I’ve written previously here and here about how the Romans celebrated Saturnalia around this time of year, honoring the head of their pantheon of Titans. In London, for example, on the Winter Solstice, the Sun sets at 3:53 pm, and the “day” is only 7 hours and 50 mins long. Saturnalia was an ancient pagan holiday that honored the Roman God Saturn. It looks like the Sun is “standing still” from the perspective of someone standing on the Earth until, following the Winter Solstice, the days grow longer and the nights shorter. Saturnalia as the ultimate midwinter festival. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation seems to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. honor their god of agriculture during their winter festival of Saturnalia. However, as the Earth continues its orbit, the hemisphere angled closest to the sun changes, and the seasons are reversed. As good astronomers we all know that the Winter Solstice is the time the Sun. The farther north one is from the Equator, the more pronounced this is in Winter. Millennia later, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia (until the fourth century AD) a festival over the week of the winter solstice dedicated to the god Saturn, involving games and merriment. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of sunlight as the Sun is at its lowest arc in the sky, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. But the outrageous costumes of Carnival pale in comparison to the wild celebrations. In this way, the Roman Solstice ritual had more in common with, say, Brazilian Carnival than most types of Christmas celebrations. This means that the world revolves like a tilted spinning top. On the main square, the Saturnalia Prince or Lord of Misrule was crowned and given the duty of leading the festivities. In this way, understanding the archetypal energy of Saturn and Capricorn can help us move into the winter season with more grace and ease. In the Northern Hemisphere, it takes place in late December in the Southern Hemisphere, it occurs in June. Solstice and Saturn Winter begins as the Sun moves into the Saturn-ruled, tropical zodiac sign Capricorn. Solstice comes from the Latin “ solstitium,” meaning “Sun, standing still.” This year it occurs on December 21 at 21:48 GMT (or UTC) and marks the first day of the Winter season in the Northern Hemisphere from an astronomical perspective.Įarth enjoys different seasons because the planet is tilted 23 degrees and 27 minutes off the perpendicular to the plane of orbit. The winter solstice is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The Saturnalia Festival is an ancient Roman holiday that mainly celebrated the Winter sowing season, as well as honored the god Saturn. Ancient astronomically aligned instrument
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |