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Happy Winter Solstice today!

by Amy Judd | December 20, 2008 at 04:28 pm

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December 20 marks the day of Winter Solstice and Winter Solstice rituals for 2008.

Sunday December 21 marks the official beginning of Winter, as the sun will be at the greatest angular distance from the Northern Hemisphere.

Tonight, is the longest night of the whole year.

People celebrate the milestone in various ways. In New York, fans of new age and spiritual music flock to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine for Paul Winter's annual Whole Earth Winter Solstice Celebration, an eclectic concert featuring music from the Gothic cathedral's impressive pipe organ as well as the rising of the "sun gong." Neo-druids and pagans make a pilgrimage to Stonehenge in England to watch the sun align perfectly through the stones, assuming the sun makes an appearance during this cloudy time of year.

A little explanation about the Winter Solstice:

The word "solstice" comes from two Latin words, "sol," meaning sun and "sistere," which means to cause to stand still.

While the technical explanations for the Winter Solstice are straightforward, the change in seasons and beginning of winter has always been a time of celebration.

Some additional coverage by Cypresso here.

Are you attending any Winter Solstice celebrations today?

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Uwe Paschen

at 18:49 on December 20th, 2008

Thank you Amy and I better be off to get ready.

Happy Winter Solstice to you as well.

By the Hammer of Donar (Thorn for the Anglo Saxon) it is about time.

Albert Milliron

at 02:30 on December 21st, 2008

In Fairbanks Alaska it will have 3h 43 m of Sunlight today. At the Arctic Circle None and in Barrow they are with the 6 weeks of total darkness. They all get happy as each day forward gives 3-7 min of sunlight.

Mikasi

at 05:23 on December 21st, 2008

Here near Wisconsin we are tired of the pre-winter "warm up" i.e. foot of snow, single digit temperatures and subzero wind chill and now look forward to the real winter with its punch.

Personally, my celebration will consist simply of breaking out my red, one piece thermal unwear.