A Celebration of Women
sends our blessings to all the Women of our World this Winter Solstice of 2010.
December 21, 2010
The Winter Solstice represents an actual astronomical event unlike superstition driven celebrations that occur only in religious imagination. The exact day of the winter solstice marks the end of autumn, just one point along the orbital path of earth. The energy of the sun and the fertile earth, along with the over 4.5 billion winter solstices that have occurred, allowed enough time for all of earth’s evolution to happen (and to continue to happen).
In astronomy, a solstice occurs two times a year. During the Winter Solstice the sun appears at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great circle on the celestial sphere that occurs on the same plane as the earth’s equator. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears the same for several days before and after the solstice. The summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the southern hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices appear reversed.
This puts the Winter Solstice in a far more humbling position than anything invented by humans. Considering that the earth also comes closest* to the sun during the winter, what better time to honor the sun than during the Winter Solstice.
The festivals of the Winter Solstice celebrate the start of the new solar year and the beginning of winter. The fantasies of superstition have also used this astronomical event to celebrate Saturnalia, Yule, Christmas, and many other superstitious events. The ancient Egyptians that began the Winter Solstice celebrations had a 12 month calendar, so their festivities lasted for twelve days- one for each month of the year. This period of celebration later became known as the twelve days of Christmas or the Yule season. Egypt was very central to civilization at this time and this sun-honoring ritual rapidly spread to the surrounding lands of Mesopotamia, Babylon, Persia, Greece and the Roman empire. The Romans greatly expanded the festivities to include honoring some other dieties, particularly Saturn. Their god Saturn was believed to control the pulse of the universe, plant germination and to be the source of knowledge for agriculture and peaceable living. The ancient holiday of the Romans became know as Saturnalia.
The unknown builders of Stonehenge in southern England constructed the megaliths at around 2000 B.C.E. which makes it at least twice as old as Christianity. It accurately predicts both the summer and winter solstices.
TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE on Winter Solstace
FIRST TIME SINCE 1378 !!
– is it the DARKEST NIGHT EVER?
Dr. Michael Baltimore and Dr. Shawn Cruzen of Columbus State University’s Coca Cola Space Science Center talk about the 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse that they will be broadcasting live on December 21st from 12am to 5am.
Visit their website at www.ccssc.org to follow the webcast.
Video shot in Columbus State University’s COEHP.TV studio.
Kenneth Grant
Dan Quigley
Edited by Naartjie Multimedia in Columbus GA Georgia.
www.beginswithn.com