Steve’s Virtual Planet

Winter Solstice 2024

Ok, I’ll be brief … it’s not just another short day today, but at 4:20 AM EST, it was officially the Winter Solstice for December 2024. That interesting fact is obviously very important to a great many people around the world!! Now, this year on the morning of, admittedly I was not up and wide awake at this hour of celebration. Nevertheless, judging by the accounts in the news later in the day(light), there were numerous gatherings at places like Stonehenge, which is perhaps the most famous site for this event.

However, the druids of Britain aren’t the only revelers out making the most of the shortest day in the year. Cultures from as far back as the New Stone Age have recognized the significance of the solstice. From those times, holidays have been created by numerous groups worldwide to celebrated it. You can start closer to home with some background on this event with a more practical and scientific perspective by checking these articles in the two popular almanacs.

The Old Farmers Almanac has a very nice explanation of the Winter Solstice from an astronomical viewpoint. There is also a deeper explanation of what the seasons are about and how they are celebrated around the world. The other publication, called simply The Farmer’s Almanac, has an article from a cultural perspective and outlines a number of different festivals associated with the Winter Solstice.

I wrote about some of the world wide celebrations in an earlier post.

originally posted on Dec 21, 2024

updated on Dec 22, 2024