Midsummer features the summer solstice, which, according to the old Germanic calendar, was referred to as Litha and many NeoPagans still use this term. Since ancient times, the solstice has been associated with light and fertility.
Midsummer shares many of the same bawdy, carefree qualities of Beltaine, a celebration of summer, passion, and success. The activities below are simple ways for children to connect with the Sun and show their respect for the Earth.
Sunrise and Sunset
Watch sunrises and sunsets together as a family with picnics, wildlife hikes, a farmer's market, or u-pick seasonal fruit.
Make Solar Images
Make wreaths decorated with flowers and bright ribbons, or suns out of clay. Use toothpicks or chopsticks for the sunrays and happy faces, or make suns out of paper plates, construction paper, or painted wooden disks.
Have a Bonfire
Midsummer celebrations have traditionally included bonfires to keep away bad spirits and to encourage fertility, purification, health, and love. Play drums and other instruments, sing songs, and tell stories of the sun, the gods, and heroes. Burn the remnants of a Yule tree or a Wicker Man built out of dead branches tied together with cotton twine.
Fairies
Older children might enjoy being introduced to a tarot deck with a fairy theme. Smaller children will enjoy building a fairy shelter from a small box (a shoebox will work). Paint the shelter or decorate it with ribbons, sticks, feathers, flowers, or leaves. Leave a small gift for the child as a "thank you" from the fairies—a shell, a flower, a pretty rock, or perhaps a small trinket that had been "lost" around the house.
Decorate the Altar
Cover your altar with flowers and other greens. Roses are symbols of the Goddess at this time of year. Add fruits of the season, images of the suns, sunflowers, and other symbols of the summer.
Stage a Play
Many NeoPagans believe this holiday is represented by the Sun (or Oak) King. He is radiant, but the Holly King appears and begins to wrestle with him. Children will enjoy partcipating in a play in which they act this battle out. They can wear green masks made by cutting eyeholes in paper plates and glueing on real or construction paper leaves.
Decluttering
Give away items children have outgrown—toys, clothing, books—to friends or to charity, as the summer solstice reminds us that a constant cycle of growth and change governs our lives.
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