The year is coming to an end with the normal angst and
stress of the season. Inspirational
movies and television specials are the order of the day. Each year I remember that our holiday at this
time of year was first observed thousands of years ago long before Christ was
born most likely when the first primates walked upright and noticed the
changing of the seasons. And I recall
that this, the winter solstice is the marker that many of man’s religions
observe by different names and with different traditions. As Wikipedia observes:
The Winter Solstice, also
known as Midwinter, occurs around December 21
or 22
each year in the Northern hemisphere, and June 20 or 21 in the Southern Hemisphere. It occurs on the shortest
day or longest night of the year, sometimes said to mark the beginning
of a hemisphere's astronomical winter. The word solstice
derives from Latin,
Winter Solstice meaning Sun set still in winter. Worldwide,
interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture, but most hold a
recognition of rebirth, involving festivals,
gatherings, rituals
or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the
winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals
of light.
Our planet moves through space the days change getting
longer until December 21 or 22 depending upon your geographical position on
earth and then moving away from winter, the days becoming shorter until the
summer solstice when the whole pattern repeats.
My mood like that of many other humans I have found at this time is
manifest with anxiety and trepidation. “The
light” folks always say when I complain about this phenomena. I don’t know why or if it is the declining
light but this is always a difficult time for me.
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