughout man's history to the present. The following are some interesting factoids about summertime rites practiced around the world throughout the ages to celebrate this glorious season. 

• The "Midsummer Night" of Shakespeare is actually the night of the Summer Solstice. It is said that on Midsummer Night elves and fairies come out in great numbers. In some traditions, the Summer Solstice is the time of the Sun God. 

• The first (or only) full moon in June is called the Honey Moon. Tradition holds that this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives. Newly wed couples were fed dishes and beverages that featured honey for the first month of their married life to encourage love and fertility.

• In England, it was the ancient custom on St. John's Eve to light large bonfires after sundown, which served the double purpose of providing light to the revelers and warding off evil spirits. This was known as 'setting the watch'. It was once believed you could gather fern seed at the stroke of midnight and rub it onto your eyelids to make fairies visible! And that wearing your jacket inside-out on Midsummer's Eve would keep you out of danger.

• Decorating the house, especially the front door, with birch, fennel, St. John's wort, orpin, and white lilies was another summertime ritual in England. Five plants were thought to have special magical properties on St. John’s Eve: rue, roses, St. John's wort, vervain and trefoil.

• In China, the summer solstice is celebrated as the festival of Li, the Chinese Goddess of light.

• The Jewish celebration of Shavuot, whose meaning is “Feast of the Weeks” is a harvest festival of thanksgiving, taking place about seven weeks after Passover. It is also associated with the time when the Israelites received the Torah, the Jewish book of scripture, which contains the first five books of the Old Testament of the bible that form the basis for the Jewish religion, and when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The consumption of dairy foods and honey is based on a passage from the Torah that refers to the Israelites being given "...a land flowing with milk and honey."

• The oldest known Christian celebration during Summer is the Feast of St. John the Baptist on June 24, in honor of the prophet who was the forerunner of Jesus and his teachings. John preached of repentance for the "remission of sins" and the ultimate rule of God over the earth and all of its inhabitants.

• The Chinese believe that the onset of summer is a prime time to catch colds, so at this time mothers often make up little sachets containing different spices to help ward off diseases. These colorful little packets, called hsiang pao, are often intricately embroidered and are fashioned in traditional and auspicious shapes. Many come in the shape of animals, so that children will love to collect them and wear them around their necks.

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