I just discovered that today is this year’s summer solstice, which most often falls a day later, on June 21. The hour of the solstice is less than an hour before midnight, though, so today’s date is a technicality of sorts. Be that as it may, today is a holiday of quite some vintage. Together with the winter solstice, as well as the spring and fall equinoxes, this completes the list of, as it were, natural holidays. Once upon a time, shamans celebrated them in earnest. Not so long from now, they will celebrate natural holidays once again. By and by, all the other holidays will be forgotten. And so will the dates. The calendar will shrink to its bare essentials connected with seasons or natural cycles. As for the hours, they will be forgotten much earlier. In the spirit of shamans to come, let us celebrate this year’s summer solstice both today and tomorrow.