Happy Winter Solstice, or Yule!  Of course, our spherical planet also gives us the beautiful symmetry of the Summer Solstice (Litha) being celebrated now by our Southern Hemisphere friends.  With the exact Solstice moment at 10:27 pm (EST) on December 21st, the longest night for most of those in America is the night of the 21st, but for some in Eastern Eurasia, the longest night is the night of the 22nd.  This is different for every time zone, and is easy to figure out.  If the instant of the Solstice is in the morning (before noon) in your local time zone, then the longest night is the night before.  If it’s in the afternoon or evening, the the longest night is the night after the Winter Solstice for  you.

Celebrations

Some of the ways many of us are celebrating were published a few weeks ago.  I hope all the preparations haven’t been too busy for you – but whether they have or not, now is the time to relax and celebrate!  Everything doesn’t have to be perfectly prepared, after all. While the winding down of the pandemic means that the Irish Historical Society isn’t doing a webcast of the Solstice Sunrise at the Newgrange passage, you can still access that event from 2021 here, and play it right at the moment of your local sunrise!  You’ll want to preview it so as to get the exact moment you want to see at the moment of sunrise.  Some good options include 10:46 and 17:45.  

Similarly, the Solstice Sunset at a 5,000 year old Neolithic tomb, Maes Howe is also a great option!   

Happy Solstice!