Midsummer’s Eve (June 23) is one of the most enchanting and sensuous nights of the year. Falling halfway between the traditional start of summer on May Day and it’s end on Lammas in August, it celebrates the power and renewal of the sun at the summer solstice (which was Tuesday, June 21st). I think of it as a moveable feast because when my daughter was little we always celebrated whichever holiday fell on a weekend and we called it “Midsummer’s Eve”. To me this represents the essence of personal holidays, customs and rituals. It only needs to work for you!
An enchanting book (and now movie) that can’t fail to inspire Midsummer romps is Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle (1948). A witty tale set in England during the thirties, it tells the story of a bohemian family of eccentrics living in a decaying English castle. Although Dodie Smith (1899-1990) was a successful British dramatist and writer, it was her children’s book One Hundred and One Dalmatians, published in 1956, that earned her fame in America. But I Capture the Castle was her first novel and quickly became an English classic, selling over a million copies.
Fifty years later, it has lost none of it’s charm. The future of 17 year old Cassandra Mortmain, as duly noted in her wistful, wry journal, seems bleak indeed. “My imagination longs to dash ahead and plan developments; but I have noticed that when things happen in one’s imaginings, they never happen in one’s life, so I am curbing myself…” Cassandra’s father, once a literary cause célèbre is attempting a comeback, but hasn’t written a word in twelve years; her glamorous stepmother is a nudist; and her older sister, Rose, is a petulant beauty. When the castle’s American heirs suddenly turn up—two handsome, eligible bachelors—romantic chaos ensues.
One of Miss Mortmain’s most engaging quirks is her fervent believe in the power of magic (J.K. Rowling has confessed that Cassandra is her favorite narrator) and she considers Midsummer’s Eve sacred. She gathers wildflowers, weaves a garland for her hair, and as evening falls, dresses entirely in green to summon up the earth goddess within. Lighting a miniature bonfire made out of fragrant twigs, she sprinkles dried herbs and salt upon the flames, casting her dreams and fate into the ether. Her ceremony concludes with an offering to Mother Nature (never out of place) of cake and wine (which Cassandra delightfully and dutifully consumes on her behalf), before she runs around the fire a magical seven times and communes with the elements. It’s easy to see why generations of girls and women have found a kindred spirit in her. So spread a blanket under the stars sometime this week for bewitchment that comes once a year.
When Dodie Smith was in her sixties she was occasionally appalled that her impetuous nature, whether on the page or in her imagination, still seemed to have a life of its own. “{Am] I the only woman in the world who at my age—and after a lifetime of quite rampant independence—still [does] not feel grown-up? she wondered. Thankfully, she’s not!
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I love this, so happy I found you yet again! I read Simple Abundance every year! EVERY single year I start again.
Love your wisdom...and all that you share
Hope
Posted by: Hope | June 23, 2011 at 11:51 AM
How is it that I am 43 and just discovered this magical day??? I guess when you are ready you will discover. I had just read today's Simple Abundance Entry and posted it for all my friends to see. I have now shared this!!!! VERY COOL. Thanks Sarah for bringing magic into my world. Love you
Posted by: Alyson Hoag | June 23, 2011 at 11:52 AM
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May Peace and Plenty always be your portion.
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Posted by: Sarah Ban Breathnach | June 23, 2011 at 11:52 AM
Tonight I am attending the viewing of a friend of 25 years who would have loved that Midsummer's Eve was a night when his friends would remember how adventurous and wonderful he was.
He had magic, an Irish heart, love of God and eternal charm.
Thank you, Sarah, for this lovely post. It was most synchronistic for me, your faithful friend.
Mary Jane Hurley Brant, M.S., CGP
Posted by: Mary Jane Hurley Brant | June 23, 2011 at 12:22 PM
I had wanted a Norwegian celebration, but instead enjoyed a raspberry wine cooler and watched the sun set over the Rockies while my daughter and son-in-law grilled steaks. I think my ancestors would have enjoyed the moment with an American twist.
Posted by: Anna Beth Alexander | June 23, 2011 at 07:04 PM
Thanks so much for your message. Due to the high volume of
mail received, please allow 48 hours for a response.
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May Peace and Plenty always be your portion.
Sarah Ban Breathnach
Posted by: Sarah Ban Breathnach | June 23, 2011 at 07:04 PM