My Litha 2026

Hello lovelies!
The 21^st of June, when night is at its shortest and the day is long and (hopefully, as it isn’t as self-evident in the Netherlands as many hope it to be) filled with sunrays. This day is among many people known as the summer solstice or midsummer. Those who follow the wheel of the year will refer to it as Litha. The summer solstice is not necessarily recognised in Hellenic Polytheism. Reconstructionists will argue that the solstices, equinoxes and midway points between them were never celebrated by those who worshipped the gods. Revivalists often celebrate the equinoxes due to the connection with the Elysian mysteries and the story of Persephone’s abduction, but forego the other sabbats often observed in the wheel of the year. And that’s totally fine! Hellenic polytheism has plenty of its own festivals that were widely celebrated in antiquity, that many HelPols still celebrate to this day.

I personally choose to celebrate both the sabbats in the Wheel of the Year and observe the festivals relevant to my deities. But why choose to celebrate the Wheel of the Year if it doesn’t necessarily align with Hellenic Polytheism? Well, here’s my reasoning for it:

Why celebrate the wheel of the year?

1)      I do feel the energy shifts. For example with Litha, I do experience a heightened sense of energy, where the fast paced and joyful energy of the sun is at it’s highest. I experience a growth of this energy from Beltane to Litha, and a waning of it towards Lughnasadh. It goes against my intuition and senses to not celebrate these energy shift.

2)      Just like celebrating the Hellenic festivals connects me to other polytheists and people working with similar deities, the Wheel of the Year connects me to other (non-Hellenic) witches and makes me feel part of the witchcraft and pagan community. Within the pagan and witchcraft community, the wheel of the year is the most recognised and observed among practitioners. I value this connection a lot and also value celebrating these with other practitioners. Else the path can feel quite lonely sometimes.

3)      My practice first and foremost centres itself around the natural world of my region. I work with plants, spirits and folklore of my region and that of my ancestors (I am born, raised and live in the Netherlands, but am of Moroccan descent.) The Wheel of the Year aligns with the changing of the seasons that I perceive in my own region. I am fortunate enough to have a widespread guideline that fits the land that I live on, which is why I incorporate it into my practice.

My Litha celebrations
I would like to share how I celebrated Litha this year, for those of you who are looking for inspiration to incorporate the wheel of the year into your practice (and also because I love sharing it!). 

For Litha I had planned a lovely brunch with a friend. We enjoyed the brunch outside while keeping our hands and minds busy with collage making. Before I headed out, I set water and my tools and crystals near a window, to let them soak up the rapid and joyful energy of the solstice sun.

The picture clearly shows I chose to make a summer solstice inspired collage, which once I arrived home became part of my Litha altar. After I returned from the forest, I laid in bed and watched Game of Thrones before heading out for a (warm) afternoon run. Before heading to bed, I took back the water and my tools, to make sure they only contain the energy of the sun and won’t be influenced by the energy of the moon.

I perceive the wheel of the year as a gradual energetic seasonal shift. For me this entails that the day of a sabbat, the energy of the season is at it’s highest. However, the days that lead up to and the days after a sabbat still encapsulate that energy. I mirror this in my practice by spreading my celebrations out, rather than stuffing them all in one day (Though I have to say for Beltane I do tend to go all out). This way I can also combine my mundane life with my spiritual. Obviously, big workings still tend to occur on the day of the sabbat, but smaller celebrations are planned around it.

 A great example this year is a Midsummer fair I attended with my friend. To be completely honest, we went to the fair as part of my friend’s birthday, rather than to celebrate the summer solstice. However since it fit’s greatly into the summer solstice, I included it in my celebrations. The image above showcases my outfit for the fair. I thoroughly enjoyed it and partook in a great amount of activities the event hosted. Alongside walking by stalls, we joined a foraging walk, watched a bird of prey show and a gladiator show and had lovely talks with people from all different backgrounds. Safe to say it was a successful day, of which I sadly didn't take a lot of pictures. 

At the midsummer fair I was given dried herbs and flower by a herbalist we met and whom I had the pleasure of talking to. She told us all about the herbs she was working with and their ties to Viking folklore. These little memoirs have since then become part of my Litha altar, showcased at the start of this post. Please do excuse the misformed goddess statue. I made it myself and to be frankly honest with everyone, I suck at working with clay. 

Although for many quite self-evident, as many HelPols probably worked with Apollon or Helios this season, I didn’t do any deity veneration during the summer solstice. Nor did I do any grand spell/ritual work. I simply enjoyed the seasonal shift and being with my friends.

I hope you all had a lovely summer solstice/Litha/midsummer!

What did your summer solstice look like?