The summer solstice of 2023 will occur on Friday, December 22 at 12:27 a.m. (Argentine time), according to the Argentine Naval Hydrography Service.
Next Friday, this astronomical phenomenon will kick off the summer season in the southern hemisphere and the winter season in the northern hemisphere. For regions below the equator, it is the longest day of the year.
But where does the term solstice come from? Although it may not seem like it, it comes from an illusion: the ancients thought that the sun stopped its march for the only time in the year. The Latin word "solstitium" means "to stand still or stop."
It is now known that the phenomenon is due to the tilt of the Earth with respect to the Sun. NASA indicates that our planet orbits the sun at anangle of about 23.5°; which implies that, depending on where we are on Earth, that region will be a little closer or farther from the sun than another.
What the sky will be like during the summer solstice
For astrology, the configuration of the planets contributes their energies and frames the picture.
First of all, on December 22 of this year the Sun will leave Sagittarius and enter Capricorn, the latter a sign of cardinal mode, that is, it marks the beginning of a new season.
December 22 marks the start of this year's summer solstice. Photo: Shutterstock illustration
Added to the Sun in Capricorn, on the same day of the solstice, it will make a conjunction with Mercury retrograde. Also, the Moon will be in its waxing phase in the sign of Taurus.
The Ancestral Andean Summer Solstice Festivity
Just as Pachamama Day is celebrated, the valuable Andean cultural heritage includes other festivities. Indigenous peoples continue to commemorate the summer solstice by organizing the Kapak Raymi.
Also written as 'Qhapaq Raymi', the date coincides with the change of season and is based on various rituals of gratitude to the Sun god, who is on his day of greatest splendor.
Likewise, the festival occurs three months after the Koya Quilla Raymi, celebrated every September 21 and whose purpose is to honor the arrival of spring, fertility and femininity. In December, with summer just around the corner, the Andean calendar continues with the Kapak Raymi.
The Andean festival of Kapak Raymi celebrates children. Photo: Shutterstock illustration
According to the website of the National Institute of Indigenous Affairs, one of the main characteristics of the date, which distinguishes it from other Raymi, is that it is "the children's party".
In fact, during Kapak Raymi, baptisms, marriages or the imposition of names are promoted, to mention just a few examples.
In the native peoples, as in other civilizations throughout history, the year was organized according to agrarian cycles. That is why, on many occasions, ceremonial dates are synchronized with the germination, weeding and harvesting phases of corn.