Loading ...Well, today is the big day. Not the end of the world, or election day, or even Christmas. But today is the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, after which the days will start getting longer and longer until June 21, when they’ll get shorter and shorter until next Dec. 21.
Then is all starts over again. At precisely 6:22 tonight, winter officially begins in this hemisphere. For those folks who live on the southern half of the planet, it’s the beginning of summer.
Why does this happen?
The axis of the earth isn’t straight up and down, but is actually tilted 23.5 degrees, so one half of the earth receives more direct rays from the sun than the other half. This change in intensity of direct sunlight is why we have the four seasons, which were the inspiration for the name of a doo-wop band of the ‘60s called The Four Seasons that included Frankie Vallie and had such hits as “Walk Like a Man,” “Sherry,” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.”
The Four Seasons may have been pretty popular (over 100 million records sold!), but folks who live between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn may be a little confused by the band’s name, because that area really doesn’t have seasons. It’s always warm and humid (or “tropical”) there.
On the other hand (or rather, at the ends of the planet – on the poles) things are a little different.Today, there will be 24 hours of daylight south of the Antarctic Circle, and 24 hours of darkness north of the Arctic Circle.
A couple of years ago we talked with Kate Kelly, a Tahlequah resident who used to live in Fairbanks, Alaska about the summer solstice at that location.
Even in the late evening hours, it was nice and bright outside.
So, we wondered, was the winter solstice as fun?
“The summer solstice was much more enjoyable,” she said.
“There were no celebrations for the winter solstice like there were for the summer solstice. The sun would usually rise [on the winter solstice] at 10 or 10:30 and set around 1 or 1:30. Some days, the street lights never went off.”
For Kelly, the only bright spot, so to speak, in the winter solstice in Alaska was knowing that – once that day was over – the days would start getting longer again.
“The closer you got to the solstice, the more minutes of daylight you’d lose each day,” she said.
“The newspaper always had how many minutes per day you had, compared to the day before.”
OSU Extension Educator Roger Williams did his weekly radio show this week over the winter solstice, and as he pointed out, it’s been a special day for a very long time for a lot of people – not just those living near the poles.
“Probably the biggest thing about it is Christmas is based on it,” said Rogers.
“No to knock Christianity, but winter solstice celebrations have been going on for a long time.”
The connections between the winter solstice and Christmas have been dealt with extensively in previous Press stories.
But for some area residents, the solstice is still an important part of wintertime celebrations.
“Esoteric Christians start Christmas celebrations on the winter solstice,” said Rev. Carol Parrish of the Light of Christ Community Church.
“We begin what is called the ‘Holy Night’ on the solstice, and it lasts until midnight on the 24th.”
The historic Christ, to esoteric Christians, was the embodiment of the “Christ-energy” that has always existed, and still exists, in everyone.
Parrish said ancient societies – like the Mayans, the Zoroastrians, and the Hindus, just to name a few – also recognized the winter solstice as a time of spiritual rebirth, when the material things of our lives are put aside.
“During [the winter solstice], the Christ is all of us in nourished,” she said.
“It is a time of particular inner growth.”
According to songwriter Kris Kristofferson, “Jesus was a Capricorn, he ate organic food.”
The diet of Jesus Christ is probably something people debate about as well, but his status as a Capricorn is even more questioned.
While it’s commonly accepted that the date of Christmas, Dec. 25, is considered the birthday of Jesus because of its pre-Jesus religious associations, the question still arises: So when was Jesus born, if he wasn’t really born on Christmas? Or, to put the question in astrological terms: Is Jesus a Capricorn?
The answer: Nobody knows.
But there’s plenty of speculation.
According to Rev. Carol Parrish of the Light of Christ Community Church, said many theologians believe the historical Jesus was born in the spring of the year for two reasons.
First, shepherds would’ve been shepherding during the spring, but livestock were usually penned up in the winter.
Second, travel (which Jesus’ parents were undertaking at the time of his birth) in those days was usually done in the warmer months, as opposed to the cold of winter.
According to astrology.about.com, the planets of Jupiter and Saturn were “triple conjuncting,” or meeting up with each other in the sky, during the sign of Pisces in the year 7 B.C. In fact, they conjuncted three different times during the sign of Pisces that year, and such a conjunction is so rare, is hasn’t happened since.
That conjunction also took place at the dawning of the age of Pisces. Each astrological age lasts approximately 2155 years, and Jesus is traditionally thought to have ushered in the age of Pisces.
That theory is attributed to Dr. Percy Seymour, author of “The Birth of Christ; Exploding The Myth.”
Pisces being represented by a fish, it’s interesting to note that the Christian symbol of the ichthus – still seen today on many Christian-owned businesses and bumpers – is also a fish-shaped symbol.
The organic nature of Jesus’ diet will no doubt be covered in another Press story at a later date, perhaps during September, which is National Organic Harvest Month.
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