Winter Solstice 2018

  Amid the whirl of the holiday season, many are vaguely aware of the approach of the winter solstice, but how much do you really know about it?  Whether you're a fan of winter, or just wish it would go away, here are ten things to know - or even celebrate - about the solstice.
   1.  It happens on December 21 this year.
The date of the winter solstice varies from year to year, and can fall anywhere between December 20th and 23rd, with the 21st or 22nd being the most common dates.  The reason for this is because the tropical year - the time it takes for the sun to return to the same spot relative to the Earth - is different from the calendar year.  The next solstice occurring on December 20 will be in 2080, and the next December 23 solstice will happen in 2303.
   2.  The winter solstice happens at a specific, brief moment.
Not only does the solstice occur on a specific day, but it also occurs at a specific time of day, which corresponds to the instant the North Pole is aimed furthest away from the sun on the 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth's axis.  This is also the time when the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn.  This year, the moment occurs at 3:23 p.m. Mountain Standard Time, or at 1:23 p.m. EST.  And regardless of where you live, the solstice happens at the same moment for everyone on the planet.
   3.  It marks the longest night and shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.
As most folks are keenly aware, daylight hours grow shorter and shorter as the winter solstice approaches, and begin to slowly lengthen afterward.  It's no wonder that the solstice is referred to in some cultures as "the shortest day" or "the extreme of winter."  New York City will have 9 hours and 15 minutes of sunlight (if it isn't cloudy and storming), compared to 15 hours and 5 minutes on the summer solstice.  Helsinki, Finland will get 5 hours and 49 minutes of light.  Barrow, Alaska will not have a sunrise at all - it hasn't had a sunrise since mid-November, and the next one will occur on January 22; while the North Pole has not had a sunrise since October.  Meanwhile, the South Pole is basking in the glow of the midnight sun, which will not set until March.
   4.  Ancient cultures viewed the winter solstice as a time of death and rebirth.
The seeming death of the light and sun, and the very real threat of starvation over the winter months would have weighed heavily over early societies; therefore, they held varied solstice celebrations and rites meant to herald the return of the Sun and the hope for new life.  Scandinavian and Germanic pagans lit fires and may have burned Yule logs as a symbolic means of welcoming back the sun light.  Cattle and other animals were slaughtered around mid-winter, followed by feasting on what was the last of the fresh meat for a period of several months.  The modern Druidic celebration of Alban Arthan reveres the death of the Old Sun and the birth of the New Sun.
   5.  The winter solstice marks the discovery of new and strange worlds.
The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock on 21 December 1620 to found a new society that would allow them to worship freely.  On the same day in 1898, Pierre and Marie Curie discovered radium, ushering in the atomic age.  And on 21 December 1968, the Apollo 8 launched, becoming the first manned mission to the moon.
   6.  The word solstice translates roughly to "sun stands still."
Solstice derives from the Latin scientific term solstitium, containing sol, which means "sun," and the past participle stem of sistere, meaning "to make stand."  This comes from the fact that the sun's position in the sky relative to the horizon at noon, and which increases and decreases throughout the year, appears to pause in the days surrounding the solstice.  In modern times, we view the phenomenon of the solstice from the position of space, and of the Earth relative to the sun.  Earlier people, however, were thinking of the sun's trajectory, how long it stayed in the sky, and what sort of light it cast.
   7.  Stonehenge is aligned to the sunset on winter solstice.
The primary axis of Stonehenge is oriented to the setting sun, while Newgrange, another megalithic structure built around the same time, lines up with the winter solstice sunrise.  Some people have theorized that the position of the sun was of religious significance to the folks who built Stonehenge, while other theories hold that the monument was constructed along natural features that happen to align with it.  The purpose of Stonehenge is still subject to debate, but its importance on the winter solstice continues into modern times, as thousands of pagans and other types of enthusiasts gather there every year to celebrate the occasion.
   8.  Ancient Romans celebrated reversals at the midwinter festival of Saturnalia.
The holiday, which began as a festival to honor the agricultural god Saturn, was held to commemorate the dedication of his temple in 497 BCE.  It quickly became a time of widespread revelry and debauchery in which societal roles were overturned, with masters serving their slaves and servants being allowed to insult their masters.  Mask wearing and play acting were also a part of Saturnalia's reversals, with each household electing a King of Misrule.  Saturnalia was gradually replaced by Christmas throughout the Roman Empire, but many of its customs survive as Christmas traditions.
   9.  Some areas believe that dark spirits walk the Earth on the winter solstice.
The Iranian festival of Yalda is celebrated on the longest night of the year.  In pre-Islamic times, it heralded the birth of Mithra, the ancient sun god, and his triumph over darkness.  Zoroastrian lore holds that evil spirits wander the earth and that the forces of the destructive spirit Ahriman are strongest on this long night.  People are encouraged to stay up for most of the night in the company of one another, eating, talking, and sharing poetry and stories, in order to avoid any encounters with dark spirits or entities.  Beliefs about the presence of evil on the longest night of the year are also echoed in Celtic and Germanic folklore.
   10.  Some people thought the world would end at the winter solstice in 2012.
December 21, 2012 corresponds to the date 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar used by the ancient Mayans, marking the end of a 5,126 year cycle.  Some feared this juncture would bring about the end of the world or some other cataclysmic event. Others took a more New Age view and believed it heralded the birth of a new era of deep transformation for Earth and her inhabitants.  In the end, neither of these things appeared to happen, leaving the world to turn through winter solstices indefinitely, or at least as long as the sun continues to emit light.

Please celebrate the winter solstice in your own, unique, way!