Concert: SUMMER Solstice

As is often the case, I was asked to do a Summer Solstice concert. Having done Winter solstice shows for years, I found that many of the same themes resonated for the Celtic peoples at the Summer Solstice.

Having studied Celtic mythology and fairylore these many years, it made sense to incorporate some of this music. (Many Irish tunes have the word "fairy" in the title (The Fairy Queen, The Fairy Child), and since fairies are so associated with this time of year thanks to Shakespere's "A Midsummer Night's Dream," I decided to borrow a few lines from the great bard and weave together a nice evening of mellow, mid-summer music.

Our first Summer Solstice show was in a Planetarium and was truly magical.

I played a set. The astronomer showed us what was going on in the heavens after the break. I then played the second set. Then we went outside to view the best show of all in the sky! Its become an annual tradition.

Works really nicely for younger souls and also works well outdoors in family-style and community settings. Here is so more info on the old Celtic Calendar: The Celtic cycle of the year was marked by four major "fire festivals": Beltaine (May 1) ,Lughnasadh, (August 1) Imbolc,(February 1) and of course Samhain(October 31) or Halloween, as it has come to be known These boundaries marked the new season, and allowed for movement between the worlds as lines along which the supernatural were thought to break through to the surface of existence.

These “fire” festivals, as they were known revolved around the agricultural cycle of the year, and they led the people in the union of practical life and the earthly world with that of the spirit.

During these seasonal feasts, the veil between the worlds was thought to be lifted, the obstacles removed, the laws of space suspended, and communion with one's ancestors became a distinct possibility. They celebrated freedom from addiction to the purely visible, in the age-old premise of a life beyond this one, in which our ancestors are no further away than the next world. And that world itself being rather close by.

Beltaine occurred on the First of May, May Day, and marked the beginning of the "light half" of the year. It was symbolized by the white flowering hawthorn tree, around which ritual dancing took place to ensure a good harvest (Lughnasadh – August 1) later that year.

Samhain or Halloween occurred on October 31 and marked the beginning of the “dark half” of the year.

Samhain was the feast that marked the end of the "light half" of the year and the beginning of the "dark half." The light half was that of the people, the dark half belonged to the earth, the cycle of time being expressed in the basic duality of darkness and light. Samhain, or Halloween as it has come to be known, was actually New Year's Eve in the Celtic calendar. For the Celts, the dark always preceded the light, and day began at dusk, not dawn. The children's tradition of otherworldly creatures coming to life on Halloween has its origins in the ancient feast of Samhain. The custom of dressing up in costume was commonplace. It was acceptable to stretch the boundaries by assuming a different identity to welcome the supernatural.