Seasons, Part 5

     As we continue our journey around the Celtic calendar, the next season to examine is Midsummer, occurring, not coincidentally, on the summer solstice, June 21st.  It celebrates the fullness of summer. 

     It is also considered an auspicious time of year, when things can improve -- or not.  In Cornwall, people would make bonfires around a certain bay and the elders would predict the future based on the number and appearance of the fires they saw. 

     In some villages, people would hold processions in their fields, circling sun-wise, as a prayer for protection for their crops.  They knew that a successful harvest depended on receiving not too much rain, and not too little. 

(photo courtesy of pixabay.com)