Winter Solstice

ACEO Winter Solstice
2.5 x 3.5 inches
colored pencil on paper
©2008 Ann Thompson Nemcosky
Click here to buy

Today marks the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I always feel a sense of gathering in during the days leading up to the Winter Solstice. A need to prepare for long, dark, and cold nights and time for reflection on the year that is now nearly past. But the Winter Solstice is also a turning point, and so it is also a time for looking toward the year to come, to plan for the future.

I find it fascinating the many ways cultures all over the world have responded to this particular turning point in the wheel of the year. We have prehistoric sites with stone circles to mark alignment with the path of the sun. Many religions consider this to be a deeply spiritual time of the year, often incorporating light and the return of the sun, from the Chinese festival of Dōngzhì to the Native American Soyalangwul ceremony. Hannukah features a lighted Menorah. And the star on top of the Christmas tree recalls that bright Nativity Star over Bethlehem.

Coming home the other evening a drive through our neighborhood was a brilliant festival of light with all the houses lit up for the season. We chase away the darkness of these longest nights with lighted decorations, just like the bonfires of our ancient ancestors, calling for the return of the sun. So whatever your tradition, I hope this year's winter festivities bring you happiness and peace.