Today is the Winter Solstice. It’s the shortest day of the year, so the days will start getting longer again. Many northern European cultures had big celebrations for the Solstice, either to celebrate the return of the sun or to encourage it to come back.
We used to have a neighbour from Scandinavia (I forget which part exactly) who burned a torch all night long on the night of the Solstice. Mr. C. always thought that was cool – perhaps it spoke to his inner Viking. (Most of us do have one, given how far and wide the Vikings travelled and what they did with the local women once they got there.)
Do you celebrate the Solstice? If so, how?
Deborah Cooke: Author 