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Winter Solstice - History and Traditions
E-Mail from Walter Levine

Long before any of the modern faiths, ritual and belief followed the
natural cycle of birth and death--the seasons. The movements of the sun and moon were/and still are used to define the seasons:

Vernal Equinox: around March 21st, the beginning of spring.
Summer Solstice: about June 22nd (Midsummer), the start of summer and the longest day of the year.
Autumnal Equinox: around September 21st, the start of fall.
Winter Solstice: about December 22nd, the beginning of winter.

Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the sun is at
it's lowest arc in the sky. Astronomers have pinpointed the exact
angle to the tilt of the earth to the sun at 23 degrees/27 minutes
from the plane of orbit--but to simplify things: Winter Solstice is
when (because of this tilt) your hemisphere is leaning farthest away
from the sun. It is heralded as a turning point--the day that marks
the return of the sun.

Cultures world over perform solstice rituals, usually involving light
in some way, and revolved around the fear that the light would not return. Ancient cultures built great architecture aligned to observe and mark solstices and equinoxes.

An example is Stonehenge, a perfect marker for the solstices. A lesser known megalith site is Newgrange in Ireland. This circular stone structure is estimated to be centuries older than Stonehenge. It receives a beam of light deep into it's central chambers at dawn on Winter Solstice--which reveals a series of carvings on a stone basin. A third example is Maeshowe on the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, which admits a shaft of light at the Winter Solstice setting sun.

As the modern faiths became more common and the pagan (country) faiths less popular, the Christmas holiday season was transplanted onto Winter Solstice. Celebrations involve decorative lights, candles and fires of special logs or certain pine branches. Apple wassailing derives from blessing of the apple trees for bountiful harvests. Even the making of certain special cakes and pastries come from the fruitfulness of nature, the return of life and the return of the sun.

Native Americans had Winter Solstice rites. In Iran, there is a celebration of Yalda, kept by burning fires throughout the night to help the sun and battle the darkness. There are Winter Solstice celebrations in Pakistan, Tibet and China. In Russia there is a Christmas ritual involving candles. The Jewish Festival of the Lights occures around this time of year.

Whatever other special family celebrations you observe, this time of year marks the return of spring as the days get longer from this point on--and the hopes for the renewal of life. May there be light in your heart this Winter Solstice.

Thanks for your participation.

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