Haji (하지, 夏至), the summer solstice, falls on Tuesday, June 21, in Korea this year. Haji marks the tenth of 24 solar terms throughout the year, and in the northern hemisphere we have the longest daytime and shortest nighttime of the year.

The tenth solar term begins when the sun reaches a celestial longitude of 90 degrees, or when the sun is, more or less, directly overhead. It normally runs from about June 21 to July 7.

The character 지/ 至 means "extreme," so the term for the summer solstice can mean the "summit of summer."

In agricultural communities at this time of year, farmers prepare for potential monsoon floods, and for droughts, and get ready for any pests or crop invasions. They sow buckwheat seeds, breed silkworms, plant rice, weed chili fields and harvest potatoes, garlic, barley and hemp. If the summer rains have not started by Haji, traditionally farmers would perform a series of sacrificial rites known as giuje (기우제, 祈雨祭), literally "ritual praying for rain," in the hope for rain.

In more modern times, everyone enjoys the long summer days and picnics after work. In Seoul, the summer solstice falls technically at 7:34 a.m. on Tuesday, June 21, 2016. On June 21, Seoul has 14 hours, 45 minutes and 39 seconds of sunlight, the most throughout the year. After that day, the amount of daylight each day begins to lessen, as we proceed around the sun. In GMT, the summer solstice is Monday, June 20, at 10:34 p.m.

Haji falls between Mangjong (망종, 芒種), "The Day the Grain Begins to be Harvested," on June 5 and Soseo (소서, 小暑) the "Day of Minor Heat," on July 7. Haji always falls sometime in the fifth lunar month.

Make sure to go outside and enjoy the long summer evening on Haji, June 21, in Seoul next week.

By Gregory C. Eaves
Korea.net Staff Writer
Photo: Encyclopedia of Korean Folk Culture
gceaves@korea.kr