Summer Beach Hut Bliss by Heather Hilder on June 11, 2024 Summer Beach Hut Bliss Longest Day of Summer The Summer Solstice has been a major celebration day for cultures all over the world stretching back into antiquity. Get ready for some Beach Hut Bliss on the longest day of summer! It is the longest day of the year and the shortest night. The obvious connections between light conquering darkness are one of the reasons ancient civilizations revered the occasion. Stone age monuments the world over align to the sun and stars on this one day. Indeed, our very own Stonehenge sees thousands of people gather each year on the Solstice. For some people the massive standing stones can be replaced by other similarly shaped objects for celebrating the day – our beach huts! The Sun The Solstice is actually a moment in time rather than a day, as it marks the exact moment in the year when the sun is farthest North in the northern hemisphere. (The other side of the equator celebrates its own Summer Solstice six months later of course). This year this astronomical event takes place at 9:50pm on Thursday June 20th, making it a perfect time for beach hut owners to be ‘in the moment’. The Stars The Solstice this year makes a great opportunity to celebrate under the stars at your hut. After a day of enjoying (hopefully!) the sunshine and everything else the seaside has to offer, the refuge of your hut can really come into its own. It’s not too late for children to stay up on such a special occasion. Also, being with family and friends in a cherished place can be a great way of creating memories that last a lifetime. Eating and drinking are part and parcel of the home-from-home feel a beach hut has. Although it is officially the first day of astrological summer, mid-June in the UK should already have you feeling a long way from those winter blues. Still, if you’re intending to be at your hut for the actual moment at almost ten o’clock, you might want to pace yourselves when it comes to alcohol! Thirst quenching Serving soft cocktails or ‘mocktails’ is a great way for everyone to feel included in the fun whether they’re the designated driver, underage or just abstaining from alcohol. And just because they’re alcohol-free it doesn’t mean that they have to be boring. From fruity cordials to caffeinated martinis or frozen Shirley Temples, just add sugar rimmed glasses and then shake or stir! The Summer Solstice Of course there are two days of the year that we call a ‘solstice’, the other being the shortest day in mid-December. Strangely, both are often celebrated with bonfires. Lighting and jumping over them dates back to pre-Christian pagan customs but this maybe isn’t a good idea when you’re surrounded by wooden beach huts! Today we tend to be a bit more laid-back in the way we celebrate different days of the year . That’s another reason to make the most of your hut. For many owners a beach hut becomes very closely aligned with the idea of relaxation and a sense of calmness. So what better place could there be to wind down after enjoying the longest day of the year? Would you like to share your favourite cocktails and mocktails with us – share your recipes on Instagram – I Love Beachhuts. Cheers to that!
