McALLEN — Shades of yellow, auburn and green decorated the garden here at Quinta Mazatlan where attendees gathered Tuesday to celebrate the beginning of the summer season.
The soft, mellow tune of Weezer’s “Island In The Sun” greeted attendees as they entered the garden where posters were displayed describing the significance of the solstice.
According to Colleen Hook, manager at Quinta Mazatlan, the June solstice is celebrated around the world as it marks the start of summer, which occurs when the earth’s northern point is tilted closest to the sun, extending the hours of sunlight Tuesday.
“We tried to pull from a variety of cultures and mix them together for the summer solstice celebration,” Hook said, adding this is the time families should take advantage of the outdoors.
The RGV Drum Circle, where Cesar Avendaño and his group would initiate the festival by playing a caracol in each cosmic direction, was one of several festivities at the event Tuesday. This performance is believed to create a connection between people and the earth.
“When there is a celestial equinox we include the elements and six cosmic directions — which are north, south, east, west, up, down, and our hearts to connect with all the elements of life,” Avendaño said.
He also said it creates a sense of peace among people.
“Every culture celebrates the cosmic clock and astrological clock because it is a form in which our natural lives as human beings can advance and be in perfect harmony with the earth and the universe,” he added.
For 50-year-old Eva Aboytes, a dance therapist, the solstice also allows people to express their rawest emotions without inhibitions.
“We are honoring part of the cycle of the year where we are going to start to grow and it is a good time to think about what you want to bring into your life,” she said. “It is like setting an intention for the year.”
If there was one word heard often throughout the festival Tuesday, it was “harmony.” Several described the solstice festival as a means of connecting harmoniously with the earth through dance.
Other interesting sights included a sunflower walking around the event grounds. Actually, it was an attendee, 22-year-old Dezarea Perez, whose outfit was inspired by sunflowers.
“I like the general ambiance where you could just go and explore,” Perez said.
