Happy Solstice, Alaska!

According to National Geographic, June 21 isn't always Summer Solstice, but it sure is this year. So Happy Solstice, everyone! Some years (such as 2008), the quarter-day difference between the celestial and Julian calendars calls for the longest day of the year to occur on June 20, and of course, with solstice falling on a Monday this year, all the partying happened last weekend. Annual festivals and celebrations to mark the Earth's inevitable swing toward the autumn equinox happen worldwide, with some traditions stretching back millennia. People gathered at Stonehenge this morning to greet the rising sun, massive bonfires in a Spanish cave commemorate the execution of witches in the 1600's, and revelers re-enact an ancient Inca festival (minus the human sacrifice, naturally). Check out a 2008 photo gallery from National Geographic from festivals around the world, here. Although it hasn't been going on for hundreds of years, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, residents of Fairbanks area (Alaska's undisputed capital of celebrating solstice) gathered Sunday despite wet weather to mark the occasion with the annual Midnight Sun Festival and fun run (complete with whacky costumes). Read more, here, then start gearing up for Winter Solstice -- only six months left for planning!