Saturday, December 21, 2024, is the Winter Solstice!
Some people like to say different, however the real reason for the season is Axial Tilt. Our pale blue dot spins on its axis with an inclination, a leaning, not at a right angle to the rays of the Sun. That tilt is 23.44 degrees, and as we move about the Sun, that tilt points in the same direction, giving us the Seasons.
On the Winter Solstice, the lowest latitude where the Sun can appear directly overhead is called the Tropic of Capricorn. That is where it sits on the Winter Solstice and no other day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere night is the longest and the day is the shortest. Now, the Sun will begin it’s slow, daily overhead creep toward the Equator, where it will appear overhead there on Thursday, March 20, 2025. That is known as the Spring Equinox, and the time between sunrise (day) and sunset (night) is equal.
As the Sun (whose real name is Sol) begins rising over the Equator, our Northern Hemisphere days get warmer, and when the Sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Cancer, Summer begins (yeah!).
The seasonal changes have been celebrated for tens of thousands of years, and seem to have been part of the beginnings of civilization, since knowing when your seasons arrive tell you when to move grazing animals, plant crops and prepare for floods. In fact Sirius, the “Dog Star”, is not only the brightest star in the night sky, but rises just a few weeks before the beginning of the annual inundation of the Nile Valley. This yearly flood brings nutritious soil from the highlands of central Africa to replenish the fields, allowing for a bountiful growing season. The “barking” of the rising star is a warning to pull back from the Valley lowlands. As far back as 20,000 years ago, the celestial changes were recorded on bones. In Roman times, Saturnalia was celebrated with lights (candles) and trees, and the giving of presents. These celebrations culminated on the 25th, which was the day to celebrate the resurrection of Sol Invictus — the unconquered Sun — from its months of declining strength.
We survive when we respond to changes which can perhaps alter our destiny. And this season still has meaning in the modern age; as Landon Frim wrote, “When it is cold outside, when food and resources might be scarce, when there’s a general gray background to things, that’s precisely when you want to light up the tree, light up your house, maybe have some warm, spiced wine and celebrate with friends”. Sounds like a great way to celebrate to me.
[I created the attached visual representation of the seasons. Reach out to me with questions. I’m a history nerd.]
Suggested Resources:
– The Golden Bough, A New Abridgement, Robert Ackerman, ed.
– Saturnalia, Macrobius, the Loeb edition is an excellent resource
Fun fact:
– The real name of the Moon is Luna
