Hi: Roger wrote....
>.... Determining that the sun > had stopped its descent and had started to return with its life giving > light, heat and energy was a critical event in most cultures. It is > unfortunate that this has been lost in our modern cultures although solstice > festivals still exist. How many realize that the lights, stars, trees, > greenery, etc are all cultural residues of solstice celebrations. . We have > gotten away from the real and significant event, start of the new solar year > and now focus on festivals that have co-opted the theme. The constants in > all these festivals are light, renewal, salvation, rebirth, whether it is > Christmas, New Years, Epiphany, Saturnalia, Sol Invictus, St Lucia, > Chanukah, Mother Earth etc. All celebrate the return of the sun. > > The current dates for these festivals reflect the difficulty in accurately > determining the date and the calendar in vogue when the date was set. > Saturnalia was a 10 day festival, Chanukah 7 and Christmas 12. Let's enjoy > the whole solstice season and celebrate the return of the sun. > > Happy Solstice > > Roger Bailey > Walking Shadow Designs Here is a site to help you remind others of the solstice. For me of course it is the summer solstice I celebrate. One card in particular on this site is good for both. <http://postcards.rootsweb.com/ws1.htm> I am sure many of you could add more clever cards but here is a beginning. Maria Tasmania below 40 degrees S
