Litha is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. Mid-summer. But it is also far more than that for us.

On this day, the God weds the Goddess, already gravid with the child that will be born at Yule. It is important to note that Her pregnancy came first, and Her marriage after. To miss this one detail is to miss the entire significance of the holiday.

Marriage is not about a license for sex play. Marriage is about taking full and personal responsibility for a wife and child. In this case, it also foreshadows the God’s sacrifice, when he will cast himself into the fire at Lugnasadh to ensure the harvest bounty and the continued well-being of his wife and the child to come.

It is interesting to note that certain Pagan practices have carried forward from this holiday, also. Why is June considered a particularly auspicious month for a wedding? Wouldn’t it make more sense to marry when the nights are longer? Knowing that this is the traditional marriage month of the God and Goddess puts an entirely different spin on such preferences.

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