Light Amidst Darkness
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
|by Molly Westerman
Winter’s cold and darkness can be mild or
intense, the drag of a chilly brown landscape or
the drama of very early sunsets and deep snowdrifts.
For many, winter begins to feel endless after a
while. But at winter solstice—although those of
us in northern climates still have plenty of cold
to weather—the balance has shifted. We are
moving toward the light.
a time of extremes
The word “solstice” brings together two Latin
words: sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still). At
the winter and summer solstices, the sun as
seen from Earth appears to pause in its seasonal motion and then reverse its path.
The winter solstice is the day of the year when
the sun seems to rise least high in the sky, following its shortest and lowest arc, and rises and
sets at its southernmost point on the horizon.
This is also the shortest day and longest night of
the year. The difference in daytime hours is more
noticeable at high latitudes—closer to the North
or South Pole, farther from the equator. In Minnesota, the difference between winter and summer solstice is far from subtle: it would be more
accurate to say that it hits you over the head.
In the northern hemisphere, our winter solstice
occurs around December 21st each year. (In the
southern hemisphere, this date marks the summer solstice; June 21st is their winter and our
summer solstice.)
In many places and historical times, festivals
of light have been observed right around the
solstice, this rather dramatic peak of darkness.
Winter festivals and personal observances of
the solstice often involve these contrasting
themes:
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light amidst darkness
death and rebirth
turning inward to reflect
looking forward to new light and warmth
In pagan traditions, this solstice marks the
rebirth of the Sun King or Sun God after a
journey through the underworld. The northern
hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs just days
before Christians celebrate the birth of the Son,
the light of the world. Festivals including Hanukkah, Shab-e Yalda, Soyal, Yule, Kwanzaa,
and New Year’s Eve also hit upon themes of
light, warmth, community, and hope amidst
the winter darkness.
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