Winter solstice rituals in the southern hemisphere Posted on 21 June 2019 Tags:Australia, new zealand, Tasmania, winter solstice, Yule Today we officially celebrate the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. What is the history and significance of this day though, and how do we celebrate it now? Image: Colin Lagerwall Derived from the latin word ‘solsititium’, solstice literally means ‘stopping sun’, and occurs twice and across both hemispheres of the earth on its tilted, rotating axis. According to National Geographic, the angle at which the earth is tilted on its axis is estimated to be at a 23.4 degree angle, at which point either the northern or southern hemisphere is pointed closest, or in our case furthest, from the sun. The solstice ushers in a new season, and the winter solstice celebrates the beginning of the return of the sun to the world as the days get progressively longer again. There’s great hype and festivity around the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, roughly around Christmastime in the Western modern tradition. Yule View this post on Instagram A post shared by Natural Magical Creative (@naturalmagicalcreative) on Jun 20, 2019 at 10:09pm PDT In the Pagan tradition, Yule is celebrated on the day of the winter solstice, generally accepted as the ‘longest day of the year’ for the shortest daytime light and longest nighttime. Celebrations include the creation and burning of a Yule log. Different trees have different symbolism, but your choice of log is decorated with evergreen plants like mistletoe or holly, and is burned in a hearth. Although Yule preceded what we know as Christmas, the Christianic celebrations are celebrated at about the same time of the year, and certain Yuletide traditions have been naturalised into Christmas celebrations. Yule logs nowadays can also take the form of a chocolate, Swiss-Roll-style cake. Australia The Australian Aboriginal community is thought to have been the first to celebrate the change in season with the winter solstice. Mainland View this post on Instagram A post shared by Joel Radcliffe (@rad4radcliffe) on Apr 16, 2019 at 12:33am PDT You can join the nude solstice swim out at Canberra Lake Burley Griffin, an artificial lake at the centre of the Aussie capital. Participants strip down and plunge in the waters where temperatures skinny-dip below the zero-degree mark. Tasmania View this post on Instagram A post shared by Megan McMillan (@gingermegz83) on Jun 21, 2019 at 4:20am PDT View this post on Instagram WINTER SOLSTICE Today we celebrate the shortest day of the year. We all look forward to our days growing in length. So come on in and enjoy this mid winter turning point with us. CAFE – POP UP . . . . . . . #pigeonhole #pigeonholecafe #pigeonholecafewesthobart #hobartcafe #tasmaniancafe #popup #westonfarm #westonfarmproduce #westonfarmproducer #tasmanianfarmer #seasonalfarmer #darkmofo2019 #pttr2019 #hobartandbeyond A post shared by PigeonHoleCafe (@pigeonholecafewesthobart) on Jun 21, 2019 at 2:00am PDT In the Aussie island state of Tasmania, the Dark MOFO festival runs through most of June. From 6 to 23 June this year, the festival celebrates the winter solstice with cultural events and entertainment; there’s music from international artists, art exhibitions across the city at the capital, Hobart’s, galleries and performances in theatres and concert halls all over the town. Its summertime alternative is the Mona Foma festival. New Zealand In Māori tradition, the winter solstice was a very important day and celebrated because it signalled and commemorated the triumph of light over darkness. Commemorative events are known to take place at Aotearoa Stonehenge, a modern adaptation of Britain’s own Stonehenge, named after New Zealand in the Māori language. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Siobhan Connor (@shivvyrocks06) on Mar 21, 2019 at 5:42pm PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by (@sarahanne_munton) on Apr 23, 2019 at 10:48pm PDT View this post on Instagram A post shared by Christiaan Barnard (@barnyardpictures) on Apr 13, 2019 at 11:42pm PDT Featured image: Colin Lagerwall Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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