the summer solstice occurs this weekend (at 12:46 CDT on the 21st). this gives us the longest day and saturday night is the shortest night of the year. also is the official start to summer. it brings 15 hours and 36 minutes of daylight to minneapolis.
in 2004 i traveled to London to visit friends. after a week there, i flew to Barcelona to visit another friend, arriving on the eve of the solstice. in Barcelona it is the night of "San Juan," a holiday that brings thousands to the beaches for bonfires, fireworks, and funking the bring.
the history of the holiday is familiar - believed to date back to pagan sun worship rituals. people used bonfires to light the shortest night of the year (the witching night). then the holiday was incorporated into (stolen by) the christian calendar and renamed to honor "john the baptist." but what it has evolved into is too freaking wonderful.
since it is the shortest night of the year, everyone parties all night - why sleep thru the briefest of noches? we walked along the beach, giggled all the clubs set up on the beach for the night each having different dance music and each loaded with dancers, dodged fireworks flying thru the wobbly crowds. my group kept going until 6am, then we went to home bases for breakfast and more debauchery.
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