The summer solstice isn’t just an astronomical event — it’s a cultural one too. Celebrated in various traditions worldwide, the solstice often symbolizes renewal, growth, and light. One of the most iconic celebrations takes place at Stonehenge in the UK, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise in alignment with the ancient stones.
The solstice typically occurs between June 20 and 21 in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on the year. Thanks to leap years, the exact date can shift slightly. In 2025, the summer solstice will fall on Saturday, June 21, at 4:42 a.m. Paris time, according to the IMCCE (French Institute of Celestial Mechanics and Computation of Ephemerides).
At the same moment, the Southern Hemisphere experiences the opposite — its winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, as it tilts away from the Sun.
The Earth Keeps Turning
Once the summer solstice has passed, the days gradually begin to shorten. This isn’t immediately noticeable, but we can lose up to 4 minutes of daylight per day leading up to the winter solstice in December.
The next solstice — the winter solstice — will occur on December 21, 2025. On that day, the Northern Hemisphere will be tilted farthest from the Sun, resulting in the shortest day of the year, with the Sun barely rising above the horizon.
(Carol Clark)
ASTRONOMY & CATHOLISM
The Solemnity of the Birth of Christ (Christmas) in the Catholic Christian Church’s Liturgical Year is heavily influenced by astronomy.
Equally, it inspired the fixing of the Birthday of John the Baptist, who is the precursor of the Savior of the world.
As stated by Clark, the two solstices of the Northern Hemisphere are associated with winter and summer.
The summer solstice marks the longest daylight, and the winter solstice determines the longest of the nighttime.
The Church fixed Christ’s Birth on the winter solstice, which Romans celebrated with the title “Unconquered SUN” (Latin: Sol Invictus).
“Sol Invictus” was marked on December 25th (winter solstice) when the days began to lengthen after the shortest day of the year.
Very important is the fact that the Church chose only the DAY (December 25) but not the TITLE (Sol Invictus).
Therefore, she replaced the luminal SUN with the SON of God, who is identified as the Light of the world (Jn 8:12).
With Christ’s birth on the winter solstice, the Church fixed the birth of the Baptist, his precursor, on June 24th, six months earlier, which is also the summer solstice.
CONCLUSION
John the Baptist is born on the summer solstice, just as darkness begins to increase, and Christ, Our Light, is born on the winter solstice, when daylight starts to increase.
Identifying himself with the dark world of sin, the Baptist said about Jesus: “He must increase, I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
“We are not in darkness, for that day to surprise us like a thief; we are all children of light and of the day. Let us not fall asleep as others do, but keep awake and be sober” (1 Thes 5:4-6).
By Rev. Fr. Prosper Abotsi
