I only intended a lighthearted telling of the origins of what we think of as Christmas imagery: reindeer, candles, greenery, holly, chimneys, trees, gift-giving, etc. BUT! I find myself lost in the wonders of research about the first known Solstice celebrations. Hoping not to bore you, I nevertheless must share some of this with any reader venturing this way. Time and space limit me to several examples, and those I'll use are from two of my own heritages: Celtic and Native American. This leaves out huge expanses of time and place, but it leaves much for you to discover yourself.
I'm still on the subject of astronomy and the building of sites to map the heavens, observe and mark the important seasonal moments. Everyone knows of Stonehenge, though no one, not the archeologists, scientists, astronomers, mythologizers, really knows much about it. And it is only one of hundreds of neolithic and megalithic sites in Great Britain whose mystery ensnares modern observers. Two that seem to have been built as both tombs and celestial observatories are Maeshowe in the Orkney Islands, north of Scotland, and Newgrange in County Meath, Ireland. They are both spectacular sites. If you go to the Maeshowe link you can connect to a webcam that is stationed in the sun chamber from now through the actual days of the Solstice. Both of the websites enthralled me, with history, photos, links to yet more information. Even the photos convey the sense of awe and mystery that this turning of the year must have embodied.
(Continued in next entry)
2 comments:
This is fascinating, your entries on the winter solstice. I'm bookmarking all the sites for reading later. You've got me hooked.
I join your enthrallment at the Maeshowe site. Makes me want to go back to Scotland tomorrow and stay in the Orkneys for a complete year. I begin to understand your longtime fascination with solstice. I've been asleep under a rock for decades, unaware of the wonder of it all.
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