British Billy welcomes the Winter Solstice

Published Dec. 19, 2014
By British Billy
48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- I'veheard so many grumbles recently about how short the days are at the moment, and how early the sun sets. But never fear - things are about to change. The shortest day of the year and the first day of the season of winter falls on Dec. 21, otherwise known as the winter solstice. Of course, for our antipodean chums in the southern hemisphere, the same date will mark their summer solstice, and their longest day.

The December solstice occurs when the sun reaches its lowest angle in the sky, and the North Pole is tilted at its furthest away from the sun; the days will start getting longer after the solstice has passed.

My whiskers are quivering at the thought of springtime. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee the weather will get any warmer. The U.K. is notoriously whimsical when it comes down to matters meteorological. Nestling as we do in the midst of so many competing weather systems and ocean currents, it is very difficult to forecast what's going to happen next, but there's a strong chance it will involve either cold or wet, and most probably both.

The terms 'Yule' or 'Yuletide' are often associated with the winter solstice. Yule is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. As hunters and gatherers, ancient people spent most of their time outdoors, and the seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this, many ancient people had a great reverence for, and even worshipped the sun.

To our ancestors, the shortest day, Dec. 21, marked the lowest ebb of the year, but it also marked the day when the sun was reborn, gradually growing in strength to the summer solstice. Many ancient standing stones, stone circles and other monuments are aligned with the winter sunrise on the shortest day. The most famous is probably the prehistoric monument at Newgrange in Ireland, where a finger of sunlight shines along the dark entrance through a narrow aperture above the monument's entrance. Newgrange was constructed more than 5,000 years ago, about 3,200 B.C., making it older than Stonehenge in England.

Stonehenge is carefully aligned on a sight-line that points to the winter solstice sunset, as opposed to Newgrange, which points to the winter solstice sunrise. It is thought that the winter solstice was more important than the summer to the people who built Stonehenge. The onset of winter was a time when most cattle were slaughtered, so that they would not need to be fed through the winter, and the majority of wine and beer was finally fermented. Communities were not certain of living through the winter as starvation was common in winter between January and April, which became known as the famine months.

Maeshowe, on the Orkney Islands, off the northern tip of Scotland, is very similar to the tomb at Newgrange, suggesting a link between the two cultures. It is also aligned so that the rear wall of its central chamber is illuminated by the winter solstice sun, but at sunset. Although we can only speculate as to the purpose of the alignment, what is clear is the skill of the Neolithic architects and builders who designed and built Maeshowe. Not only did they raise the remarkable structure, but it was built precisely to allow the light at the darkest point of the year to illuminate their house of the dead.

The Norsemen of Northern Europe saw the sun as a wheel that changed the seasons. It was from the word for this wheel that the word 'Yule' is thought to have come. At mid-winter the Norsemen lit bonfires, told stories and drank sweet ale.

The Druids, who were Celtic priests, would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe was a symbol of life in the dark winter months.

It was also the Druids who began the tradition of the Yule log. The Celts thought that the sun stood still for twelve days in the middle of winter, and during this time a log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish evil spirits and bring luck for the coming year. In England, the Yule was cut and dragged home by oxen or horses as the people walked alongside and sang merry songs. It was often decorated with evergreens and sometimes sprinkled with grain or cider before it was finally set alight.

Of course, whatever the season and the weather, I take my feline duties very seriously. I've been out on garden patrol in all weathers, day and night. Returning to a cosy hearth and roaring log fire warms the cockles of my heart, not to mention my paws. As the Yule log blazes, I shall be thankful that, once the winter solstice has past, the days will begin to lengthen, and a new year, with all its untold promise, will soon arrive.

A merry Yuletide to one and all!