Winter Solstice - Happy Birthday Sun!
Today at 16:28 UTC the sun was "reborn"
21st of December marks the day of winter solstice (in the Northern Hemisphere), also known as midwinter, the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. From now on the days are getting longer again.
The solstice has been a special moment since thousands of years and many cultural mythologies and traditions (even during neolithic times) were derived from this.
For example:
- The ancient Roman festival Saturnalia in honour of the god Saturn.
- Mithraism, a mystery religion centred around the god Mithras that was practised in the Roman Empire and inspired by Persian worship of the god Mithra.
- The annual ancient Egyptian celebration of Horus.
- The Germanic and Scandinavian Yule time, an indigenous midwinter festival celebrating the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht ("Mothers' Night").
- The Lohri festival, a popular folk festival from the Punjab region of Indian subcontinent.
- The Inti Raymi, a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire in honor of the god Inti (Quechua for "sun").
One of my original drawings dealing with Inti Raymi.
The Darkest Day Celebrations
These festivals were meant to remember the people, that lighter times are ahead. Furthermore the light signifies unity and therefore is a good reason to come together and celebrate.
In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a plentiful supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but at the beginning of the pagan day, which in many cultures fell on the previous eve.
Sun Temples
There were so called sun temples in many ancient cultures to specify the exact moment of the solstice. For example:
The Konark Sun Temple (India)
By Nil Ratan - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
The Pyramid of the Sun in Teotihuacan (Mexico)
Supposed author: Nateirma~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
The Sun Sanctuary of Niuserre (Egypt)
The Goseck circle (Germany)
The cult place of Stonehenge (United Kingdom)
Happy SOL-mas!
When the Julian calendar was established by Julius Caesar in 46 BC , the solstice took place at the 25th of December, which is one of the reasons Christmas is rated as a Christianised solstice celebration by many ("Birth of the one and only sun god, Jesus Christ").
Originally the Romans celebrated the profane rites of Sol Invictus at this date.
Sol Invictus ("The Unconquered Sun") was originally a Syrian god who was later adopted as the chief god of the Roman Empire under Emperor Aurelian. His holiday is traditionally celebrated on December 25, as are several gods associated with the winter solstice in many pagan traditions.