Longest Day equals Shortest Night

Today is the Summer Solstice in the UK and the so-called Longest Day in terms of natural light and, conversely, the longest day must mean that it is the shortest night. The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words for sun (sol) and stand (sistere); it’s the time of year when the position of the rising or setting sun stands still in its movement along the
horizon.

In Neolithic times, the position of the sun would have been fundamental to orientation, and would dictate the start and end of any given day. As today, the rays coming from that same sun would have provided essential warmth for all creatures on the planet and allowed vital crops to grow. The significance of the solstice is not lost on historians, archaeologists and pagan worshippers who have all worshipped, pondered and studied Stonehenge in Wiltshire for millenia.

On Saturday 21st June 1985, I went to see the Irish rock band U2 at their famous Longest Day concert at the Milton Keynes Bowl. The weather that day was absolutely atrocious, and the event famously transcended into a mud festival, as well as a rock one. My memory is that the darkness of the clouds that day effectively cancelled out the additional hours of sunlight. In truth, I didn’t really care as I was in my element!

Since then, that U2 concert is the first thing I think of when it comes to the Longest Day in the UK. However, 39 years later, I will also be thinking about the Year 6 Celebration Event which takes place this evening. I am glad that we can celebrate with Year 6 (and their parents) today. They really are a super group of children who, after giving so much to the school, deserve their individual and collective pats on the back! I really hope that they will look back at the Longest Day 2024 with the same fondness as I do at my mud/rock fest of 1985.

Jason Whiskerd