This holiday that we call Alben Heruin.... ("Light of the Shore"), is also known by many other names... Alban Heflin, Midsummer, All-couples day, Feast of Epona, Feill-Sheathain, Gathering Day, Johannistag, Litha, Oak Festival, Sonnwend, St. John`s Day, Summer Solstice, Sun Blessing, Thing-Tide, and Vestalia among others.

Alben Heruin or the summer solstice is the date with the longest day and hence with the shortest night. This date usually falls on June 21/June 22 (in the Northern hemisphere) and goes through the 23rd. "Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. This is because, as the summer solstice approaches, the noonday sun rises higher and higher in the sky on each successive day. On the day of the solstice, it rises an imperceptible amount, compared to the day before. In this sense, it "stands still."

The Summer Solstice is a time of growth with more sun and more flowers and plants coming to fruit after the spring planting. On this day, bonfires are lit on beaches as darkness falls and effigies and fireworks are thrown into open fires. This midsummer festival celebrated the apex of Light, symbolized in the crowning of the Oak King, god of the waxing year. The crowning at this midpoint marked the start of the waning of the year and decreased daylight.

The Horned God is at the zenith of His manifest Power and the flowering Goddess of Spring welcomes his presence. Sex Magic is extremely powerful now, and legend tells that a naked skip through a garden on this night ensures fertility for the coming season. Many ancient cultures built their greatest architectures -- tombs, temples, cairns and sacred observatories -- so that they aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. Many of us know that Stonehenge is a perfect marker of both solstices.

The first full moon in June is called the Honey Moon. Tradition holds that this is the best time to harvest honey from the hives. This was also the traditional month for weddings. This is because many people believe that the "grand [sexual] union" of the Goddess and God occurred in early May at Beltaine. Since it was unlucky to compete with the deities, many couples delayed their weddings until June. In some traditions, "newly wed couples were fed dishes and beverages that featured honey for the first month of their married life to encourage love and fertility. This tradition thrives today by giving the time after weddings the name of The Honeymoon.