Solstice Scavenger Hunt

Information on the Game and Giveaway Further Down the Page

Remember Solstice: Solstice Rituals through History  

Since my word for the scavenger hunt is “remembers” I thought I’d write about some of the way Solstice has been celebrated throughout history.

• The Ancient Greeks observed the Summer Solstice as New Year’s Day and the festival of their agricultural god, Cronos. During this festival, the classes switched places, masters served their slaves at the feast, and all social ranks celebrated together.
• Romans used the Summer Solstice to celebrate Vesta, the hearth goddess. Married women would go into Vesta’s temples and give offerings in exchange for a blessing on their homes.
• Ancient Chinese also saw the Summer Solstice as a feminine holiday and threw festivals honoring “yin” and the Earth.
• European Pagans commemorated the Solstice in “Midsummer” rituals that included bonfires meant to boost the energy of the sun, scare away demons, and unite maidens with their future husbands.
• The Vikings used the Summer Solstice as a time to settle legal disputes.
• Native Americans performed Sun Dances on the Solstice, sometimes erecting stone circles for this purpose. 

​Solstice Scavenger Hunt Information 

​Facebook’s Fantasy & Sci-fi Readers’ Lounge is running a Solstice Scavenger Hunt. The game runs from June 16th to June 29th.  The grand prize is $75, and entrants also have a chance to win one of 19 eBooks by one of our 19 participating authors.

To play the game: you are hunting for the words featured on each of the blogs below. Once you collect all the words, unscramble them to make a quote from a famous book. Then enter to win here:

Enter the GIVEAWAY HERE

Giveaway requirements:

1. Follow Facebook’s Fantasy & Sci-fi Readers’ Lounge so you can see the list of winners when the admins announce them:                                                 https://www.facebook.com/groups/FantasySciFiReadersLounge/
2. Use the above "Enter the Giveaway Here" link to enter the giveaway.

Participating Authors

Here are all the books you could win! Talk about a summer reading list! Visit the author's blog and start collecting words for the Solstice Scavenger Hunt:

Azimuth by Rennie St. James: https://writerrsj.com/blog/
The Glass Gargoyle by Marie Andreas: http://faeriesdragonsspaceships.blogspot.com/
This Cursed Flame by Selina J. Eckert: https://sjeckert.wordpress.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt-20…
The Fox and The Hunter by Linn Tesli: https://linntesli.com/blog/
Witch's Moonstone Locket by Marsha A Moore: https://marshaamoore.blogspot.com/…/solstice-scavenger-hunt…
Elven Jewel by Kasper Beaumont: http://huntersofreloria.weebly.com/kaspers-ramblings
Wolves' Gambit by PJ MacLayne: http://www.pjmaclayne.com/mountain-musings/
Ian's Realm Saga by D.L. Gardner: https://diendrial.wordpress.com
Dragon Blood by Katie Cherry: https://www.facebook.com/KatieCherryFantasy/
The Shikari by Dora Blume (DM Staley): www.dorablume.com
Sleepless Flame by Odin Oxthorn (Ox Woden): https://www.odinsmusings.com/
The Hand of Atua by Charity Bradford: charitywrites.blogspot.com
Schrodinger's Cat by Eileen Schuh: http://eileenschuh.blogspot.com/
Shadow's Hand by Noelle Nichols: www.noellenichols.com
Forever People by Alison Lyke: http://www.alisonlyke.com/blog
A Bit of Magic by Mae Baum: https://maebaum.com
Curse Breaker: Enchanted by Melinda Kucsera: https://melindakucsera.com/blog/
Bonded by Cheryllynn Dyess: www.cheryllynndyess.com
Tattoos by Stacy Overby: www.thisisnothitchhikersguide.com
​

​My Solstice Scavenger Hunt Word is: “Remembers!”

* References: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/history-of-summer-solstice