I just loathe the term Happy Holidays. I’d rather acknowledge the actual holiday specifically. Whether you’ve already celebrated Divali, just completed Hanukkah, are still recovering from Saturnalia revivals or about to enjoy Yalda tonight or are looking forward to Christmas or Kwanzaa – I think we can all agree that our days starting to get longer again is something to actually celebrate during this lousy Covid-restricted festive period! Unless of course, you’re one of my Australian or southern African clients – in which case – enjoy midsummer, remember the sunscreen and know that right now, from a wet and freezing Scotland, I hate you all just a little bit ?
What is the Winter Solstice?
It is one of the oldest celebrations dating back to the tail end of the Stone Age or about 12,000 years. A history buff friend of mine tells me that it’s been celebrated around the world for possibly even longer.
It seems that humankind has always wanted something with light and warmth in the depths of winter to symbolise that it gets better from here on.
Astronomically, it’s the point at which the earth is closest to the sun. Yes closest, not furthest away. Science is counter-intuitive here but in the northern hemisphere during winter the earth tilts away from the sun which creates our short days.
For Druids, Pagans and Wiccans the winter solstice at Stonehenge is an important celebration. This year thanks to the restrictions English Heritage streamed the last sunset live. It’s here if you missed it.
When is the Winter Solstice?
In the UK this year it’s at 10.02am tomorrow Monday 21st December. Astronomically the solstice actually occurs as the sun passes over the Tropic of Capricorn, the one south of the equator. I’m forever indebted to Mr Miggins, my primary school geography teacher who taught me about 50 years ago that Capricorn rhymes with Cape Horn and is, therefore, the southern tropic!
Anyway in the UK it’s around 10am tomorrow – everything gets better from there even if it won’t feel like it for about another 8-10 weeks at least we are finally heading in the direction of longer days, more sun, more light and less restrictions.
2021
Whatever you’re doing to celebrate in these crazy times I wish you peace, light, hope, warmth and the knowledge that it is always darkest before the dawn or the Solstice.
As usual, be warned I’m probably months ahead of the news-cycle. But I do feel for the first time in over a year that things are beginning to get better.
And, yes typing that on the day that Tier 4 lockdown was announced for the whole country feels crazy – but ….
… By the summer of 2021. Apart from another blip later in the year, I think a new normality will be in place by 2022. I do feel for the first time that the tide has turned. This won’t change day-to-day life for most of us for some months but it’s the most positive I have felt in a long time.