Solstice Primer:
Technically, Solstice is defined by the time when the hemisphere in which you live is tilted further from the sun than it will be at any other point during the year. This makes that day particularly shorter, and the night significantly longer. It marks the beginning of winter. Mythologically, it is the beginning of the sun's journey back home.
Holiday-Themed Song of the Day: "The Christians and the Pagans":
By
Dar Williams, from
Mortal City (Razor & Tie, 1996).
In Dar's typical snarky, poetic style, this tune tells the story of what happens when a pagan lesbian, who's celebrating the Solstice with her girlfriend, drops in on her pious Christian uncle and his family. Not exactly a Norman Rockwell Christmas, but a great tune!
Strange Solstice Factoid:
The megalithic Passage Tomb
Newgrange is a huge round architectural structure located in Ireland and said to be 5,000 years old (older, even, than Stonehenge). It was supposedly built in a manner that, at dawn on the day of the Winter Solstice, the entrance door to Newgrange will receive the first shaft of Winter sun.
Holiday Tradition of the Day: Mistletoe:
The ancient Druids gave us the tradition of hanging Mistletoe in doorways. The leaves and berries we've come to know were considered sacred by the Druids, because they grew on the most sacred tree (the oak). Priests would ceremoniously cut sprigs of mistletoe from trees using a golden sickle. It was then handed out to people as a good luck charm, to be hung in doorways so that all who entered and exited would have good luck.
Holiday Gift of the Day:
Dar Williams
My Better Self (Razor & Tie, 2005). This CD is one of the best CDs put out this year by any contemporary singer/songwriter, featuring songs with great messages and melodies.
Check out my review.
