Celebrating the Winter Solstice

[CellarDweller]

[Jeff Wrangler]

Where I am, the sunset will be at 4:39 pm or 16:39 for the Eurobrokies. I'll light a candle then.

According to the almanac I've referenced before, that's the time of sunset here, too.

According to the same almanac, we passed the solstice at 4:21 a.m., so it's winter--and it sure enough feels like it. Currently the air temperature here is 30 F.

Happy Yule, everybody!

[CellarDweller]

[serious crayons]

Here it's up at 7:38, down at 4:34 today. I have no solstice ceremony planned, but am really looking forward to Longerdays tomorrow.

I got a $20 SAD lamp and have used it a few times but I don't know that it's doing that much good. But yesterday was sunny so I went out to do some errands. It was cold, but because the sun was nice, I drove to the more distant Trader Joe's. It's bigger, with more parking and, I hoped, less chaos. There were were fairly long lines but everyone was cheerful. Then I had extra time before sunset so I swung over to another shopping area and made a few stops that were unproductive except for the four potstickers I ate at the LeeAnn Chin's fast-casual restaurant.

I came home feeling upbeat and fairly cheerful. Not sure if it was the sun streaming through the windshield, but that always seems to help a LOT.

It's still cold today, and cloudy. Clouds are predicted for most of the next 10 days. But high temps are supposed to be above freezing, which may start to melt the 5+" of snow we got on Thursday.

[Jeff Wrangler]

I lit my candle at 4:39 p.m. per the time on my phone. I used the reproduction 17th-century candleholder that I said I was going to use. Fortunately I found one of those glass chimney things that go on top of an oil lamp to slip down over the candle because keeping it out of a draft would be an issue.

Now I need to make sure I know the time of sunset on Christmas Eve.

[Front-Ranger]

 Lit my candle at 4:39 today but it went out twice. Finally got it going and am enjoying the hopeful light.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Mine has burned down to just a tiny flame in the bottom of the candle holder. I expect it will soon burn out.

[serious crayons]

I guess you could say I did a more modern take on the candle lighting. I had bought a string of tiny LED lights on a wire, operated with a battery. Yesterday, I put them inside a clear glass candle cup with a decorative metal top and base, and tucked the battery box with the switch underneath the base. And it was probably somewhere around 4:39.

I realize that doesn't sound like a totally legit ritual for marking the solstice. My Druid ancestors probably wouldn't approve. But maybe it was the solstice that subconsciously led me to do it! 

[Jeff Wrangler]

I guess you could say I did a more modern take on the candle lighting. I had bought a string of tiny LED lights on a wire, operated with a battery. Yesterday, I put them inside a clear glass candle cup with a decorative metal top and base, and tucked the battery box with the switch underneath the base. And it was probably somewhere around 4:39.

I realize that doesn't sound like a totally legit ritual for marking the solstice. My Druid ancestors probably wouldn't approve. But maybe it was the solstice that subconsciously led me to do it!

Sounds perfectly legit to me.    (And safer than an open flame.    )

[Jeff Wrangler]

So I wonder who it was that discovered that the solstices and equinoxes were on the (roughly/approximately) 21st day of their respective months and not on the 25th day?

And when was this discovery made and implemented?