An adorable animation of the Earth complete with miniature palm tree and deckchair is today’s Google Doodle image. Google is today celebrating the summer solstice, the day with the longest period of daylight in the year. This marks the beginning of summer, and is an important moment in many cultures.
What is the summer solstice?
The summer solstice is a major astronomical event which takes place every year.
It occurs when the Earth is tilted at its greatest point towards the Sun.
Our planet has a 23.5-degree tilt, which means one side of the planet faces away from the Sun and one side towards.
The side, or hemisphere, facing towards the Sun experiences summer whilst the other will have winter.
For the UK the solstice lasts from 4.43am till 9.21pm, providing 16 hours and 38 minutes of sunlight.
By contrast during the winter solstice, on December 21, the sun sets before 4pm and doesn’t rise again until 8am.
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How is the summer solstice marked around the world?
The summer solstice is celebrated in different ways around the planet.
In the UK thousands gather around Stonehenge in Wiltshire to watch the sunrise.
This event has strong connections with paganism, with many druids attending each year.
Many Ukrainians, especially the young, mark what they term ‘Ivan Kupala Day’ by leaping over fire.
READ MORE: Summer solstice pagan name – How did ancestors celebrate the solstice?
They believe the flames will remove ill fortune and give them good luck for the summer ahead.
Fires also play an important role in marking the occasion in Finland, in parts of which it remains light almost all day during the summer solstice.
Finns light bonfires next to lakes and dance around maypole type contraptions.
In Mongolia fire rituals are also performed, part of the Mongolian shamanism culture that was suppressed for 70 years during communist rule.