Summer Solstice
Litha is the counter-point to Yule on the Wheel of the Year. It is the longest day, the triumph of the light half of the Year. When the sun has reaches its peak, the Wheel turns to restore balance. In the days that follow, the nights will grow longer and longer, the sun’s power slowly waning. This is the greatest time for the God in the wheel of the year. At this time, he is at his peak. The Goddess is in full bloom at this time of year. She is full of strength, sexuality, and she is with child. On this day, the noon of the year and the longest day, light and life are abundant. We focus outward, experiencing the joys of plenty, tasting the first fruits of the season.
Traditionally, the ancient Celts set wheels on fire to symbolize the sun and rolled them down the hillsides to celebrate the power of light and recognize the imminent decline of the sun. Bonfires were lighted and jumped and the ashes scattered on the fields to bless and fertilize them. 
It is thought that if a woman walked naked through the fields during Litha, a good harvest would be ensured.
Litha actually marks the first day of summer. It is a time of ripeness and fullness. Summer is in full bloom and the Earth is alive with abundance and the promise of the harvest to come. The energetic, passionate dance of Beltane has deepened to a rich, deep pulse, the promise of fertility maturing into abundance. Yet the knowledge that tomorrow the sun begins to wane reminds us that all things fade, that change is inevitable and that Nature demands balance. Here in the height of summer, we do not mourn the passing of things, but celebrate the fullness of our experiences.
