How to Celebrate the Summer Solstice with Herbs & Ritual

Celebrating the summer solstice may sound a little “woo woo,” but really it’s a celebration of life — of the growth of crops, of long warm days, and of everything that’s in full bloom right now. It’s a time to celebrate light and the longest day of the year. Honestly, Earth Day should be celebrated on the summer solstice. Solstice is celebrate on or around June 21st. You can check the Farmer's Almanac for the exact day every year. 

For the past 20 years my family has been celebrating the summer solstice. We have a bonfire, make special food, take a hike, and for the brave friends who come to visit, they’re invited to jump over the bonfire for good luck.

The summer solstice is a tradition as old as human history. All over the world, humans have celebrated the sun and the longest day with activities that involve plants, fire, and giant parties. As an herbalist and plant lover, this is definitely one of my favorite celebrations of the year.

How Did People Celebrate the Summer Solstice in Ancient Times?

• Lighting bonfires — one of the oldest and most widespread solstice traditions, practiced across Celtic, Germanic, and Slavic cultures. The fire was believed to mirror the sun at its peak and ward off evil spirits. People would leap over the flames for luck and good health.
• Gathering dew at dawn — midsummer morning dew was considered magical, especially for the skin and eyes. Women across Europe would wash their faces in it on solstice morning, and it was said to have special healing and beautifying properties.
• Weaving herb and flower crowns — wearing garlands of midsummer herbs like St. John’s Wort, mugwort, and yarrow was common across many traditions. The crowns were often burned afterward in the bonfire to carry wishes up into the smoke.
• Staying up to watch the sunrise — in many northern European traditions, people would keep vigil through the short solstice night and greet the sun at dawn, marking the turning point of the year together.
• Hanging protective herb bundles — bunches of herbs gathered on the solstice — particularly St. John’s Wort and elderflower — were hung above doorways and in barns to protect the household through the coming year.
• Setting herbs and flowers adrift on water — in some Slavic and Baltic traditions, girls would float flower wreaths on rivers and streams by candlelight, watching which direction they drifted as a form of divination about love and the year ahead.

Most of us aren’t tending crops or warding off evil spirits these days, but the impulse to step outside, gather with people we love, and notice the light? That part hasn’t changed at all. Here are some of my favorite ways to mark the solstice in a way that feels easy and grounding — no bonfire required (though honestly, why not?).

Ways to Celebrate the Summer Solstice Today

• Get outside at golden hour — midsummer light at dusk is genuinely magical. Take a walk, sit in your garden, or find somewhere with a good view of the western sky and just watch the sun go down. It sets later on the solstice than any other night of the year. If you live in Alaska or Scotland, that might be close to midnight!
• Have a bonfire and cook your meal over the coals — baked potatoes are wonderfully easy, and so is grilling meat and vegetables. There’s something deeply satisfying about eating food cooked over an open fire on the longest day. Plus sitting in front a of campfire is the best and most relaxing way to soak up some infrared light which is so good for lowering cortisol levels and helping with DNA and cell repair. 
• Pick or buy a small bundle of herbs and hang them to dry — this is one of the oldest solstice traditions and also one of the most satisfying. Lavender, St. John’s Wort, and rosemary are all at their peak right now. Hang them somewhere you’ll see them and let them remind you of the season all summer long.
• Make a jar of sun tea — set a jar of water with fresh herbs in the sunshine first thing in the morning and let the day do the work. Lemon balm, apple, and hibiscus are lovely together. Drink it in the evening as a small, delicious toast to the longest day.
• Eat a meal outside — it doesn’t need to be a feast. Even just dinner or a snack eaten in the backyard or on the porch counts. Food eaten outdoors on the solstice evening is its own quiet celebration.
• Write down what you want more of this season — midsummer is a natural halfway point in the year, and the old traditions used this time for intention-setting just as much as for celebrating. A few minutes with a notebook and a cup of something good is all it takes.
• Watch the sunrise — set an alarm, make yourself something warm to drink, and go outside before the world wakes up. The solstice sunrise is worth it. You don’t have to stay up all night like your ancestors did — modern compromise is allowed.
• Try earthing — take your shoes off and stand on wet grass, warm earth, or even a mud puddle. It’s a simple way to feel genuinely connected to the ground beneath you, which is really what this whole celebration is about.
• Take a plant walk — discover the plants that make your particular corner of the world special. The solstice is a perfect excuse to slow down and really look at what’s growing around you. [Link to plant walk post]

I hope these ideas inspire you to take a mid-year pause and celebrate the earth in all its summer splendor. In our house the solstice has become one of those quiet anchors in the year — a day we actually stop and mark, even when life is busy. It doesn’t have to be elaborate to feel meaningful.

Do you live somewhere that traditionally celebrates the solstice? Tell me about your favorite solstice activities in the comments below!