Today, June 21 marks the official start of summer and the longest day of the year in Greece, and all of the Northern Hemisphere; and with this comes plenty of sunshine, high temperatures, and a romantic vibe!
The summer solstice, also called midsummer, has long been celebrated around the world in many different ways; from beach parties to large festive gatherings in town squares.
The importance of the summer solstice to the Greeks dates back thousands of years, to the creation of calendar systems, many of which were developed based on geographical region. It is said that the Athenian calendar spanned from summer solstice to summer solstice, and the Delphic calendar began around the first new moon after the solstice.
In Ancient Greece, the summer solstice also marked the one-month countdown to the opening of the Olympic Games and it also fell around the time of Kronia, a festival celebrating Cronus, the god of agriculture.
In Athens today, June 21, 2022 sunrise takes place at 6 am while sunset will be at 8:50 pm- allowing locals and visitors to enjoy a long, leisurely day filled with plenty of sunshine.
Temperatures around Greece are also expected to rise over the next few days, and according to the National Meteorological Service, the highest temperatures are expected to reach 40C-41C.
On Wednesday, temperatures will reach 38C to 39C in mainland Greece and 35C in the islands from Wednesday to Friday.
Temperatures in Athens on Wednesday and Thursday will reach 38C-39C.
On Thursday, the highest temperatures expected to prevail in Greece are 40C-41C.
There will be a drop in temperatures on Friday and Saturday, but a new rise is expected again on Sunday 26 June.
