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The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, the turning point when days begin, little by little, to become longer.
Christmas and other holidays at this time of year appropriated an earlier celebration of the winter solstice. In our present calendar, it happens on December 21st, but in the old Roman calendar, it was on the 25th – our present Christmas Day. Commemorated in Stonehenge, Chaco Canyon New Mexico, Egypt, Rome, and numerous other sites around the globe, it was seen as the rebirth of the sun. Germanic people called it Yule. To us, it might seem that after December 21st, the winter is just beginning; colder days will be coming… But, to those ancients who watched the skies, it’s an obvious turning point – when warmth, sunlight, and plants commence their gradual return.
From the William Davidson Talmud: When the First Man saw that the day was continuously shortening, he said, "Woe is me! Because I have sinned, the world darkens around me and returns to formlessness and void. This is the death to which Heaven has sentenced me!" He decided to spend eight days in fasting and prayer. When he saw the winter solstice, and he saw that the day was continuously lengthening, he said, "It is the order of the world!"
Saint Nicholas brought gifts as well as punishments – a time of year that brings mixed blessings.
This playlist is not about the solstice, nor does it have some Pagan agenda - it’s rowdy, fun songs that gently poke at and refer to the holidays. Enjoy! -David Byrne
Listen to this month's playlist on: Apple Music: Click Here Mixcloud (free streaming): Click Here |
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