Thursday, the earth, whipping through its elliptical orbit around the sun, traveled just a bit faster than its usual 18 miles per second, marking the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year. With only 9.5 hours of daylight, the winter solstice is a welcome reminder of the lengthening days to come.
And as we have done since the beginning of time, we’ll celebrate this pivotal event. Here are some things to do to mark the winter solstice –
Go outside at lunchtime and check out your noontime shadow – it will be the longest noontime shadow you’ll see all year. Take a photo of yourself and your long shadow. Compare it to a summer solstice photo. Cool.
Appreciate the poinsettia blooms, knowing that their blossoms can only set in outrageously strict day/light timetables. Poinsettia greenhouses begin their light control schedule in early October – and if a person absentmindedly cracks open a greenhouse door, letting in a tiny bit of light – even if they slam that door shut immediately – those blooms won’t set. Daylight and darkness are everything to a poinsettia.
Think about the people – preferably while you’re still in bed – that built Stonehenge. The winter solstice sunrise appears exactly in the space between two of the monoliths. Think of the people who were so empowered by their understanding of astronomy that they dragged gigantic boulders for perhaps as far as a hundred miles – into a circle for future celebrations. Imagine how they might have accomplished that task, and honestly – what they were thinking.
Say a silent thank you to the sun – if and when you see it tomorrow. Without the sun, there would be no life on earth. Say thanks to each of the elements – sun, water, fire, wind. And if you’re so moved to dance a bit of a pagan jig, you’ll be joining centuries of humans who celebrate this day as one of the most important days of the year.
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