People around the world celebrated “Summer Solstice” with gusto and vigor that ushers in the beginning of the summer and marks the longest day of the year on Friday June 21. For some, it was an ideal day for doing Yoga, as well.
The Summer Solstice occurs as the Earth’s axis is tilted at about 23.4 degrees toward the plane of the Earth's orbit. For half of the year, the northern hemisphere comes closer to the sun, while for the rest of the year, it is the southern hemisphere that is closest.
In the north, the maximum effect of this tilt occurs between June 20 and June 22, but in the south it happens between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23. Several people from the steel canyons of New York to the stone figures of England welcomed the first day of summer on Friday, while those in the south of the Equator welcomed the official beginning of winter, the Associated Press reported.
Although people could not see bright sunshine due to cloud covering the early morning sky, they celebrated the occasion with music and dancing, the report added.
In England, more than 20,000 people gathered at the Stonehenge monument to celebrate Summer Solstice 2013. The occasion typically draws many people to the mysterious set of standing stones every year. The monument, located on the Salisbury Plain about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London, was constructed in three phases between 3000 B.C. and 1600 B.C.
In New York City, more than 15,000 people gathered at the Times Square to celebrate "Solstice in Times Square" on Friday, but in a different way. The New Yorkers took part in a group yoga practice on the morning of the summer solstice. The “Mind over Madness” event included free yoga classes all day.
Macedonians celebrated the Summer Solstice at the stone marker of the Kokino megalithic observatory in Kumanovo. The 3,800 years old observatory, discovered in 2001, is located in the north-western town of Kumanovo 43 miles (70 kilometers) north from capital Skopje, Reuters reported.
According to NASA, the Kokino megalithic observatory is ranked as the fourth oldest observatory in the world after Egypt's Abu Simbel, Britain's Stonehenge and Cambodia's Angkor Wat. Check out the slideshow above to see how Summer Solstice is celebrated across different parts of the world.
People take part in a group yoga practice on the morning of the summer solstice in New York's Times Square, June 21, 2013. The "Solstice in Times Square" event on Friday brought out thousands of participants to celebrate the year's longest day in New York.
ReutersPeople take part in a group yoga practice on the morning of the summer solstice in New York's Times Square, June 21, 2013. The "Solstice in Times Square" event on Friday brought out thousands of participants to celebrate the year's longest day in New York.
ReutersA reveller, wearing a traditional native American headdress, celebrates the summer solstice at the ancient Stonehenge monument on Salisbury Plain in southern England June 21, 2013.
ReutersA druid mask is seen on Salisbury Plain in southern England June 21, 2013. Stonehenge is a celebrated venue of festivities during the summer solstice - the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - and it attracts thousands of revellers, spiritualists and tourists. Druids, a pagan religious order dating back to Celtic Britain, believe Stonehenge was a centre of spiritualism more than 2,000 years ago.
ReutersA reveller gestures as he celebrates the summer solstice at the ancient Stonehenge monument on Salisbury Plain in southern England June 21, 2013.
ReutersRevellers celebrate the summer solstice at the ancient Stonehenge monument on Salisbury Plain in southern England June 21, 2013. Stonehenge is a celebrated venue of festivities during the summer solstice - the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere - and it attracts thousands of revellers, spiritualists and tourists.
ReutersA long exposure picture of the Kokino megalithic observatory is seen during summer solstice celebration in Kumanovo June 21, 2013.
ReutersA girl takes photos of the Kokino megalithic observatory during the summer solstice celebration in Kumanovo June 21, 2013. The 3,800 years old observatory was discovered in 2001 in the north-western town of Kumanovo 70 km (43 miles) north from capital Skopje.
ReutersMacedonians celebrate the summer solstice at the marker of Kokino megalithic observatory June 21, 2013.
ReutersIndigenous Mayan take part in a traditional spiritual ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the Summer Solstice at the Tazumal archeological park in the city of Chalchuapa, about 78 km (48 miles) northwest of San Salvador, June 23, 2012.
ReutersYouths dance near a San Juan bonfire in the Basque port town of Mundaka June 24, 2012. Fires made of unwanted furniture, old school books, wood and efigies of malign spirits are lit across Spain to celebrate the night of San Juan, a purification ceremony coinciding with the summer solstice.
ReutersBelarusian girls float wreaths with candles as they take part in the Ivan Kupala festival in the town of Turov, some 270 km (167 miles) south of Minsk, July 6, 2012. The traditional festival celebrates the summer solstice with overnight festivities such as people singing and dancing before jumping over campfires, as they believe it will purge them of their sins and make them healthier.
ReutersPerformers participate in a pre-hispanic dance to celebrate the beginning of the Summer Solstice during the inauguration of a museum at the archaeological site of Tak'Alik A'Baj in Retalhuleu, some 200km (124 miles) from Guatemala City, June 21, 2012.
ReutersPerformers participate in a pre-hispanic dance to celebrate the beginning of the Summer Solstice during the inauguration of a museum at the archaeological site of Tak'Alik A'Baj in Retalhuleu.
Reuters
