Litha – Lettin’ It All Hang Out

By Melissa Wolf

Litha is by far, hands down my favorite holiday. Not that the other holidays should fear inferiority, it’s just that Litha is the shiznit.

What makes Litha the shiznit you ask? How about the fact that the entire day is devoted to celebrating the art of celebration? Litha encourages us to raise our faces to the Sun and feel the warm glow of life pulsing through us. It is the beginning of the “dog days of summer” where lying around is actually the only thing on the schedule. It signals our bodies to slow down and drink each and every drop of sunshine and then some more, to store that energy in our solar plexus for the dark inward time of Samhain and Yule. It is the holiday where joy and mirth are afoot and laughter comes so naturally it is akin to breathing.

In my little world, Litha is a reason to be happy and light no matter what else is going on in your life. If you are in the middle of a horrible divorce, you lost your job; you gained 25 lbs., no worries. Litha is the day to cast all your worries aside and celebrate the act of celebrating without guilt for doing so because, after all, it is a holiday. In my little world, this happens every year without me even “trying”. For instance, last year on Litha I was in the middle of the most difficult stretch of my 12 year marriage and that day was still filled with light, love, laughter and joy. Litha is a reminder that in the dark, there is and will always be light at the end of the tunnel. “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing is gonna be alright”. When I hear that verse of my favorite Bob Marley song it immediately fills me with the warm, soothing and comforting energy of Litha.

Litha is the one day a year I partake in alcohol, strawberry wine to be precise, and the one day a year that said alcohol does not make me pray to the porcelain Gods. Coincidence you say? Phooey! I say the Goddess and God are among us in the celebration. Litha is a day to eat, drink, dance and be merry. It is a day of full bloom roses so red and full of sweet perfume that one whiff is intoxicating. It is a day of eating sun-ripened peaches and watermelon so juicy you need to eat outside and wash off in the hose afterward. It is a day of giggling children running through the sprinkler and sun kissed shoulders from gathering herbs in the garden for the beautiful altar. It is a day of rejuvenation for the soul.

Litha also appeals to me because it sometimes feels like playing hooky. In our rush rush rush society, it is a day of slow slow slow. It is time to sit back and watch the setting sun while listening to some Bob Marley (or whatever you chose). This day was made for drinking in the smells of moonflowers opening for the evening and laughing until you cry into the wee hours with those you love. Litha is a time to light a fire and pay homage to the fairies by toasting them with your wine and leaving an offering in your garden.

The most beautiful and spiritual times in my life are the simple times. Litha is simplicity at its finest. Raise your glass to the Sun on Litha, then eat, drink, dance and be merry for who doesn’t like a day of celebrating celebration!