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Haji is the day with the longest daylight and the highest sun of the year. After it, the real heat of summer begins.
Haji, around June 21, is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sunlight received reaches its maximum.
The monsoon begins and the heat deepens. Crops grow quickly, and in times of drought people held rain rituals.
People dug fresh potatoes around Haji and enjoyed potato pancakes and rice. A long drought past Haji troubled farmers waiting for rain.
Haji (Summer Solstice) is the moment the Sun reaches 90° of ecliptic longitude, the solstice point. It is as far north as the Sun travels, and from this day it starts back toward the south. · First pentad, 鹿角解 — the deer sheds its antlers. · Second pentad, 蜩始鳴 — cicadas begin to sing. · Third pentad, 半夏生 — banxia (半夏) sprouts. Haji's first pentad pairs with the second pentad of the winter solstice. Traditional commentary classed the deer as a creature of yang, so it drops its antlers at Haji, when yin is first born; the large mi deer (麋) was classed as yin, and so sheds its antlers at the winter solstice, when yang is first born. Banxia, whose name means 'half of summer', is a plant that grows in the very middle of the season, and its tuber has long been used in traditional East Asian medicine. In Korea cicadas start to be heard around the monsoon season, so Haji's second pentad does not stray far from the order of the Korean summer.
In many years the monsoon begins soon after Haji. Central Korea usually enters the rainy season in late June, so solstice week is the last easy window to check the house before the rains. Re-seal any window-frame silicone that has lifted before rain starts driving in, and if you use a dehumidifier, wash its tank and filter in advance. Beyond the new potatoes, summer vegetables multiply at once: courgettes (aehobak), cucumbers and green chillies become plentiful, early-summer fruits such as plums and apricots arrive, and the first watermelons and Korean melons (chamoe) appear. With the Sun at its highest around Haji, midday ultraviolet is intense, so moving garden work or exercise to early morning or dusk is easier on the body.
| Year | Begins at |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Jun 21, 05:51 |
| 2025 | Jun 21, 11:42 |
| 2026 this year | Jun 21, 17:25 |
| 2027 | Jun 21, 23:11 |
| 2028 | Jun 21, 05:02 |
Summer Solstice is a jungi (中氣) rather than a jeol (節), so the Four Pillars month pillar does not change here. It marks the middle of a season.
Taking Summer Solstice alone: it fell at Jun 21, 11:42 in 2025 and at Jun 21, 17:25 in 2026 — roughly 5.7 hours later.
By longitude, Summer Solstice sits at 90° and the next term Lesser Heat at 105° — about 15 days apart.
Enjoy fresh-potato dishes
Prepare for full heat and the monsoon
Use the long day for outdoor activity
Watch for AC chills and food poisoning
Adjacent terms:
Explore related fortunes
Summer Solstice is the 10th of the 24 solar terms, falling around June 21. The longest day. The sun rides highest, heading into the heart of summer.
Haji is the day with the longest daylight and the highest sun of the year. After it, the real heat of summer begins.
Enjoy fresh-potato dishes Prepare for full heat and the monsoon Use the long day for outdoor activity Watch for AC chills and food poisoning