Winter Solstice Holidays!

So this weekend was Winter Solstice, to be precise, on December 21 (at 17:11).

I've already mentioned this astronomical event in my blog.
But some additional information can never be excessive:

According to Wikipedia, the word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), because at the solstices, the Sun stands still in declination; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's path (as seen from Earth) comes to a stop before reversing direction.

So in other words, this is the the shortest day of the year (the Northern hemisphere) and at the same time the longest night of the year. But from now on the day becomes longer, every day we can enjoy few more minutes of sunshine,  people celebrate the return of the light. This process will continue till the summer solstice in June.  

I've also mentioned that a lot of Winter Holidays (all of which has pagan origin, or at least the greater part of them) are connected with Winter Solstice:

...pagan holidays, such as Slavic Koleda (Kolyada), Germanic Yule, Celtic Midwinter, Incas' Inti Raymi and so on.

But this year I've found a very curious article about solstice in Chinese Culture.

And if speaking about me personally, I always feel magical at this time of the year. So there is some nice music to enjoy:

If you want to have some fun, listen to the albums of The H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society called "A Very Scary Solstice" and "An even Scarier Solstice".

Oh and don't forget that the symbol of the Winter Solstice and Winter Holidays is evergreen tree. People in old times believed that evergreen trees and plants had magical powers that scare away evil spirits, diseases and help withstand long cold winter. 

I celebrated the Winter Solstice by making these decorations  from fir branches, rowan berries and rosehips:

This is the magical time of the year, enjoy it and gather strength from the positive vibes of the holidays, you will need it for the long winter ahead!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Vernal Equinox

Translated literally, equinox means "equal night." Because the Sun is positioned above the equator, day and night are about equal in length all over the world during the equinoxes. A second equinox occurs each year on Sept. 22 or 23; in 2011, it will be on Sept. 23 at 5:05 A.M. EDT. This date will mark the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere and the vernal equinox in the Southern (vernal denotes "spring").

 + some article for more info

Don't let the worms have all the fun (c) Ebenezer Scrooge

I felt no Xmas/New Year spirit, till I had watched "A Christmas Carol".
Oh, And I really like what the Spirit of the Present Christmas had told to Ebenazer Scrooge:

- There are some upon the world of yours who claim to know me and my brothers, and do their deeds of ill will and selfishness in our name. These so-called "men of the cloth" are as strange to me and my kin as if they never lived. Charge their doings to them, not us.

Animated film 2009

"There are some upon this earth of yours," returned the Spirit, "who lay claim to know us, and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name, who are as strange to us and all our kith and kin, as if they had never lived. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us."

novella by Charles Dickens

Let Father Winter bring you happiness this New Year Eve!
Happy Holidays, Folks!

Father Winter by David Purcell

Artist's commentary:
I was walking, very carefully, on the north pier of the Saint Joseph lighthouse in mid-winter. The ice on the south pier light formed this beautiful ice formation. It reminded me of an old man pointing to a safe harbor. This picture was taken with a FinePix S5200 camera.

!!!Winter Solstice + Full Moon + Total Lunar Eclipse!!!

Quite a unique combination! Astronomers say that there was maybe one day like this Tuesday in the past 2,000 years. The fact that we couldn't observe eclipse from our time zone, upsets me a bit, but stil we are lucky, cause now we can enjoy some really striking pictures

And now about Winter Solstice.
The winter solstice is the time when the sun has the biggest distance to the equator.
This is the shortest day of the year, which has the longest night.



Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around that time. (c)
For example, pagan holidays, such as Slavic Koleda (Kolyada), Germanic Yule, Celtic Midwinter, Incas' Inti Raymi and so on. Later thess pagan holidays had transformed into modern holidays such as Christmas, New Year, Hanukkah, etc.

So Let me congratulate you, my friends!