Litha, also known as Midsummer or the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year.
For some, Litha represents the holiday that celebrates the marriage of the God and Goddess, which was promised at Beltane. (Also, it’s pronounced LEE-tha, in case you weren’t sure.) During Litha, the sun seems to stop in the sky, rising and setting in the same place for a few days in a row. In fact, the word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium, which means the “sun stands still.”
Holding festivals, creating bonfires, and hosting feasts are some of the traditional ways to celebrate Litha. They’re certainly ways we love to indulge in, to fully enjoy the warmer weather and the longer days
One of the most traditional ways to honour midsummer is to gather flowers to be used in the home and for display. Flowers are something we have no shortage of at this time of year and gathering these is something at Heron Farm, we think we do rather well!
“The sun reaches its highest point of the year, like the culmination of a full moon’s waxing. In order to stay steady in this full solar power, we ground ourselves by inviting the earth and the sky to meet in our bodies.”
This Solstice week Rebecca, our shop curator, has been weaving our abundant rosemary into a stunning wreath for the cafe door and bringing our outside in, in glorious table displays. Our gardener Fran has been working hard gathering edible flowers, kohlrabi and beautiful bronze fennel from the kitchen garden, to head into our vineyard kitchen.
Why not head to our Vineyard Kitchen to check out our menus as they change with the seasons, and come and indulge yourself in some feasting in our walled garden, raising a glass of our award-winning wines to embrace and welcome the Solstice?
