Summer Solstice was once one of the most important holidays for many of the cultures that have lived on the island we call home. The Druids, Celts and invading hordes of Vikings who integrated themselves into the culture of Britain and Ireland, all found comfort and held big celebrations each year to mark the Summer Solstice. Today, many people in the UK celebrate the Summer Solstice, whether on purpose or simply by chance by taking a summer holiday. For those who celebrate this day specifically or those who are just happy summer has arrived, launching sky lanterns can be a great way to ring in the summer.

What Is the Summer Solstice?

The beginning of summer is marked by the Summer Solstice. While celebrated by ancient pagan cultures as a magical day, the science behind the day is solid and easy to understand. It is simply the longest day (and conversely the shortest night) of the year. While the temperatures may be climbing already, summer doesn’t officially start until the solstice. Midsummer for ancient pagan cultures meant the height of awareness and was a time to celebrate: the crops had been planted already and everyone was simply waiting for them to be ready to harvest and all in all life was good. Today, a great way to celebrate life being good or the desire for life to be good is to launch floating lanterns.

Sky Lanterns for Summer

The modern summer experience is far different than the one of our ancestors but having a good summer is a common goal. Whether on Holiday or simply enjoying the latest sunset of the year, floating lanterns are a great way to add to the celebration. Our traditional sky lanterns, for instance, are virtually identical to the Chinese lanterns that were developed and used thousands of years ago at the peak of Chinese culture. They were used originally to send prayers up to the heavens and to this day are used for this purpose. They are also beautiful to watch and for many people, this is enough to want to launch them. The traditional lanterns are available in white as well as coloured paper and are available individually or in packs of 6 or more.

If celebrating summer solstice in an environmentally friendly way is a priority, Nightskylanterns.co.uk also has eco lanterns available. All of our lanterns are biodegradable; however, the wire in our traditional lanterns takes some time to break down. Our Eco lanterns do not have this wire and instead use specially treated wool which works just as well to support the sky lantern structure and fuel cell. They are available in white and an assortment of colours as well and can be purchased here: http://www.nightskylanterns.co.uk/eco-lanterns/mixed-colour-eco-lanterns-5pk/prod_47.html

If making a big impression is your priority, Nightskylanterns has something for you as well. We offer Large, Extra Large and Mega sized lanterns to really make a big impression for miles around. These are the perfect lantern for those who wish to put messages on the lantern, especially messages that others will be able to easily see.

This entry was posted on Monday, June 21st, 2010 at 4:06 PM and is filed under General News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.