Whereas many issues have modified in people’ lives over the ages, one factor has remained the identical: the sacred nature of the sun.
Our beliefs, celebrations, and day by day habits have revolved round the heat and light it gives, inspiring numerous legends and festivals.
Meteorologically, many affiliate winter’s arrival with colder days and earlier sunsets. Nevertheless, astronomically, the winter season begins with the winter solstice.
As this yr’s winter solstice attracts nearer, here’s a have a look at what it’s, when it’ll happen this yr, and what myths and legends it’s related to.
What’s the winter solstice?
The winter solstice, often known as the hibernal solstice, occurs when both of our planet’s poles reaches its most tilt away from the Solar.
This occurs twice yearly, as soon as for the Northern hemisphere and as soon as for the Southern hemisphere, kicking off their winter seasons in December.
The day of the winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest evening of the yr.
Since prehistoric occasions, the winter solstice has performed a big half in human cultures and, to at the present time, it’s celebrated throughout the globe.
It will get its title from the Latin phrases “sol” and “sistere”, which imply “solar” and “to face nonetheless”. So, solstice refers back to the day the solar stands nonetheless.
When is that this yr’s winter solstice?
In 2024, the winter solstice will happen on Saturday, December 21. So, astronomically, the winter season gained’t begin till then.
Consistent with that, the astronomical winter season is because of come to an finish on Thursday, March 20, 2025.
What are a few of the myths and legends related to the winter solstice?
Historical tribes and communities within the Northern Hemisphere related the winter with their crops dying and their individuals enduring freezing temperatures.
Given their lack of scientific information, they weren’t in a position to determine why the solar appeared much less. So, to make sense of it, they got here up with their legendary explanations for all of it.
Many communities have been satisfied that the solar was a female determine: a goddess or queen of some type. Pre-Islamic southern Arabians known as her Atthar, whereas Mesopotamians referred to the Queen of Heaven as Arunna. The Vikings knew her as Sol, and the Inuit known as her Solar Sister.
The Nordics believed that the winter solstice marked when their goddesses would give delivery, bringing extra mild into the darkened planet Earth. So, they referred to it as “mom’s evening”.
The Finnish legend defined that the goddess of the North Louhi would kidnap the moon and the solar, and maintain them captive inside a mountain, which induced the chilly, darkish days of winter.
In the meantime, these within the Scottish Highlands referred to the winter solstice as “Grian-stad Geamhraidh”, that means “sun-stop winter”. Their myths defined {that a} hag-goddess who introduced on the winter chilly would solely be gone when Scots would carve her likeness right into a wood log and burn it.
How is the winter solstice celebrated immediately?
Given how very important the solar was to the survival of our communities, the winter solstice grew to become one of the crucial vital days in our calendars.
To at the present time, we have fun the lengthy and darkish evening that marks the turning level of the solar’s journey again to us.
In Europe, communities collect in historic monuments which might be fastidiously aligned with the solar’s actions, like Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland. Whereas Newgrange factors to the winter solstice dawn, Stonehenge marks the winter solstice sundown.
Communities with Persian ancestry mark the day with the competition of Yalda, which celebrates the victory of sunshine over darkish and the birthday of the solar God Mithra. On winter solstice, households come collectively, keep awake via the evening to welcome the morning solar collectively, and feast.
In China, the Dongzhi competition celebrates the arrival of winter. It’s thought to have began as an end-of-harvest competition in historic occasions, when farmers would return from the fields to benefit from the fruits of their labours with their family members.
The competition is understood for its particular menu consisting of rice wine, dumplings, ginger rice, roasted meats and extra, and for households dedicating time to worshipping their ancestors and Heaven.
