Winter Solstice

Tomorrow is the Winter Solstice at 2:02 a.m. PST. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The solstice occurs when one the Earth's pole's maximum tilt is away from the sun. For the Northern Hemisphere, this happens in December and in the southern hemisphere it occurs in June. So for the U.S. (where I live), the winter solstice occurs in the wee hours of tomorrow morning.

 It is the first day of Winter. And to add to the excitement, tomorrow at sunset the "Christmas Star" will be visible!

So, let's start with the solstice. It's a day to celebrate winter. The winter solstice signifies the fewest daylight hours in the day for the whole year. After tomorrow, the days will begin to grow longer until June when the Summer solstice signifies the longest day of the year (which is happening on the Southern Hemisphere now). 

Something I just learned, this is the astronomical winter, not the meteorological (weather). That winter started a couple of weeks ago. This first day of winter is all about the Earth's axis and actually only lasts for a moment, but why not celebrate all day? 

The word solstice comes from the Latin "sol" for sun and "sistere" for stand still, because the sun appears to stand in place for a moment. In this case, it stands in it's path as close to earth as it's going to get this year. Check out your shadow at high noon. It will be the longest shadow you will see for a year!

The winter solstice is a sign that the days will begin to grow longer. It is a promise of spring and new life to come. It is a celebration of the sun's rebirth. 

The Ancient Celts built their entire calendar around the solstices and equinoxes (Spring and Fall). It is believed the placement of the stones at Stonehenge were built according to the way the sun falls during the solstices. Macho Picchu also has structures that follow the sun's path. 

Most cultures have some sort of celebration during the solstices. Northern Europe celebrated the winter solstice with Yule - the feast of the winter solstice. 

So how do you celebrate? Start with the Yule Log. The yule log was anointed with wine and salt and decorated with holly, ivy and/or pinecones, then set on fire to cleanse the air of the year's previous events (and boy do we need one this year!). The logs ashes were said to keep you healthy and ward off evil. The Norse believed every spark that flew from this fire meant a new calf or lamb that year. The more sparks, the richer the year would be. 

The tradition with that Yule fire is the Yule pig. A whole hog was put over the fire and roasted for the feast. This is how the tradition of having ham for Christmas came from. Treats are circular in shape to symbolize the sun (like cookies) and wassail, or glögg, is heated and enjoyed. 

In Rome the day was a Saturnalia celebration - a time of gift giving and merriment to celebrate the winter and the start of longer days. When Christianity became a part of the world, the birth of Jesus was moved to correspond with the "pagan" festival. In fact, many of our traditions have a foundation in the Saturnalia festival. 

The winter solstice is a sign that the days will begin to grow longer. It is a promise of spring and new life to come and a celebration of the sun's rebirth. It's a time to be grateful for what you have and to celebrate nature and it's changes. 

And now for the Christmas Star. 

Saturn's and Jupiter's path converge about every 20 years. This year marks the first time in 400 years they have passed this closely and the first time in 800 years it will be visible in the sky. 

To see this amazing event, point your eyes to the southwest just after sunset. It will last only about 10 minutes as the orbits continue and the distance grows larger. 

Ponder this wonderous event. Then go in and get the fire going. Light your yule log. Have a slice of ham and a mug of glögg - And toast to the beauty that nature gives us and be grateful for the blessings in your life.