Winter Solstice

What is the winter solstice?

Today, 21 December 2021, links us to our ancestors by the sun. Our celebrations and understanding of this time of year help us to share in an experience thousands of years old.

The winter solstice can also be known as midwinter, because the days get longer after it has passed and we can count on the days getting longer from tomorrow as we look forward to spring on Sunday 20 March 2022.

The winter solstice is a paradox: a time of death and rebirth. Time of winter and the promise of spring. Time of cold so heat becomes important. Time of darkness so light becomes a key feature.

“Out with the old and in with the new” can apply to all of us metaphorically in our personal circumstances. All of us can use this time to reflect on any lessons that we may have learned or experienced in the old year gone by and hope to apply them in the new year ahead. 2022 can be our chance for optimism and positive change.

A little background to the winter solstice…

The Latin word “sol” means the sun and the verb “sistere” means to stop so the word “solstice” can be interpreted as the “sun standing still," For many cultures the winter solstice has been a time to celebrate the return of the light after the darkness. We only have to look at our streets to enjoy the lights shining from different buildings.

In pre-Christian culture, the Feast of Juul was celebrated in Scandinavian culture and Christianity has linked this celebration with the birth of Christ. Perhaps more familiar to us as Yule, the 12-day festival centred around the solstice has familiar Christmas traditions including the Christmas tree, the Yule log, the Christmas wreath. Ancient evergreen symbols of life include the holly, ivy and mistletoe that are now integral to Christian interpretation.

 This Winter Solstice of Tuesday, December 21, 2021, at 3:59 pm will see this unique moment in the calendar making this day 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the summer solstice in June.

However you choose to celebrate this solstice, give yourself a moment to reflect and to recharge your batteries. Why not try out the free sleep audio to take advantage of this time of year too?

Enjoy this day as we can all now look forward to spring!