Litha

Litha is the name used in many modern Pagan and Wiccan calendars for the summer solstice sabbat. It is observed around June 20–22 in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and the day is longest. The term Litha is one of several names for midsummer in Pagan folklore; some traditions use Midsummer Day or Midsummer Night instead, while others retain Litha as the standard name in their calendars.

Litha marks the peak of solar power and the abundance of the growing season. In ceremonial practice, it is often associated with vitality, growth, and the culmination of ideas begun earlier in the year. Many traditions view it as a time to honor the Sun God or the solar aspect of the divine and to celebrate light, warmth, and renewal. The holiday also carries themes of gratitude for crops, gardens, and the natural world.

Rituals commonly include outdoor gatherings, bonfires or candlelight, and activities that symbolize solar energy and harvest. Participants may perform sun-facing prayers, offer blessings to plants and crops, weave garlands, and share seasonal foods. Divination, poetry, music, and dancing around the solstice are common in some communities, as is charging or blessing talismans with sunlight.

Variations exist among traditions. Some emphasize more goddess-centered or dual-god symbolism, while others focus on solar deities and nature spirits. Across neopagan practice, Litha remains one of several eight seasonal Sabbats that structure ritual years and seasonal cycles.