|
Home Tips > Tips By Category > Tips you can implement daily Winter solstice occurs on the shortest day or longest night of the year, marking the astronomical beginning of winter. Worldwide, interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal and many other festivals of light.
The astronomical event of the Winter solstice, occurring sometime between December 20 and 23 each year in the northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and 23 in the Southern Hemisphere, is the shortest day and the longest night of the year, marking the beginning of winter when the sun is at its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. The name Winter Solstice means Sun set still in winter.
In Celtic countries such as Ireland the winter solstice is traditionally considered as midwinter, the winter season beginning November 1 on All Hallows or Samhain. Winter ends and spring begins on Imbolc or Candlemas, which is February 1 or 2. This system of seasons is based on the length of days exclusively. The three-month period of the shortest days and weakest solar radiation occurs during November, December and January in the Northern Hemisphere (May-July in the Southern).
Many Midwinter festivals have occurred according to lunar calendars and so, often took place on Höku night (Hawaiian), the night of the full moon closest to the winter solstice. And many solar calendar Midwinter celebrations still centre upon December 25th in the north, which was the winter solstice upon the establishment of the Julian calendar.
The difference between the Julian calendar year (365.2500 days) and the tropical year (365.2422 days) moved the day associated with the actual astronomical solstice forward approximately three days every four centuries until 1582 when Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar bringing the northern winter solstice to around December 21st. In the Gregorian calendar the solstice moves around a bit but in the long term it moves only about one day in 3000 years.
The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since neolithic times. The winter solstice was immensely important because communities were not assured to live through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January to April, also known as the famine months. The midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was nearly the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve.
REPLY to this article
Also read these articles
Return from Winter Solstice to Tips you can implement daily
| 
Twitter
Facebook
More