Summer Solstice Celebrations and History

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - From Stonehenge to Times Square, a range of celebrations are planned Monday to welcome the Summer Solstice, the first day of summer.

The ancient observance marks the longest day and the shortest night of the year. It is celebrated by people in the Northern Hemisphere in June, while people of the Southern Hemisphere experience their longest summer day in December.

Summer Solstice begins at 7:28 a.m. in the Eastern time zone.

If you are in New York City early Monday, expect to see a sea of yoga mats in Times Square.

"Grab your mat and join us as we find tranquility and transcendence in the midst of the world's most commercial and frenetic place … in the heart of Times Square," reads a "Mind Over Madness Yoga" listing on the Times Square Alliance website.

Across the Pond in England, thousands typically gather the night before Summer Solstice then take part in a sunrise festival at legendary Stonehenge .

"Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn," states the website chiff.com .

Solstice comes from a combination of Latin words meaning "sun" and "to stand still."

The power of the sun has inspired civilizations for centuries to celebrate the first day of summer.

They included the Celts and Slavs celebrating with dancing and bonfires, which they believed helped increase the sun's energy.

In China, Summer Solstice was marked by a day honoring the Chinese Goddess of Light, named Li.

"Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with summer solstice were the Druids' celebration of the day as the 'wedding of Heaven and Earth,' resulting in the present day belief of a 'lucky' wedding in June," according to chiff.com.

"Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires, when couples would leap through the flames, believing their crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump," according to chiff.com .

The ancients also believed evil spirits appeared at this time. To counter them, they would wear protective garlands of herbs and flowers.