Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Celebrating the Solstice

DEBORAH CROMBIE: For those of us in the northern hemisphere today, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice, the day when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the sun. (In the southern hemisphere, December 21st is the Summer Solstice.) It is the turning point of the winter, after which the days begin to get longer, and has been celebrated in every culture as far back as Neolithic times. (Stonehenge, check!)

Every religion, too, seems to have some version of a rebirth myth tied to the shortest days. Don't you wonder, though, how these prehistoric people began to calculate that incremental increase, just a few seconds a day? Was it instinctual, the way our dogs somehow know that it's Friday and we're going to get takeout, before I've done anything differently?? (Seriously, how do they do that? One of our now departed dogs knew when it was Christmas--she LOVED Christmas.) The birds certainly know the year is turning--they've begun to sing the last couple of days, as they always do this time of year.

Although we may not have to worry about starvation in the coming long winter days, as older cultures did, but I know many people who struggle with the shorter days and rejoice in the longer daylight, even in tiny fractions. 

I'm not one of them. I've always liked the coziness of the early darkness. But then I live in a temperate climate and I'm not (at least most of the time) freezing or plowing through snowdrifts. Here in Texas, I cheer on the Summer Solstice because the days getting shorter means fewer hours of heat!

When I lived in Edinburgh I have to admit I felt differently about those winter days, however. Less than six hours of daylight when it is overcast, damp, and very cold requires some serious comfort, which I didn't have in our old, unheated flat.

Although I don't officially celebrate the Solstice, I always feel it deserves some quiet time, a pause for meditation. I'd love to put this photo in my journal and spend a few moments writing, taking stock of the year and the season.

Unfortunately, the Winter Solstice coincides with what is usually a very busy week leading up to Christmas and I seldom manage to make that time.

What about you, REDs and readers? Do you mark the Solstice? Are you happy to see the days getting longer?




75 comments:

  1. I’m good with winter and short sunlight days as long as there’s no snow . . . . But I have to admit that I’m not a fan of dark, cold days and so those longer daylight days are nice . . . .

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    1. Yes, snow on dark days does really make you feel shut in.

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  2. Longer days! Longer days! I'm all about heat and summer, so I am always looking forward to the days getting longer again.

    I don't do much to celebrate the solstice as such, but I don't take the four first days of the season to do all those chores you are supposed to do every three months or so. Changing toothbrushes and water and air filters, for example.

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    1. But even your California winters are nice, Mark! (And thanks for reminding me to remind my husband to change the filters:-))

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    2. They get as cold as I want to deal with. Have we discussed that I'm a So Cal wimp when it comes to cold weather recently?

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  3. I don't do anything special to celebrate the Solstices, but I am aware of them and pause to reflect on all the centuries and people before us to whom a solstice was a big deal. As you said, Debs, I think they're deserving of some quiet time spent in reflection. I do feel that they have significance in the universe. I actually prefer fall and winter, but I enjoy the longer hours of summer when driving to and from seeing my granddaughter, an hour away. I had to drive back from her piano recital after the sun set yesterday, and the parkway I'm on the longest sees lots of deer and car collisions when it's dark.

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    1. Driving at night with deer on the road is so scary, Kathy.

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    2. Debs, it is scary. I've been in two deer collisions in my life. One was when I was a teenager, with my parents and a friend of mine. The car was disabled, but we were all okay. The second was when my kids were little and husband was driving. We hit the deer, but our car was okay to drive, and most importantly, our children weren't hurt. Both of those deer just seemed to come out of nowhere.

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  4. Today in Bern, the capital of Switzerland, the sun will set at 4:44pm. We aren't anywhere near as far north as you were in Edinburgh, Debs, but, still, Bern shares its latitude with Newfoundland, which makes our winters long and dark. Worse, in this part of Switzerland, called the Mittelland because it's between our two mountains ranges, the Jura and the Alps, we experience a lot of fog. For the past week we've crouched here under a low gray sky while, only about 2,000 feet above us, the sun is shining in a cloudless sky. All of this means that I'm very aware that the days will start growing longer tomorrow--and very grateful. And speaking of the solstice, after yesterday's post about Christmas novels, I wanted to recommend one I reread often: Rosamunde Pilcher's Winter Solstice (2000). An oldy but a goody.

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    1. I'm going to search out that book, Kim! Sunset in London today is at 3:54! Here just north of Dallas it is at 5:25, so when I'm writing about London in the winter I have to be very aware of how early the darkness falls there!

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    2. Kim, I just saw a beautiful picture of somewhere in Switzerland, the picturesque village in the snow. I hadn't thought about fog being an overriding presence in Switzerland.

      A dear friend of mine and commenter here, Kaye Barley, just posted a pic of Rosamunde Pilcher's Winter Solstice, and she said it was one of her Christmas rereads. I have that book, per Kaye's recommendation, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I think I need to hurry myself along to it.

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    3. I have put a sample of the Pilcher book on my Kindle, thanks to Kim's recommendation. I missed yesterday's conversation, I'm afraid, but am happy to have this one. Thanks, Kim!

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  5. I do suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) so I am definitely looking forward to LONGER hours of daylight. Sunrise is 7:40 am, and starts setting just after 4:00 pm now.

    For many years, I used one of those SAD light therapy boxes that sits on my desk. I turn it on for the first 15 minutes I am awake. The light does not shine directly on me but is on the periphery of my vision. The light therapy simulates sunrise and activates chemicals in the brain to affect your mood. If you have SAD, you should try this. Best $100 investment I made over 15 years ago.

    But since I have retired in Ottawa, I don't use the light box at all. I am more active outdoors every day, even in late fall/winter, and my SAD symptoms are mostly gone.
    Now if we got stuck indoors with another lockdown this winter, I may have to drag it out again...

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    1. Some of my colleagues used a SAD light at their desk and it certainly did the trick for them. So fascinating how light-dependent we are. Bring on the coming longer days!

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    2. Grace, I also suffered of SAD during the last years of working and used the light therapy while I breakfasted. I hated waking up in the dark and coming back from work in the dark.
      Since I retired, I decided to get up with the sun and not before as often as I can. It helps me and I’ve not used my lamp a lot in the last two years.

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    3. DANIELLE: Yes, I had the same type of commute in Toronto (see my comment on Amanda's post below). I awake up well before sunrise (between 4-5 am) but am coping well without using the light box.

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    4. I've found that stringing white (warm) Xmas lights around the windows, including my office upstairs, and keeping them on all through the winter, seems to help keep me feel cheery on gloomy days...

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  6. Happy solstice! The eastern sky is beginning to pinken as I write this, and the electric candles are lit in the windows. I also find something cozy in the short days, especially now I don't have to drive to work in the dark and sometimes come home in the dark.

    My Friends Meeting is having a silent worship tonight, and it's always lovely to be there at night, so that's how I'll mark the Solstice. Longer days ultimately mean a growing garden and local farm produce - all good!

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    1. Your evening service sounds lovely, Edith. Blessed be.

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    2. Your service sounds lovely, Edith! And we are glad that you are home writing these days!

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    3. Edith, I love the idea of quietly sitting with well-loved friends in wonder and joy at the change of seasons.

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  7. I love this day, as it marks the return of the light, if only minute by minute. But I'll take very minute -- happily -- as it comes.

    The winter dark is good for creative endeavours, but I never enjoyed leaving the house to catch my bus for work in the depths of this season. I'm grateful those days are behind me. This morning, I'm at my home worktable, with a little desktop Christmas tree and blinking lights. It's cosy. Happy Solstice!

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    1. AMANDA: Your the home worktable setup does sound cozy, enjoy!

      I also hated the winter morning while living in Toronto.
      I left home at 6:15 in the dark and arrived at Environment Canada HQ while it was still dark (7:30 am). My last position had me switching to an inner office so I saw no daylight all day. And then I left at 3:30 pm and arrived home after 5:00 pm in the dark.
      No wonder I needed that light therapy box!

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    2. Happy Winter Solstice to all. Now let’s see if we can finally get rid of Daylight Savings Time!

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  8. Our church has a Longest Night service. We gather in the quiet darkness, sing soft Taize chants, light candles, and have a time where people can share their sorrows or losses. I love the moments of quiet and reflection in the midst of the holiday busyness.

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    1. Gillian B, your Longest Night service sounds lovely!

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    2. Yes, Gillian, your service sounds very beautiful!

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  9. I mark the solstice, winter and summer, and anticipate three productive writing months during dark winter days.

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    1. Margaret, I hope mine are very productive! It does seem the perfect time to focus on a book or project.

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  10. I don't know how ancient religions could have ignored the Solstice. They were so close to nature and the natural world. We live in a time when we can choose to go outside. We can be indoors in the most extreme natural circumstances. I don't celebrate the Solstice but I surely appreciate it both winter and summer.

    Sorry to have missed most of yesterday's conversation. We were traveling home. I'll be looking for some of those books. Right now I am in the middle of An Eggnog to Die For. I love Amy Pershing's series!

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    1. Judy, I'm glad you're home safely!

      Yes, I was reading about the Solstice marking the beginning of the Days of Starvation, the long months when people knew they might not survive. Solstice celebrations involved the slaughter of the animals that couldn't be fed through the winter. It really makes you think about how far we are from nature now.

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    2. JUDY: Welcome back! I have been saving Amy's AN EGGNOG TO DIE FOR to read this week. I enjoyed her first book a lot.

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    3. Amy's book is sitting on my pile of stuff to take for the holiday!

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  11. I'm happy to see the days getting longer. The other day I was talking to my young grandson and telling him that the days will soon be getting longer. Then he told me he liked shorter days because that meant that Christmas would come all that much sooner. I didn't argue with his logic but I could see his point. Someday he will understand that all days are 24 hours long.

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  12. I'm happy when the days are longer and winter is gone.

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  13. I don’t celebrate the solstice in a particular way.
    I welcome with joy the winter solstice because I know the days will be longer and longer.
    At the summer solstice, it is the contrary because I am aware that the days will become shorter and shorter .

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    1. I understand what you're saying, Danielle. It's six months of the gaining followed by six months of the losing, but I suppose the ideal perspective to have is that the cycle always renews itself.

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  14. We do mark the Solstice and took note of this morning's stunning sunrise here in southern Maine. I realize Solstice officially occurs at 10:59 a.m., but it felt appropriate to acknowledge the annual turning when the eastern horizon was flooded with golden light.

    A few years ago we visited Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland, a Neolithic cairn where people flock to witness the solstice. FMI: https://www.worldheritageireland.ie/bru-na-boinne/built-heritage/newgrange/

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    1. Brenda, how wonderful! I was looking at photos of Newgrange yesterday when I was writing this post. That must have been a great experience. I have been to Stonehenge but not at the Solstice.

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  15. All three adults in my household crave sunlight, so the Winter Solstice comes with a sigh of relief. My workplace has a break room in the basement, but I rarely use it--I need to see daylight!

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    1. I have to admit I'm very spoiled, because I work from home and can go outside whenever I want. In the summer I can only work in our sun porch until about two in the afternoon. After that, it's too hot and too bright even with all the shades down. But on these shorter days I'm finding that I stay in the porch all afternoon, watching the day fade in the garden as I write.

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  16. I count down to the Solstice. I like warm darkness, not cold darkness. The weather guy kept telling us there are 9 hours of daylight today. So I’m very happy the daylight is now going to get longer. I need sun and warm.
    And the very good thing about today is my 2 favorite nieces were born on this day.

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    1. Happy birthday to your nieces! I think December 21st is an auspicious day--and better than being born on the 25th!

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  17. Happy Solstice! Before I forget, if you want to listen to some lovely music to mark the occasion tonight, the Paul Winter Consort has a Winter Solstice concert this evening on NPR at 8 PM your time, wherever you are. From our local website:

    "Celebrate the return of the sun - and the warming of the heart with Paul Winter's Winter Solstice Celebration. On the darkest night of the year, we head back to New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine to hear a performance of The Paul Winter Consort and the glorious Cathedral Pipe Organ. John Schaefer hosts."

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  18. I don't mind the winter but my husband really dislikes the cold and the early darkness. He uses a SAD light on his work desk and we escape to Key West for a month in February which he looks forward to all year! Once he retires in a few years we would like to spend much more time in Key West but for now those four weeks in February are what we can do.

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    1. I think a month in Key West would be lovely, Emily!

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  19. Happy Solstice! Tonight our sun will set at 3:48. I love our long, cold, dark, evenings. As a writer, I find them "yeasty." Endless stories spin out into the night and everything seems possible and probable under the cover of darkness.

    I do celebrate the Solstice, always have. As a child I stayed awake from midnight to midnight. It seemed important to mark those twenty-four hours. As an adult, I pay it silent and simple homage marking the transition between the natural end of one year and the beginning of another.

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    1. That is a short day! Sunset in London today is 3:54. I love the idea of these short days being "yeasty," Kait. And what a beautiful description of the dark evenings. I think that's what I feel, too, but you have put it into perfect words.

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  20. I mentally mark the solstice, although I don't do anything specific. And yes, I do rejoice in more daylight. It was 23 degrees when I woke up this morning and that's a tad bit on the chilly side. LOL

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  21. Although we have hovered around freezing, this morning I woke up to the first heavy frost sparkling on the grass and perfect winter blue sky. And I heard the first cardinal sing not long after daybreak. That's always a touchstone for me. It means spring is coming.

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  22. I don’t celebrate the solstice but I’m excited about the longer days and the fact that spring is only ninety days away!! Today the sun sets here at 4:26. I don’t see well after dark so I’m stuck at home by dusk.

    DebRo

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  23. When I was writing regular blogs, I always put up the same one this time of year, about how religions all over the world observe this time of year with candles. And I have been to a few places where ancient ancestors watched for and celebrated the first rays of the returning sun ( we think they did): Stonehenge, Newgrange, Chichen Itza. And yes, they managed to calculate it and build for it, without math as we know it and with primitive tools. Astonishing. Wishing all the Red and readers bright light returning, in whatever form your beliefs support.

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  24. Eight hours and fifty-five minutes of daylight here in southern Maine - although of course, it's a little longer with dawn and dusk. These are the days when I acknowledge the wisdom of switching to standard time, because no one wants to wait for sunrise until 8:12 in the morning.

    My dear friend Roxanne and I used to celebrate the solstice when she lived next door. We'd go to the edge of her back pasture and get a jolly fire going in the fire pit. Then we'd sing a song and we'd place messages in the fire to burn - either regrets we wanted to give up or hopes and goals for the new year. Then we'd conclude by going inside and drinking mulled wine or hot cider! It was a lovely and easy way to mark the special moment, and I miss it (and her - she's in Colorado now!)

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  25. I took a walk a few days ago and the sun was already low in the sky at 2:20. So glad the days are done shortening. Julia what a nice tradition! You did that rain/snow or shine??

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  26. I used to consciously and deliberately mark the Winter Solstice with a small, personal ritual, but these days, alas, I am almost always in rehearsal--as I will be tonight. Some day I may have the opportunity to celebrate with mindfulness and meditation again, but for now I celebrate with music.

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  27. Except for the cold, which I detest, I enjoy the shorter days and longer spans of darkness this time of year. In the warmer months I feel compelled to make hay, so to speak, and be outside doing stuff, but winter gives me permission to go all hugge, and cozy by the fire with a good book and a cup of libation of some sort.

    What is really stunning, though, is to spend time at the equator. Every day of the year is 12 hours long, no matter the season. It's disconcerting to realize that the sun is going down at 6 or 6:15, and will come up at that same time in the morning, even while our summer days are 15 hours long or more. Our daughter in Nairobi is eight hours ahead of us, so sometimes her photos still shock me!

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    1. Where we lived in Mali and Burkina Faso was very close to the equator, Karen. Day length varied by less than half an hour all year! Strange. Plus the dawns and sunset are fast.

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  28. We’re certainly feeling it in AZ this year. It’s been col! And the birds on my feeder have lot to say - lol!

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  29. Just the word solstice has a magical sound to it. The long nights and shorter days have never bothered me but my husband is always a happy man when the days start getting longer.

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  30. I mark the Solstice every year as it is my birthday.... 60 this year. You’d think being born on the day with the least sunlight, I’d enjoy winter...not me...I’m one of those who craves sunlight and warmth....but the sun is out here today in Portland, OR, and I’m happy( even tho’ it is cold). Happy Solstice to all!

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  31. Usually I mark the solstice by remembering something holiday-related that I should have done but haven't. This year I'm telling myself that everything is taken care of. It's a mostly harmless delusion. Going to see my Dad tomorrow for his 98th birthday, then home for Christmas with the grandkids and those people who drive them around.

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    1. That's a wonderful tradition! PERFECT! Ha!

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    2. LOL: "and those people who drive them around"!! Indeed.

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  32. I received a nice picture today of the Sunset on the shortest day of the year, from my brother in Germany (he's holidaying on Sylt at the moment; way north). So nice...

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  33. Happy Winter Solstice to all. Now let’s see if we can finally get rid of Daylight Savings Time! I don’t mind the shorter days, I’d rather be cool than hot, so I prefer January to July.

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  34. I kind of like the short days, for a while at least. It'z cozy. And à propos of another life--when the early nights came on TV, it was totally dark by the 6pm news. So when you did a live shot outside, you got use lights--which looked better. Silver linings!

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