Dec 21st is the winter solstice this year. The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium from the words sol, “the sun” and sister, “to make stand.” The combined meaning is “the sun stands still.” The word suggests a pause as the sun reaches its southernmost point and reverses direction on the horizon. It is the shortest day and the longest night in the northern hemisphere.
In this amazing one-year series of photos by Luca Vanzella of sunrises in each month throughout the year, the winter solstices are represented in the top and bottom photos, and the summer solstice in the center photo.
As the earth tilts on its axis and leans away from the sun, it is winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south. During the winter solstice, the earth’s axis is tilted at its furthest point from the sun. So, in the northern hemisphere, the sun appears at its lowest in the sky and the sunrise is at its most southernmost point on the horizon. It is the shortest day and the longest night of the year.
Another view demonstrating this movement is in this analemma photo taken in Budapest, Hungary by amateur astronomer and nightscape photographer György Soponyai. It shows the sun’s position at 8 am on days spread out over one year, with the winter solstice at the lowest right point and the summer solstice at the highest point in the upper left.
Winter
For those that follow the astronomical seasonal calendar, today marks the beginning of winter, although, in the Celtic calendar, it marks mid-winter. The days begin to get longer from here, and the daylight will gradually return. Much of the celebration of the solstice focuses on this return of the light.
Poetry
Beyond the astronomical phenomenon, the idea of the sun standing still can be seen as a metaphor for a time of change in the direction of our lives as we enter the new year. Such an introspective time calls for poetry and celebrations! Here are four such poems:
The Shortest Day
So the shortest day came, and the year died,
Susan Cooper from The Shortest Day
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive,
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, reveling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us—Listen!!
All the long echoes sing the same delight,
This shortest day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Welcome Yule!
Susan Cooper & Carson Ellis
To Know the Dark
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light.
Wendell Berry from Terrapin and other Poems
To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight,
and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings,
and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings
Winter’s Cloak
This year I do not want
the dark to leave me.
I need its wrap
of silent stillness,
its cloak
of long lasting embrace.
Too much light
has pulled me away
from the chamber
of gestation.Let the dawns
come late,
let the sunsets
arrive early,
let the evenings
extend themselves
while I lean into
the abyss of my being.Let me lie in the cave
of my soul,
for too much light
blinds me,
steals the source
of revelation.Let me seek solace
Joyce Rupp in The Circle of Life: The Heart’s Journey Through the Seasons
in the empty places
of winter’s passage,
those vast dark nights
that never fail to shelter me.
Joyce Rupp & Macrina Wiederkehr
A Winter Solstice Prayer
The dark shadow of space leans over us. . . . .
We are mindful that the darkness of greed, exploitation, and hatred
also lengthens its shadow over our small planet Earth.
As our ancestors feared death and evil and all the dark powers of winter,
we fear that the darkness of war, discrimination, and selfishness
may doom us and our planet to an eternal winter.May we find hope in the lights we have kindled on this sacred night,
hope in one another and in all who form the web-work of peace and justice
that spans the world.In the heart of every person on this Earth
Edward Hays from Prayers for a Planetary Pilgrim
burns the spark of luminous goodness;
in no heart is there total darkness.
May we who have celebrated this winter solstice,
by our lives and service, by our prayers and love,
call forth from one another the light and the love
that is hidden in every heart.
Amen.
Celebrations & Traditions
The solstice is marked with a variety of traditions, observances, and celebrations around the world. Here are some of them.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND: Burning the Clocks –The seaside town of
Brighton, England has a yearly solstice parade, bonfire, and fire show. People wearing costumes representing clocks and the passage of time march to the beach with lanterns made of wood and paper. There, the lanterns are burned in a huge bonfire, symbolizing the wishes, hopes, and fears that are offered into the flames.
CALIFORNIA AND LATIN AMERICA:
Mission churches, such as Old Mission San Juan Bautista, were built by Spanish missionaries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to convert Native Americans to Catholicism. At dawn on the winter solstice, a shaft of light enters the church and illuminates the altar or a sacred object. The churches appear to have been built purposefully to align with the solstice, in what could have been an effort to syncretize the indigenous people’s reverence for the solstice with Christian beliefs.
HOPI: Soyal – The indigenous Southwest Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo peoples of northern Arizona celebrate the winter solstice as part of their religious tradition. Ceremonies are held to honor kachina, which are ancestral guardian spirits representing the natural world. During the Soyal solstice ceremony, which is led by a tribal chief, the sun is welcomed back to its summer path with ritual dances and pahos, special prayer sticks that are fashioned from feathers and pinyon needles. Gift-giving to children, prayers for the coming year, singing, and storytelling are also part of the festivities.
IRAN: Shab-e Yalda –An ancient Persian festival, Yalda (meaning birth) is marked by feasting, candles, bonfires, and poetry. Yalda celebrates the victory of light over dark and the birthday of the sun god Mithra. Families celebrate together with special foods like pomegranates and nuts, and some stay awake through the long night to welcome the morning sun.
JAPAN: Toji –Rooted in the Yin/Yang philosophy, this day is seen as a turning point. The yin of cold and darkness is believed to be at its highest on this longest night. Once this night passes, the yang of light and warmth is ushered in. It is celebrated with hot baths infused with yuzu fruit or visiting a hot spring for a soak. People eat winter squash called kabocha, adzuki beans, and unmori (auspicious seasonal vegetables those names contain an ‘n’ sound.) Some people attend an outdoor festival at a shrine or temple. There, they perform Touji-sai, praying for good health and a clean soul as they walk on a path of ash made through a small bonfire.
NEWGRANGE, IRELAND: The 5,200-year-old Newgrange passage tomb is aligned to the winter solstice: A small opening above the entrance fills with light on several sunrises surrounding the solstice, gradually extending throughout the chamber to illuminate it. The dramatic effect lasts for 17 minutes. Although the exact reason the tomb was created this way isn’t known, it’s speculated that it marks the beginning of a new year and the triumph of light over darkness. Today, visitors can apply for a lottery drawing to be inside the temple at the moment of sunrise on these days; and many gather outside the monument.
Peru – Inti Raymi – This southern hemisphere solstice celebration occurs in June, rather than December; for Peru, it is a winter solstice. Originally celebrated by the Inca before the arrival of Spanish conquistadors, the festivities are believed to have included feasts and animal sacrifices. The Spaniards banned the holiday, but it was revived in the 20th century and continues today.
SCANDINAVIA: Yule, St Lucia’s Day, Festival of Lights
Strong traditions marking the the turning point of the long dark winters of the north have ancient roots in this part of the world. Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals, with origins among the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. The Norse would light large bonfires to ward off evil spirits of the night. Cattle were slaughtered and meat was plentiful for feasting and offering to the gods. Now, the Festival of Lights, dedicated to St. Lucia celebrates light conquering darkness. Girls dress up in white gowns with red sashes and wear wreaths of candles on their heads. This kicks off the Yule Season, which originated as a pre-Christian multi-day celebration. The 12 day Scandinavian festival which centred around the solstice has given us many of our modern traditions including the Christmas tree, the Yule log and the Christmas wreath. It is thought that the original Yule log was a large log that burned throughout the entire festival, for up to twelve days.
SOUTH KOREA: Dongji – One of the winter solstice rituals includes eating patjuk, a red bean porridge. Red is considered to be a lucky color, so the dish is meant to keep bad spirits away while embracing good wishes for the coming year. Other Dongji traditions include giving calendars, as Korean kings used to do, and socks. And this is a day where Koreans wish for snow, as cold weather on the winter solstice is said to bring a bountiful harvest.
STONEHENGE, ENGLAND: The solstices are perhaps the best times to visit Stonehenge. It is a time when entry is free and visitors are free to explore the structure. Stonehenge was built to align with the sun on the solstices. On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon.
VANCOUVER, CANADA: Winter Solstice Lantern Festival –On December 21 Vancouver will celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of its most festive events, with thousands taking to the streets of Granville Island and Yaletown to light up the darkest night. The Winter Solstice Lantern Festival features lantern-making workshops, fire performances and musical entertainment, creating a carnival-like atmosphere that drives away any winter blues. Other attractions include the Labyrinth of Light, an indoor art installation featuring 600 candles, and storytelling presentations
How Will You Celebrate?
Regardless of how the solstice is celebrated, it is a great time to reflect on the themes of change, new beginnings, the balance of dark and light, or moving from the dark into the light, and the cycle of birth – death – rebirth. People have found creative and meaningful ways of doing just that for many centuries.
How will you celebrate? Do you know of other traditions and celebrations or poems that I have not mentioned here? Please feel free to mention them in the comments.
Happy Solstice!
