The Winter Solstice, a mark in time
Today, Dec. 21, marks the Winter Solstice, which occurs annually either on this date or on tomorrow’s.
It’s “the shortest day of the year,” meaning that, even though it’s still 24 hours long, it has the least daylight of any date on the calendar.
On this day, the sun is angled the farthest away from Earth than on any other day, so the sun is the lowest on our horizons.
The Winter Solstice has been acknowledged for centuries by cultures around the world. The Roman feast of Saturnalia occurred around the time of the solstice, and was celebrated with feasting and intense partying, which included role reversal games and gift-giving.
Stonehenge, the Neolithic monument of standing stones on Salisbury Plain in England, was built to mark the solstices. Other cultures, including Ireland’s Newgrange, Mexico’s Chichen Itza and Peru’s Machu Picchu, to name just a few, were all solstice markers that tracked the sun’s movements in December.
This time of year in our world celebrates a significant religious holiday, and is also a time to bring lights to dark nights, to gather for good food and fellowship, to count blessings, and mark a year passing and a new one about to be born.
