Today is the day of Winter Solstice. This is a day that has
been acknowledged for many a centuries and has been celebrated in many ways. December 21, marks the occurrence of the beginning
of days once again get longer. Believe it or not the word Solstice actually
means “sun stands still”. In Latin “sol” stands for “sun” and “sistere” stands
for “stand still”. This seems to be exactly what the sun does on the days of
the solstices though in reality we know that this is really caused because of the
shift on its axis by Earth. Regardless of why it happens and why we call it as
we do we should still understand why this day was so important in history. Can you
imagine what it was like to live in ancient times and struggle so bad every
year to survive through the winter? I would say that it would be great cause to
celebrate a day that marked the end of those days. These people realized that
this day meant longer sunlight and warmer days were just ahead and rejoiced in
the occasion.
The Romans celebrated this day as a seven day holiday. It was
called The Saturnalia. They would perform ritual rites and sacrifices. Then
there would be a huge banquet feast and later offerings to the god (Saturnalia)
at the temple. There are witness accounts that say this was a great holiday for
the people. It was said that they shared food and spent time with family and
friends. They would exchange gifts as well. This day back then was actually on
December 25. To me this sounds a bit like Christmas for us now.
Another way this day was marked and celebrated was by one of
the biggest mysteries on Earth. Stonehenge is a circle of huge stones in
southern England that no one knows for sure why they are there. What we do know
however is that on the winter solstice at sunset the sun aligns perfectly with
the center Altar Stone and the Slaughter Stone. Some may agree that this was a place that
ancients used to celebrate the event. Still, others might argue that this was a
burial place, a soundscape, or a place of healing.
The Mayans were known to observe the stars and of course
this day as well. In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula is a place called Chichen Itza.
Thought the city is old and in ruins, many of the buildings still stand. One of
these buildings is called El Castillo. This is a pyramid with steps on all four
sides. It is said that this building was to relate to the Mayan calendar
because the total number of steps on this pyramid equal 364. The step taken to
enter the temple would then total to 365 and that the total number of days in a
year. On the day of winter solstice, the sun rises and enters a hole at the top
of the building creating a starburst effect inside. Also as the sun rises it
seems to climb up one side of the temple and stop for a bit at the top. Then it
seems to climb back down the other side.
There is a burial mound in Newgrange Ireland that seems to
have something to do with this day as well. Inside this mound there are tunnels
leading to main chambers. Outside it has a grass roof and looks as if it comes from
the ground. What makes this place unique is the fact that when the sun rises on
the winter solstice, the main chambers are filled with sunlight.
There are many traditions that we still celebrate today that
many think or know derive from celebrations of this day in history. Christmas
is celebrated with sharing time with family and friends as Romans and a few
other cultures did in history. We also like to string lights on trees and sit
by a cozy fire. These things were the common way to get through the dark and
cold winters when these people lived. The used candles and fire to survive and
so we get the idea of Christmas. Going with that thought we can look to Hanukkah
or “festival of lights”. Some might think that this is a good interpretation of
celebrating the slow return of sunlight. The Yule Log is another example of
traditions used to celebrate this day for some that still exists today.
Links you may enjoy:
Roman Feast
http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/calendar/saturnalia.html
Stonehenge
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/
Mayan Temple
http://chichenitza.inah.gob.mx/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=17
Ireland Mound
http://www.newgrange.com/
Christmas Traditions
http://ascension-research.org/Origins_of_Christmas_are_Ancient_and_Sacred.html
Hanukkah Traditions
http://www.history.com/topics/hanukkahhttp://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/Jewish_Holidays/Hanukkah.shtml
Yuletide Traditions
http://wicca.com/celtic/akasha/yule.htmhttp://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/december-solstice-customs.html
Video Links you may enjoy:
AMERICA UNEARTHED offers a some episodes that take you to a
few places I mentioned above. Stonehenge and the burial mound in Newgrange
Ireland are included. I love this show by the way so maybe you can check them
all out.
http://www.history.com/shows/america-unearthed/videos
Credits for pictures used:
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap071222.html
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