When was the last time you saw a firefly? Do you remember your delight? That magical, unexpected moment of sparkle on a languid midsummer evening? With meteorological summer arriving this weekend, now is the time to be on the look-out for those simple joys that distinguish the new season.
As is our custom here at FUS, we will mark the beginning of astronomical summer with celebrating the summer solstice. This ancient tradition is an apt occasion for contemporary folks to honor and reflect on our connections to and dependencies upon the natural world as did our ancestors of yore.
In pre-modern times, folks were much more aware of their dependence on the natural world for survival and well-being. As we have moved away from our agricultural roots and severed our relationship to so much of the natural world, many of us have forgotten or neglected our responsibility to live in harmony with it.
Hence our summer solstice festivities this year will pay tribute to the lowly firefly. Not only to be enchanted by its luminescence, but also to treasure it as a harbinger of summer delights and to recognize it as an indispensable strand in the web of life.
Join us then on Friday, June 20th at 6:00pm for food, fun, and festivities. It’s an intergenerational affair with games for all ages and greetings from summer’s sentinels of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. The FUS mummers’ troupe will regale us with their readers’ theater production, “Of Fireflies and Friendship” and the Eclectics will entertain us with some swingin’ summer tunes.
Online tickets sales begin Friday, May 30th. You can also buy your tickets in person at FUS on Sundays, June 1, 8, and 15. Do join us!