The h2g2 Poem
Created | Updated Dec 9, 2004
Season's Song
Winter solstice
Wonder of life
Just a moment
For the sunshine
It takes only
That much of time:
Turning over
Darkness to shine
Celebrated
Ancient of times
Standing the sun
Silent in night
Humans called it
Many of ways
While worshipping
Longer of days
Freezing winter
Will you go way?
Warmth of sunshine
Melt you away
Sparkling blue sky
Glorious days
Never ending
Life is on way.
About Winter Solstice in a Nutshell
In the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth the Winter Solstice has been known since ancient times and celebrated in many ways.
Astronomy states that a 'Solstice' occurs when the Earth is tilted the most away or towards the Sun. It literally means 'The Sun stands still' and covers both the summer (longest) and winter (shortest) days of the year. The Winter Solstice marks the turning point when the Earth, in her rotation, begins to tilt the opposite way to the Sun and does so until it reaches the Summer Solstice in June - the longest day of the year.
As we are approaching the Winter Solstice of 2004 I did a little research about the history of these celebrations.
As yet I haven't been able to find out when and who started the realisation of the Winter Solstice but there are documents showing that the Romans celebrated Saturnalia at this time of the year. Perhaps, before that, it is likely that the Persian Sun worshippers recognized the significance of this event in Nature.
In human history many cultures developed in many places by even many more people. As we know today there is Saturnalia, Christmas, Yule, Hanukah, Kwanzaa and Human Light to mention some of those celebrations happening about the same time in December. The actual date of the Winter Solstice falls either on the 21st or 22nd of December.
This is a remarkably broad theme which I found very interesting and entertaining. You, too, could spend many happy hours looking around the mystery of the Thousand Years of Christmas.
