Weather.com; Amber Wells, Crystal Q., Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly, Dec. 21, 3019
Yule begins (Europe); Yaldā Night in Iran (post-Persia), Hanukkah begins at sunset (Judaism, 2019)
YULE (Yuletide or "Yule time," "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples.
Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the Pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianized reformulation, resulting in the term Christmastide.
Many present day X-mas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing (Wassailing), and others stem from European Paganism, not Christianity. More
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| Krampus Xmas greeting card |
Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the Pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
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| St. Nicolas and Satan/Krampus |
Many present day X-mas customs and traditions such as the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar, Yule singing (Wassailing), and others stem from European Paganism, not Christianity. More
The winter solstice arrives today; here's what that means
Brian Donegan and Jonathan Erdman (weather.com)
The winter solstice is this Saturday (Dec. 21st) in the Northern Hemisphere. Here's what that really means.
The winter solstice is just a moment in time, astronomically speaking. The least amount of possible daylight hours occurs on the winter solstice.
On Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, the winter solstice marks the official astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. However, many of you already have seen at least some cold and snow for weeks prior to the winter solstice. So let's walk through what the winter solstice actually means.
Shown above is the orientation of the Earth relative to the sun's most direct rays around the time of the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice.
Unquestionable "science" speculation:
"A tilted Earth gives us seasons"?
Looking from space the Earth isn't aligned in such a way that a line going through the planet's poles is vertical. Rather, the Earth has a tilt of roughly 23.5 degrees off a vertical axis.
Because of that tilt, the Northern and Southern hemispheres are tilted either toward or away from the sun at different times of the year as the Earth makes its orbit around its closest star.
Therefore, the most direct sunlight shifts between a band of latitudes, specifically between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, throughout the year, leading to the change of seasons seen in the middle and higher latitudes.
The sun's most direct rays are positioned over the Tropic of Capricorn on the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice.
The Solstice: One Moment in Time
Typically around Dec. 21 or 22 -- though on rare occasions, it can be as early as Dec. 20 or as late as Dec. 23 -- the sun is directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south latitude).
That precise instant in time – in 2019, at 11:19 p.m. EST on Dec. 21 – is the solstice. Around the time of the winter solstice, the sun is farthest south in the sky at noon in the Northern Hemisphere.
Less direct solar radiation means less heating of the ground in the winter hemisphere. The day of the winter solstice features the least amount of possible daylight hours and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. The reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere.
Below are some sunrise and sunset times for the winter solstice:
Soon after the winter solstice, the number of daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere will gradually grow longer each day until the summer solstice in late June, when the greatest amount of daylight hours occurs. More
Brian Donegan and Jonathan Erdman (weather.com)
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| Look at the Satan Claws, kids. |
The winter solstice is just a moment in time, astronomically speaking. The least amount of possible daylight hours occurs on the winter solstice.
On Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, the winter solstice marks the official astronomical start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. However, many of you already have seen at least some cold and snow for weeks prior to the winter solstice. So let's walk through what the winter solstice actually means.
Shown above is the orientation of the Earth relative to the sun's most direct rays around the time of the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice.
Unquestionable "science" speculation:
"A tilted Earth gives us seasons"?
Looking from space the Earth isn't aligned in such a way that a line going through the planet's poles is vertical. Rather, the Earth has a tilt of roughly 23.5 degrees off a vertical axis.
Because of that tilt, the Northern and Southern hemispheres are tilted either toward or away from the sun at different times of the year as the Earth makes its orbit around its closest star.
Therefore, the most direct sunlight shifts between a band of latitudes, specifically between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, throughout the year, leading to the change of seasons seen in the middle and higher latitudes.
The sun's most direct rays are positioned over the Tropic of Capricorn on the Northern Hemisphere's winter solstice.
The Solstice: One Moment in Time
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| This year rise above it: Meditate |
That precise instant in time – in 2019, at 11:19 p.m. EST on Dec. 21 – is the solstice. Around the time of the winter solstice, the sun is farthest south in the sky at noon in the Northern Hemisphere.
Less direct solar radiation means less heating of the ground in the winter hemisphere. The day of the winter solstice features the least amount of possible daylight hours and the longest night in the Northern Hemisphere. The reverse is true in the Southern Hemisphere.
Below are some sunrise and sunset times for the winter solstice:
Soon after the winter solstice, the number of daylight hours in the Northern Hemisphere will gradually grow longer each day until the summer solstice in late June, when the greatest amount of daylight hours occurs. More
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