The Winter Solstice can be on the 20th or 21st December. This year the moment that the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn is at 21.48 on the 21st, after that daylight increases by 6 minutes to the end of the month. The word Solstice comes from Latin sol stetit , meaning sun stood still. And for 6 days in the Northern Hemisphere the sun appears to rise and set in the same place, which must have been frightening for ancient peoples, wondering if the sun would move again? would the daylight grow again?
I've been saving this little book to read at this years Solstice, the 12 stories come from all parts of the world, passed down through the generations.
We often get our coldest weather as the hours of daylight increase but this year we've already had many days that have been colder than an average December. The long range forecast for January is a bit vague or as they say "confidence is low" which I take to mean "we don't really know"! So we'll have to wait and see.
The increased daylight by 6 whole minutes after Dec. 21 is great to know and celebrate. The combined darkness with cold can be brutal. As the daylight increases, I start to think about Spring: the buds on the trees and Spring bulbs poking through the soil. It's a very nice time of year.
ReplyDeleteThere's probably quite a lot of cold weather to come in January - sadly!
DeleteThe art work on the cover is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure who the cover is by
DeleteI found that I was especially aware of fall winding down and winter moving in. I actually found myself enjoying the quiet and the darkness. I don't know if it is retirement or a book I read last year called "Wintering" by Kathleen May. I wonder if I will be as attuned to the ocming spring.
ReplyDeleteI know I read Wintering but now can't remember a thing about it
DeleteIt was basically a thesis on the importance of attuning your life to the circumstances, using the dark days to slow the pace of life, to turn inward, to savor the details of life. The busy times will come again. Savor the peace of the 'dark days', whether the changes be seasonal or whether they be tough circumstances in life.
DeleteNow you can all stop that talk of lengthening days if you don’t mind……it means we’ll be going the other way 🙁.
ReplyDeleteI just had a look and between Christmas Eve and New Years Day we lose 3 mins and after that it goes downhill quite rapidly!
Usually our hottest weather comes in the early part of the year but you never know what will happen with the seasons being so strange recently.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year Sue……from Cathy in Melbourne (where winter hung around so long we’ve only just begun to enjoy warm summery days)
Sorry - and a very happy hot Christmas to you . I don't think I could ever get used to a hot Christmas!
DeleteI am looking forward to the slowly lengthening days. The long dark, wet and windy nights have been quite relentless up here.
ReplyDeleteMuch milder here thank goodness - and plenty of rain too - better than snow
DeleteSo glad the Solstice is here and we will be turning towards the light again. Hoping we don't have a cold/icy/snowy January as we have the dentist (don't want to cancel a 3rd time!), and a big Antiques Fair I'm doing. Neither local.
ReplyDeleteI'd rather no snow too and only because it's too cold for me now
DeleteI know we start gaining light in December each year, but I never really feels like it until early March does it?
ReplyDeleteJanuary is far too loooooooong!
DeleteOur Wed is supposed to be cold but clear. Very cold weather coming in for Christmas but before that lots of rain that will wash our lovely snow away.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear some of the stories in that book
Cathy
It's now gone milder here - much better than the days and nights of frost we had
DeleteThat book cover is gorgeous. My Nana used to always love the thought of the lighter days coming back after the 21st ... even if it was only a few more minutes each month.
ReplyDeleteRoll on Spring! but I suppose we'd better have Christmas first
DeleteIt's ironic that with so much new technology, the weather people still can't always get their predictions right!
ReplyDeleteThe met office Long Range forecast often says "Confidence is low" which I find quite funny as they might as well not try and predict it at all
DeleteYes the cold often deepens as the days grow longer...we shall just have to wait and see as we always do. x
ReplyDeleteI am so looking forward to more light during the day. It will take awhile before I notice the change, but even knowing it is coming is wonderful.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
I so look forward to this day. For us, where I live now, the longest part of winter is yet to come, but just knowing that the days are getting longer makes things seem just that much easier!
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