Here we are facing the shortest day of the year! The beginning of Winter!
But, after all, what is this “solstice”?
Well, a long time ago in the History of Humanity, it was found that at this time of year - but also six months before or after, around June 21st - the Sun ("sol") appears to stop in the sky ("sistere") . Hence its name, which comes from the conjugation of two Latin words.
In the Northern Hemisphere, the shortest day of the year (not in total hours, but in the total time that the Sun remains above the horizon), occurs between the 21st and 22nd of December of each year (this year it is the December 22). It is called the "Winter Solstice". But in the Southern Hemisphere, on this same date, the “summer solstice” is celebrated, that is, the longest day of the year.
The solstice marks the point at which the Sun is exactly above the Tropic of Capricorn, which this year happened this Friday, December 22, at 03:27 GMT.
In addition to marking the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice marks the first day of winter in the astronomical calendar (in the meteorological calendar we have already been in winter for three weeks).
In Human History, many celebrations and festivals revolve around the solstices and equinoxes (these occur around September 21st and March 21st each year). There are current uses and customs, related to this time of year, that are based on ancestral traditions, with which we are connected, in this way, in ways that we can barely imagine.
The pine tree as a (Christmas) tree full of symbolism... the decoration of that tree with different objects... the burning wooden trunk, around which people warm themselves and live together... the (Christmas) garland made up of flowers or intertwined branches…
Perhaps the ancient celebration that has left us the most legacies like these is “Yule”. This was a pagan celebration (from a Christian point of view) with origins in northern Europe (in the area of current Germany), in a period before Christianity. It was celebrated from the end of December to the beginning of January, covering the time of the winter solstice.
The Romans celebrated “Saturnalia”, which began on December 17th and lasted several days. This festival celebrated the end of the agricultural year, but also the religious year and also the end of a year (the “old”) and the beginning of another (the “new”). It was a widely celebrated festival, being one of the most popular in Rome, as agriculture was the basic activity of this society, as a means of subsistence for peasants and a source of income for the elite.
All over the world today there are celebrations around the solstice, based on the cult of the Sun and its significance for human life on Earth.
Anyway... there is a huge list of traditions, on top of which others were invented, reinventing the first ones. This is how the history of Man in the world is formed.
Marco Moura Marques
+ 351 967 035 966
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