Today, the 22nd, is the Summer Solstice in South Africa for 2023.
When the southern hemisphere is tilted more towards the sun, which happens between December 20th and December 23rd, South Africans experience our longest day and shortest night of the year.
Today will be three hours and 18 minutes longer than the day of the Winter Solstice in June.
Time to celebrate
The Summer Solstice is a time of celebration, of honouring the light, our connection to the Sun and the Earth. Summer is a celebration of the earth’s wonderful bounty.
And as we watch the ripening and flowering and fruiting all around us, we can’t help but be moved by, and grateful for, the generosity of the Earth, which feeds us and nurtures us so unstintingly.
So what do smallholders think about on this the longest day of the year?
Although this is the celestial high point of summer, in reality days will continue to get hotter before they begin to cool in autumn. The summer season goes on for a couple of months after the Solstice.
Cycle of planting
And the cycle of planting will continue. If you practice succession planting, you will continue to plant some summer vegetables, so that you shouldn’t sit with a glut of vegetables all ripening at the same time.
Continue to inspect your crops for pests and diseases and continue weeding.
Over the holidays many have time to preserve the harvest of summer vegetables and fruit. The full range of preserving methods is available to you, including freezing, drying, bottling, juicing, pickling, fermenting and making jams, chutneys and relishes.
Some of your livestock will have young at the moment and your routines of checking on their well-being are without end.
Setting sun
The setting sun can also be seen as a symbol of the year that is drawing to a close. Now you can spend some time looking back on that which has happened, both the good and the challenges, for this has been a year like no other, after a couple of years like no other before it.
Now’s the time to begin the process of letting go of the things that have reached completion in your life ~ the ways of operating that once served you but you’ve now outgrown.
But also look ahead to a new year, with hope and determination to make the most of your land, crops, animals and those closest to you.
So, from all of us at the SA Smallholder Online, to you, our valued readers and supporters, happy Solstice. A merry Christmas to you, and best wishes for 2024.
Main image: The image above, from EarthView, shows Africa today. (Note how much broader the band of daylight is south of the Equator and how much narrower it is north of the Equator, where it is the longest night of the year.)