Winter Solstice

Longest Night of the Year

The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and -stitium, “a stoppage.” Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.

Winter solstice for 2006 will occur in North America on December 21. The precise time depends on your time zone. In PST, it will be 4:22 pm; in EST, 7:22 pm.

The rising of the sun

And the running of the deer,

The playing of the merry organ,

Sweet singing in the choir.

Now, where do you suppose the first couple of lines of this carol came from? A Candlegrove visitor shares a clue about earlier versions of this carol.

There is a whole series of medieval English carols on the subject of the rivalry between the holly and the ivy. In many of them, the holly and ivy symbolized male and female, and the songs narrated their often rowdy vying for mastery in the forest or in the house.

And the next time you find yourself in a store, getting annoyed at incessant repetitions of "the Carol of the Bells," consider this: it's a remnant of the pre-Christian winter solstice celebration in the Ukraine. The Ukrainian carol called "Shchedryk" has the same melody as the Carol of the Bells, but different English words. The word "Shchedryk" means the "Generous One". It refers to the god of generosity, the Dazh Boh - the Giver God, which is the sun.

More Interesting Tidbits about The Winter Solstice