June 22, 2011|By Heidi Stevens, Tribune Newspapers
Officially, summer began Tuesday. And already it's half over?
Tuesday, we all know, was the summer solstice — longest day of the year, Earth's axial tilt, astronomical start to summer, yada, yada. But the solstice is also commonly referred to as midsummer's eve — which makes today midsummer.
Come again?
The Oxford English Dictionary defines midsummer as "The middle of summer. Specifically, Midsummer Day (24 June), the day of the summer solstice (21 or 22 June), or the period around this."
So if the summer solstice marks the beginning of summer, how can it also mark the middle?
In part, we can blame astronomers and meteorologists for failing to agree on a summer start date. According to weather experts, astronomical seasons are determined by the Earth's position in relation to the sun, while meteorological seasons are determined by temperature. So astronomical summer started this week, but meteorological summer began June 1 and ends in August. Which makes this, yep, pretty close to the middle of summer.
Shakespeare deserves a fair share of the blame as well, since the term "midsummer" would likely have exited our lexicon by now if not for his play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," a cultural touchstone if ever there was one.
"Midsummer was originally a pagan holiday having to do with the longest day of the year," says Paula McQuade, professor of renaissance literature at DePaul University. "Shakespeare was referencing a festival having to do with sex and merry-making and lust."
So clearly we're in no hurry to let go of that reference point.
Shakespeare, however, didn't pin the holiday to June 22, or any day, for that matter. He was referencing a mindset more than a calendar date.
"Shakespeare did the same thing in 'Winter's Tale,' where he gestures at the season but doesn't give you an exact date," McQuade says. "Calling it 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' allowed him to make the play all about desire and lust and how it makes you crazy and transforms people into asses."
Yep, summer.
hstevens@tribune.com