Winter Solstice: It's the Return of the Light!

When my now 18-year-old and 16-year-old kiddos were in elementary school, their teachers would have Winter Solstice parties just before the start of December break. When I was in elementary school from 1977-1984, we had Christmas parties and lit Hanukkah candles. We didn’t learn about “Winter Solstice,” whatever that was. I assumed that schools had chosen to recognize this scientific phenomena in order to be more inclusive of the different cultures that compromised the student bodies of New York City.  It wasn’t until I started reading up on earth celebrations earlier this year that I discovered that the Winter Solstice was more than just a fancy way of saying “the first day of winter.”

Many cultures around the world have been celebrating holidays near the Winter Solstice going as far back as 10,200 B.C.E (before the common era). Fire and light are traditional symbols of the winter solstice since it is the darkest day/longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice marks the exact moment when half of the Earth is titled the farthest from the sun. The Northern Hemisphere (all lands on the Earth above the equator) experienced the first day of winter on December 21, 2023. (Lands below the equator experience winter in June!) 

Shorter days, less sunlight, and cold weather can bring up feelings of hopelessness or sadness, but the Winter Solstice reminds us to practice self-care and that dark moments have an ending. It’s a victory over darkness! Winter can be used as a time for us to slow down, restore our spirits, and take pleasure in cozy spaces like hibernating animals or flowers that go dormant in the winter to only bloom full of life in the spring! Now that December 21st has passed, each night will become a little shorter with the promise of light and warmth on the horizon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References:

"Everything You Need to Know About the Winter Solstice." National Geographic, 21 Dec. 2015, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/151221-winter-solstice-explained-pagans. Accessed 21 Dec. 2023.

"Here's Why the Winter Solstice is Significant in Cultures Across the World." PBS NewsHour, 13 Dec. 2023, www.pbs.org/newshour/science/heres-why-the-winter-solstice-is-significant-in-cultures-across-the-world. Accessed 21 Dec. 2023.

"It's the Winter Solstice. Here Are 5 Ways People Celebrate the Return of Light." NPR, 21 Dec. 2023, www.npr.org/2023/12/21/1220925326/winter-solstice-celebrations-around-the-world. Accessed 21 Dec. 2023.