Winter Solstice and Superstitions

Druids' ceremony in Stonehenge
By Anna
@LadyDuck (470745)
Switzerland
December 21, 2022 6:32am CST
Today is the Winter Solstice, the day when earth's poles reach their maximum axial tilt away from the Sun and today winter starts. According to an ancient middle oriental superstition the "Dark Spirits" walk the earth during "the longest night of the year". The roots of this superstition can be found in Celtic and Germanic folklore. Today, the sun hits its southernmost point before ascending north again. For this reason, the ancient people believed that the sun stopped moving during the solstice. In fact the word "solstice" comes from Latin and means "sun standing still". For the good news, from tomorrow we gain a little less than a minute of light in the evening. Do you have special traditions to celebrate the start of winter? The photo is the winter solstice Druids' ceremony in Stonehenge
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100 responses
@wolfgirl569 (105254)
• Marion, Ohio
21 Dec 22
Nothing in our families. But I am always happy to see the days start getting longer.
11 people like this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
21 Dec 22
I am also happy about this.
8 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
This is the positive note of winter solstice, from tomorrow the days get longer.
10 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
@marlina Those too dark days are depressing.
5 people like this
@snowy22315 (179715)
• United States
21 Dec 22
I did not know that. I knew there were some traditions around the summer solstice though. Christmas is the only winter tradition that people I know observe. It comes near the solstice.
10 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
Christmas comes very close to the solstice. The ancients had more celebrations for the winter solstice than we have in our days.
8 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
7 Jan 23
@Treborika The ancient Romans celebrated their Gods and they had special celebrations during the summer and winter solstice.
3 people like this
@Treborika (17661)
• Mombasa, Kenya
7 Jan 23
@LadyDuck What are the celebrations for. I think this was long gone along time ago.
4 people like this
@much2say (55318)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Dec 22
Interesting - I didn't know about that superstition! I can only think of the traditional winter holidays/celebrations here . . . but nothing for the start of winter itself. Plus living where I do, there is no line of the weather turning into winter . . . sometimes it's hard to believe it's even winter .
7 people like this
@much2say (55318)
• Los Angeles, California
21 Dec 22
@LadyDuck I was going to say too, that it has been chilly, but from earlier in the week it has been warming up. Apparently by the weekend it should be above mid 70F here. Isn't it usually snowy and wintery out there by now? It really makes me wonder what Mother Nature has in store for next year for all of us.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
@much2say The past years we used to have snow for Christmas. When we had no snow the temperature was anyway below 32 F most of the days. It was 50 F here today and this is not at all normal.
7 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
Winter started but the day has been warm. It has been a warm December and it seems we will start the year on a warm note. I am not complaining.
7 people like this
@allknowing (135307)
• India
21 Dec 22
This does not affect me in any way.
6 people like this
@allknowing (135307)
• India
22 Dec 22
@LadyDuck As I have often said none of these things are extremes here.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
I only hate the very dark mornings, I do not really care for the dark in the evening.
6 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
@allknowing We are lucky to have a warm December, let's hope not to have a very cold January.
5 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (89741)
• Arvada, Colorado
21 Dec 22
This is a lovely photo..so spiritual Anna. The dark beings however, roam around this apartment complex also
5 people like this
• Arvada, Colorado
21 Dec 22
@LadyDuck Yes they are zombies here So glad to see your post Anna.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
@RebeccasFarm Better to stay inside and close our doors, the zombies are dangerous.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
6:40 p.m. here and very dark.
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
21 Jan 23
It is 4:30 PM here and I am so glad to see it staying lighter. Darkness at 5 PM has always bothered me. This was interesting information about Solstice.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Jan 23
Hello James, it is such a pleasure to see you around. I hope you and your wife are both well.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
15 Apr
@DeborahDiane I hope that James and Dianne will come back to myLot. Dianne showed up just before Christmas after a long time and disappeared. James is not around from many months. Also DE is missing from months.
2 people like this
• Eugene, Oregon
15 Apr
@LadyDuck & DeborahDiane It's nice to be remembered! We are both well (now) after cancer treatment during the Pandemic for Anne and a surprise I got when I went to have a knee pain checked. My pulse rate was 39 (though I felt fine) and so was sent to the ER where I was admitted and was given a Pacemaker the next day. It's working well and I feel as great as ever, doing a lot of fitness walking and spending three to five hours day working on or reading about poetry. There are so many places to submit and so many people submitting that publication is a rare thing, but it's fascinating and keeps my mind working a lot.
@GardenGerty (160488)
• United States
22 Dec 22
No winter traditions here, except to stay inside and keep warm. Glad to see us switch back to lengthening days, though.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
I have read about a very cold front coming to your country. We have an unusually warm December.
2 people like this
@jobelbojel (35356)
• Philippines
22 Dec 22
I heard about the solstice but did not know where it originated until now. Thank you for sharing.
4 people like this
@jobelbojel (35356)
• Philippines
29 Dec 22
@LadyDuck Yeah, that's why it am seeing the light even it's already almost 6pm
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
From today the days start to be a bit longer, only 1 minute per day at first.
4 people like this
@cacay1 (83334)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
22 Dec 22
@jobelbojel, me too learned it just now.
3 people like this
@BelleStarr (61102)
• United States
21 Dec 22
Another place that is designed around the solstice is Newgrange in Ireland. At the solstice, the sun shines through and lights the interior. We visited there a few years ago, an amazing place.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
There are amazing places around the world where ancestral ceremonies are still popular. I missed to visit those places.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (50851)
• Canada
22 Dec 22
That is really quite interesting. We do not have any traditions that we celebrate the beginning of winter with, but we do for the autumn. That is usually our son's birthday, and he always brings that up.
3 people like this
@Juliaacv (50851)
• Canada
22 Dec 22
@LadyDuck I agree, we should follow the ancient traditions. Today the change of a season is just a mention on the news from the weatherman, and yet it really affects all of us more than just a mention.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
I wish we would celebrate the start of the seasons as the ancients did, our modern days go so fast, not even the time to realize that it's no more Autumn and it's almost Spring.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
@Juliaacv - It is a shame that little by little we lose our ancestors traditions.
2 people like this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
21 Dec 22
No, no special celebration here for this reason.
3 people like this
@marlina (154131)
• Canada
24 Dec 22
@LadyDuck We don't here at my house either.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
24 Dec 22
@marlina - I do not think that even my grandparents ever celebrated the start of winter.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
We never had particular celebrations for the beginning of winter.
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137249)
• United States
21 Dec 22
No, no traditions for winter solstice that I know about. Nothing in my family.
4 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
Nothing here either, not that I know.
3 people like this
@just4him (317004)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
22 Dec 22
I don't know of any special traditions. Thank you for sharing this one about Stonehenge and the Druids.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
Here all the ancient traditions have been lost.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
@just4him Young people are no more interested in traditions, they only care of their electronic devices.
1 person likes this
@just4him (317004)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
22 Dec 22
@LadyDuck I'm sorry they were lost.
1 person likes this
@cool83 (4467)
• Sri Lanka
21 Dec 22
No , Even i did know after reading this one , In my country we are not used to do it , Are you participate for that also?
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
21 Dec 22
No I have not been to Stonehenge, but I am sure it would be interesting to go.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
@cool83 No I have never been there, but I know about that function.
3 people like this
@cool83 (4467)
• Sri Lanka
22 Dec 22
@LadyDuck I thought you have been there with that function
3 people like this
@velvet53 (22526)
• Palisade, Colorado
18 Mar 23
Nothing with my family. It is nice to see how others respond to this.
2 people like this
@velvet53 (22526)
• Palisade, Colorado
18 Mar 23
@LadyDuck I agree with you. Something this important should be something that some children might of found very interesting.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
18 Mar 23
@velvet53 - I am sure that those old traditions are more interesting that names of old battles.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
18 Mar 23
It is a shame that school did not do something to teach to children the meaning of this day and talk about the ancient celebrations.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (217886)
• Walnut Creek, California
25 Dec 22
I do not. But I know that the best days for photographing the sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge from the Nimitz trail are December 27th and (I would guess) December 17th.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
26 Dec 22
December 27th, tomorrow, our wedding anniversary. It should be a sunny day according to the forecast.
2 people like this
@TheHorse (217886)
• Walnut Creek, California
26 Jan 23
@LadyDuck I hope it was.
2 people like this
@noni1959 (10061)
• United States
26 Jan 23
@LadyDuck I'm sorry I missed this. I hope you had a wonderful anniversary.
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60794)
• Perth, Australia
3 Jan 23
@LadyDuck wow didn't know any of this. It's rare I actually know any of these interesting facts you share with us! I love learning! We don't have any traditions. It is Summer here now. When Winter begins, I smile a lot.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
3 Jan 23
I am glad you enjoyed reading. Here in the south of Switzerland there are no traditions to welcome winter, but I think they do something in the north.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
4 Jan 23
@VivaLaDani13 I agree, I am glad when myLotters write about their traditions.
1 person likes this
• Perth, Australia
4 Jan 23
@LadyDuck It's very interesting to know. Even if we don't do these things ourselves, it is interesting to learn about what other people around the world do.
1 person likes this
@nela13 (58491)
• Portugal
29 Dec 22
We don't have a special tradition but I like the fact that the days start to get longer from now on.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
30 Dec 22
For the moment only a couple of minutes in the evening, but at mid January it accelerates.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
30 Dec 22
@nela13 This end of December is so warm here.
1 person likes this
@nela13 (58491)
• Portugal
30 Dec 22
@LadyDuck I love when it starts to warm up and the days are longer, it gives me a good feeling.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (176652)
• United States
22 Dec 22
I do a little happy dance when the days start getting longer! lololol
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
22 Dec 22
I cannot wait to have more light in the morning.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
23 Dec 22
@LindaOHio I am an early bird and this morning I was out shopping and it was as dark as night.
2 people like this
@LindaOHio (176652)
• United States
22 Dec 22
@LadyDuck And I cannot wait until there is more light in the evening!
2 people like this
@MrDenata (12228)
• Indonesia
10 Jan 23
I never experience winter, i wish i could experience it soon. Eventho i cant stand with cold weather, i will try to experience it one day
2 people like this
@sjvg1976 (41273)
• Delhi, India
10 Jan 23
So you dont have winters in your country?
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (470745)
• Switzerland
10 Jan 23
@MrDenata - I was born in Italy in a cold city, so I have the habit to cold winters. Global warming is happening, this year it's a lot warmer than usual here in Switzerland.
2 people like this
@MrDenata (12228)
• Indonesia
10 Jan 23
@sjvg1976 no, Sanjeev, we only have dry and wet season
2 people like this