‘An excuse for the feast’: Witches celebrate the summer solstice with cakes, mead — and salsa
The tie of the solstice to Pagan Rome introduced into the church of Rome and the occultism that sprung from this source is also the source of occult religions. That is sun worship throughout Christianity or Sunday sacredness which follows not the commandments of Christ but that of men. Nature worship is very much a part of this as seen in the movement today worldwide under the climate change movement. There is nothing innocent in all this, from raw satanism with its gore, pedophilia, and murder.
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For many pagans, spirituality is tied to nature, and eating local seasonal foods connects them to the earth and with a specific time and place.
(RNS) — To Lidia Pradas, the summer solstice “always recharges my energy and makes me want to start new projects,” she shared on her popular Instagram account, Wiccan Tips.
Usually, Pradas celebrates by watching bonfires burn and people jump the fires where she lives in Zaragoza, Spain, she told Religion News Service in an email.
This year, with those gatherings canceled by the continuing pandemic, the Wiccan witch said she’ll probably enjoy the sunrise from her rooftop with some tea and cherry cake. Dandelion tea is her favorite — she picks the flowers and dries them herself, brews them with lavender and dried peach and sweetens the drink with honey.
She’s shared recipes for cherry sun cake and for lavender and orange iced tea on Instagram in collaboration with another popular account, Wiccan Cuisine.
“I always feel that this day has a buzzing energy attached to it,” Pradas said.
Lidia Prados. Photo © Victor Serrano
The sabbats — the eight major holidays celebrated by Wiccans, witches and other pagans — are tied to the seasons, and their celebrations, like any holiday, often spotlight seasonal foods.
The summer solstice, celebrated this year on Sunday (June 20) in the Northern Hemisphere, is no different.
“It’s one of my favorite holidays because it’s like pure celebration,” said Deborah Blake, an eclectic witch and leader of the Blue Moon Circle in upstate New York.
Also known as Litha or Midsummer, the summer solstice is the longest day and shortest night of the year. It’s a celebration “of the sun, of fire, and of the bounty of the land,” Blake explained in her book, “Midsummer: Rituals, Recipes and Lore for Litha.”
It’s a day when some pagans believe the veil between this world and the faerie world is thinnest — think Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” she said.
It’s also a good celebration to share with friends who aren’t “witchy,” she noted. The first day of summer was and is celebrated by people all over the world as a time to take a break during the easy days between planting and harvest.
Deborah Blake. Courtesy photo
“After we’ve survived this last year, we definitely all deserve some sort of a feast,” Blake said.
Many pagans celebrate the summer solstice alone or in groups by being outside and building bonfires, according to the author.
Sometimes — like last year, when her circle was too fried by the pandemic to focus on ritual and simply thrilled to be together safely — “we actually have a ritual where we don’t celebrate anything more formal than joy,” she said.
The fact that many in the United States have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has loosened guidance for gatherings and mask-wearing are likely to add an “extra layer of meaning” to this year’s celebrations, she said.
But, Blake said, “We basically say the ritual is just an excuse for the feast. The spiritual stuff is great, but who brought dessert?”
For any sabbat, featured foods should use ingredients in season wherever people are celebrating, she said. At the summer solstice, that might be tomatoes, strawberries or peaches.
