As the blog title suggests, Winter Solstice Greetings to One and All in the Northern Hemisphere! And Summer Solstice greetings to those in the Southern Hemisphere! The photograph above is a bit of a cheat as it shows the sun rising over the Heel stone at Stonehenge on the Midsummer Solstice morning the last time that Other Half and I were there to celebrate the day.
Many believe that our modern Christmas is descended from the pagan Winter Solstice celebrations. http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice.html tells us that the solstice occurs tonight at 11.38pm and gives all the variations around the world according to variations in calendar date, longitude/latitude and hemisphere. Basically, in the Southern hemisphere it marks the date when the daylight hours cease to shortern and start to lengthen again until the Summer Solitice is reached in June. A good cause for celebration!
Each to their own I suppose. I confess that whilst I acknowledge the solstice insofar as it heralds the start of longer days and the slow journey towards summer again, I do see it as a reason to celebrate.
ReplyDelete