Working with the Summer Solstice and Litha The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. The sun rises early, lingers high, and seems to stretch the world open. The land is alive with heat, growth, insects, flowers, ripening gardens, long evenings, and that unmistakable feeling that summer has fully arrived. In many Pagan traditions, this point on the Wheel of the Year is known as Litha. Litha is a celebration of solar power, abundance, vitality, joy, protection, growth