The beautiful darkness and the return of the light

Winter Solstice

In the middle of the dark and cold, the winter solstice gives us a glimpse of longer days and the promise of new beginnings. It marks the change from the waning to the waxing year and the return of the light – imperceptible at first, but growing minute by minute with each passing day.

The world 'solstice' comes from the Latin 'solstitium', meaning 'Sun stands still', because the apparent movement of the Sun's path (north or south) stops before changing direction. But what exactly is the winter solstice? I love a bit of astronomy and the Royal Museums Greenwich¹ is one of my favourite resources for it. This is their description:

In the Northern Hemisphere the winter solstice marks the 24-hour period with the fewest daylight hours of the year and the longest night of the year. Since the Earth is tilted 23.4 degrees on its axis, the arc the Sun moves through during the day will rise and fall across the year as the Earth’s pole points either towards or away from the Sun. 

The winter solstice occurs at the minimum point for the Northern Hemisphere, when the Sun is lowest in the sky. At this time, the Earth's North Pole is pointing away from the Sun (which is why it is so much colder in the Northern Hemisphere).

The actual moment of the solstice in 2023 will occur at 3:27am GMT in the UK, but most people concentrate on the whole solstice day, which has been recognised by holidays and festivals in many cultures around the world. The shortest day lasts 7 hours 49 minutes and 42 seconds in London. This means that the length of the day during the winter solstice is 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the summer solstice. 

At this particular point in midwinter, it’s almost as if the earth is holding its breath. The sun seems to be standing still in the sky, low and heavy, moving slowly as if it’s conserving its energy and experiencing its own hibernation.

Although I know we cannot live without the sun’s light, I find more comfort in the dark of winter than the brightness of the summer. I am relishing these deep days and the calm I feel from them. I should probably move further north to enjoy the cooler, colder climate and realise my dream of living in a log cabin in the woods.

Symbolically the winter solstice offers a time for introspection and reflection, pause and rest – even though to actually take this time to do just that is near-impossible for most people. It’s what I crave more than anything else at the moment: my blankets, my sofa and the time to rest fully. I have four days off now to allow my body to be passive and still and restore some energy. I hope you all have some time carved out to also find some moments of quiet and calm in amongst the frenetics and pressure of this time of year.

Thank you for reading along during the past eighteen months. I wish you all a happy winter solstice and a wonderful season of festivities, whichever tradition you celebrate.

Seasons Greetings and best wishes.

Jo

1. https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/topics/when-winter-solstice-shortest-day