Sol + stice derives from a combination of Latin words meaning sun + to stand still. As the days lengthen, the sun rises higher and higher until it seems to stand still in the sky.

As a major celestial event, the Summer Solstice results in the longest day and the shortest night of the year. The Northern Hemisphere celebrates in June, but the people on the Southern half of the earth have their longest summer day in December.

In early celebrations, the Celts and Slavs celebrated the first day of summer with dancing and bonfires to help increase the sun’s energy. The Chinese marked the day by honoring Li, the Chinese Goddess of Light.

Perhaps the most enduring modern ties with Summer Solstice were the Druids’ celebration of the day as the wedding of Heaven and Earth, resulting in the present day belief of a lucky wedding in June.

Today, the day is still celebrated around the world – most notably in England at Stonehenge and Avebury, where thousands gather to welcome the sunrise on the Summer Solstice.

Pagan spirit gatherings or festivals are also common in June, when groups assemble to light a sacred fire, and stay up all night to welcome the dawn.

According to Persian mythology, wine was discovered by a woman. She drank the fermented juice from grapes stored in a jar, went to sleep, and surprisingly woke up cured of a headache, instead of suffering from the world’s first hangover as one might have expected.

Wine became the drink of the gods, whether they were Egyptian, Sumerian, or Greek, and the early deities of wine were often women, since they were also associated with fertility. The symbolism of wine, as well as its effect, became potent as it was adopted into religious ritual.

The modern Egyptian papyrus illustrated here reproduces ancient Egyptian winemaking techniques, and was a recent donation to the Library.

Another source of potent images, the sea, which was crucial to early transport and communication, was given the feminine gender by the Greeks. When the ancient Greek poet Homer sang of “the wine-dark sea” he was linking two forces central in Mediterranean life to create an image which continues to have great emotive power.

http://www.winelit.slsa.sa.gov.au/winelore.htm

The history of April Fool’s Day or All Fool’s Day is uncertain, but the current thinking is that it began around 1582 in France with the reform of the calendar under Charles IX. The Gregorian Calendar was introduced, and New Year’s Day was moved from March 25 – April 1 (new year’s week) to January 1.

Communication traveled slowly in those days and some people were only informed of the change several years later. Still others, who were more rebellious refused to acknowledge the change and continued to celebrate on the last day of the former celebration, April 1.
These people were labeled “fools” by the general populace, were subject to ridicule and sent on “fool errands,” sent invitations to nonexistent parties and had other practical jokes played upon them. The butts of these pranks became known as a “poisson d’avril” or “April fish” because a young naive fish is easily caught. In addition, one common practice was to hook a paper fish on the back of someone as a joke.

Read more here.

Well now St. Patrick’s Day wouldn’t exist if not for the man himself! But how much do we know about him? Did you know that he spent six years of slavery in Ireland until he escaped and undertook religious training abroad?

So, why is it celebrated on March 17th? One theory is that that is the day that St. Patrick died. Since the holiday began in Ireland, it is believed that as the Irish spread out around the world, they took with them their history and celebrations. The biggest observance of all is, of course, in Ireland. With the exception of restaurants and pubs, almost all businesses close on March 17th. Being a religious holiday as well, many Irish attend mass, where March 17th is the traditional day for offering prayers for missionaries worldwide before the serious celebrating begins.

Since we are in the middle of wine harvest season, I decided to do a little background research on this celebratory time of year.  Along with many romantic and intriguing stories about ancient Europeans and how they stumbled upon the creation of the delicious nectar we now call wine, I found interesting facts about harvests in present day.  Here is some of what I discovered from Wikipedia:

“The harvesting of wine grapes (Vintage) is one of the most crucial steps in the process of winemaking. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to produce. The weather can also shape the timetable of harvesting with the threat of heat, rain, hail, and frost which can damage the grapes and bring about various vine diseases. In addition to determining the time of the harvest, winemakers and vineyard owners must also determine whether to utilize hand pickers or mechanical harvesters. The harvest season typically falls between August & October in the Northern Hemisphere and February & April in the Southern Hemisphere. With various climate conditions, grape varieties, and wine styles the harvesting of grapes could happen in every month of the calendar year somewhere in the world. In some European wine regions the harvest time is known as vintage. In the New World it is often referred to as the crush.”
Cheers and Happy Harvest Season!

The Epi-Log on Epicurious.com

by James Oliver Cury

Ingredients
What exactly is in pumpkin ale? Brewers can hand-cut (and roast) pumpkins and leave them in the mash as it ferments, or add pumpkin puree or even artificial pumpkin flavorings. Most breweries also add spices such as nutmeg, ginger, clove, allspice, and cinnamon. Note: No one makes pumpkin beer exclusively out of pumpkin any more. For a palatable beverage, you also need malt, hops, yeast, and water. Expect average potency: 5-6% ABV. And for those wonder: Is it always pumpkin ale? The answer is no. Though rare, beer makers have experimented with other beer styles. Witness: Lakefront Pumpkin Lager, Four Peaks Pumpkin Porter, and Fisherman’s Pumpkin Stout.

Flavor
What does it taste like? Some pumpkin beers feature subtle hints of the squash. Those are the good ones. Others taste like boozy pumpkin pie, often too sweet, cloying, and rich. The vast majority of companies play up the pumpkin-friendly spices more than anything else: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, clove, caramel, and ginger. Tasters may also detect notes of molasses, caramel, earthiness, and hazelnut.

Availability
When are they sold in stores? Generally speaking, you won’t see any pumpkin ales until September/October; this is an autumnal beer. Bottles stay on store shelves through the holiday season (end of December).

Brands
Who makes pumpkin ales? The top ten brands on BeerAdvocate.com are:

1) Pumking Pumpkin Ale (Southern Tier Brewing Company)
2) Big Black Pumpkin Ale (Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery)
3) The Great Pumpkin Ale (Elysian Brewing Company)
4) Schlafly Pumpkin Ale (Saint Louis Brewery)
5) Kuhnhenn All Hallows Pumpkin Ale (Kuhnhenn Brewing Company)
6) Great Pumpkin Ale (Cambridge Brewing Company)
7) Punkin’ Ale Pumpkin Ale (Dogfish Head Craft Brewery)
Cottonwood Pumpkin Spiced Ale (Carolina Beer Company)
9) Night Owl Pumpkin Ale (Elysian Brewing Company)
10) Imperial Pumpkin Ale (Weyerbacher Brewing Co.)

Other popular pumpkin ale makers include Blue Moon (from Coors), Bison Organic, Post Road (from Brooklyn Brewery), Southampton, Smuttynose, Shipyard, Buffalo Bill, Mavericks, and Jack’s (from Anheuser-Busch).