The Cellar - Merry Whatever the Hell

Quote:

Originally posted by Dygytyz

Agnostics - Merry... *sigh* I give up. *sob*
Atheists = Have a Great 4 Day Weekend. Thank Jesus.

Happy Winter Solstice! Another year around the Sun!

Below is a reprint of a Winter Solstice email. Credit is given to both AANEWS and American Atheists.

"Today marks the Winter Solstice, that time when the sun reaches the lowest point in its annual apparent journey through the sky as seen from the Northern Hemisphere. To the ancients, the solstices -- winter and summer -- were important markers in the yearly seasonal oscillation which linked light and darkness, life and death, planting and harvest. Agricultural societies saluted the event, often by constructing monuments or other markers. For them, solstice was a harbinger of the sun's slow and deliberate journey back from the dark winter.

There are popular misconceptions about this time of year, and the Winter Solstice.

Our Earth, for instance, is actually closer to the sun in January than it is in June, by about three million miles. The seasonal differences in temperature we notice have less to do with our proximity to the nearest star -- our sun -- and are rather the result of the 23-1/2 degree tilt of the Earth perpendicular to the plane of its orbit. (There are other dynamics at work here, too, such as "precession," the wobbling of the Earth on its axis approximately once every 24,000 years, but we hardly notice that during our life time!)

It is also the shortest day of the year for us, or rather one of the
shortest. Solstice means "the sun standing still." From last Tuesday through tomorrow, the period of daylight for approximately 40-degrees latitude North will be about 9 hours and four minutes. Every few days, that will gradually increase until mid-Summer, and the time of the Summer Solstice.

Ancient peoples often celebrated this time of year. For some, it was a respite from the gloom of winter; but the day also assumed a wider metaphysical/spiritual significance as a herald of the renewal of life. Most plant life seemed to "die" as the hours of daylight shortened. Evergreens were thus endowed with a special celebratory status in some cultures. The death and later renewal of plants, some animals and crops was seen as part of a vast cosmic cycle, "deep time," part of the "Great Year."

These peoples often went to considerable lengths to observe and commemorate events like the solstice. An astounding array of early cultures built tombs, temples and "sacred" celebratory areas carefully aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. Stonehenge in Britain likely served these functions, at least in part, as did Newgrange in Ireland -- a structure estimated to be at least 5,000 years old. It was carefully designed so that a beam of sunlight appeared in the central chamber at dawn on the day of the Winter Solstice.

Other cultures marked this time of year as well.

In Iran, families kept fires burning throughout the night in observance of Yalda to commemorate the battle between light and darkness, good and evil. It was a key concept in the Zoroastrian faith. Chinese celebrated Dong Zhi, "The Arrival of Winter." Hebrews have the Hanukkah or Jewish Festival of Lights at this approximate time of year; their calendar is linked to both the movement of the sun and the moon. Hanukkah begins on Kislev 25, three days before the new moon closest to the Winter Solstice.

Many of the ideas and rituals associated with pagan Winter Solstice celebrations were grafted on to the early Christian religion. In the beginning, the Christians did not celebrate the alleged birth of their Messiah; instead, they were fixated by his immanent return and the end of the world. As the church gained cultural and political hegemony through much of the world, though, it converted members of other religions by force, aggressive proselytizing, and by adopting pagan ways and customs. Our celebration of Christmas on December 25 is actually a residue of Solstice, and the "Feast of the Saturnalia," a Roman holiday.

As our culture has become more diverse and secular, many individuals are seeking other ways to celebrate "invented" holidays/holy days like Christmas. Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair suggested that "natural" holidays common to all of humanity -- solstices and equinoxes -- would make a suitable secular alternative. After all, solstices and equinoxes mark events in the natural world, not a supernatural realm.
And what better excuse to party and celebrate?

So, from the officers, Board Members and employees at American Atheists, to all of you who read AANEWS -- HAPPY WINTER SOLSTICE!"

Sorry I couldn't post on the 21st. I was out partying. :)