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West Essex Tribune

November 23, 2016

Facts About Solstice
Thanks in large part to all the holiday hullabaloo, its easy to overlook
the ofcial arrival of winter.This year
winter begins on December 21. While
you might know the winter soltstice
brings cold weather, the following can
teach you more about the arrival of the
years coldest season.
What is winter solstice? Winter solstice is when the hemisphere is leaning
farthest away from the sun. Thats why
daylight is the shortest this day.
What causes seasons? They are
caused by the rotation of the earth. Earth
is tilted away from the sun during the
northern hemispheres winter, which
is why the days are shorter.
What was the Roman festival of
Saturnalia? A festival that honored
winter solstice where servants ate with
their masters. Schools were closed,
prisoners were not executed and people
paraded around the streets with black

faces or masks.
What tradition came from the
Scandinavians winter solstice festival called Jiuleis? The burning of
the Yule log. Norse men would burn
the log to repel dark and cold. The
wood was thought to bring good luck
to each home.
What ancient ruin was built to
honor the solstice? Newgrange in
eastern Ireland was built to honor
the solstice. It is one acre and has a
60 foot entranceway. It dates back
to 3,300 BCE, making it one of the
oldest structures in the world.
What custom involves giving
presents? Romans gave their children
earthenware (sigillaria), rings and
seals to celebrate Sigillaria.
When its winter solstice in the
northern hemisphere, what is happening in the southern hemisphere? They
are celebrating the summer solstice.
At that time, night is at its shortest
and daytime is at its longest.

What does the word solstice mean?

It comes from two Latin words
sol, which means sun, and sistere,
which means to cause to stand still.
How did the ancient Greeks observe the winter solstice? Their winter
solstice ritual was called Lenaea, the
Festival of the Wild Women. A man
representing the harvest God Dionysos was torn to pieces and eaten by a
gang of women. Then, Dionysos was
reborn as a baby. By classical times,
the human sacrice was replaced by
the killing of a goat and the women
became funeral mourners and watchers of the birth.
The winter solstice in 1999 was
unique. Why? That year the solstice,
full moon and lunar perigee happened
on the same date. (Perigee means that
the moons orbit is closest to earth).
Here, the moon was full and at its
maximum size. The last time that
something like this happened was
1866.

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Traditions Behind
Holiday Gifts
The holiday season is a time to
celebrate with friends and family.
Several holidays are celebrated in this
relatively short time period, making
this one of the most festive times of
the year.
Many holiday celebrations focus
on the exchange of presents, which
may be exchanged with relatives,
friends and even coworkers. But
are you familiar with the origins of
exchanging gifts?
Gift exchanges trace their origins to
both religious and secular traditions,
each of which has helped shape the
holidays into what they are today.
Christmas
People exchange gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day all over
the world. For Christians, Christmas
celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ,
who Christians believe was a gift
from the Creator.
From a religious standpoint, gifting
others around Christmastime can be
traced back to the stories of the Three
Kings (also referred to as the Three
Wise Men) who visited Jesus after

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his birth. Frankincense, a fragrance

involved in worship; gold; and myrrh,
an incense associated with funerals,
was presented. These gifts symbolized
worship in Christ, that He would be
the King of Kings, and that suffering
and death would come to Him.
Another giver of gifts is part of
many Christmas celebrations. St.
Nicholas, a fourth century saint, is a
beloved gure across the globe who
has a reputation for giving gifts in
secret and helping the needy. The
gure of Santa Claus is based on St.
Nicholas, and the blending of the two
has evolved as history has mixed with
folklore and personal traditions.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish
celebration that commemorates the
rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. The word hanukkah actually
means dedication in Hebrew.
The Jews, including Judah Maccabee, helped drive the Syrians out of
Jerusalem. In one of Judaisms most
central texts, Maccabee and others
witnessed a miracle at the temple.
Even though there was only enough
oil to keep a menorahs candles burning for one day, the ames continued
for eight nights.
Traditionally, gelt, or money, was
given as a Hanukkah gift. Many Hanukkah gift givers aim to give gifts
that are thoughtful and sweet. Money

is not exchanged as much today, with

other gifts taking its place.
Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is an American holiday that
pays homage to traditions and cultural
inuences from Africa. The holiday
was developed in 1966 by Maulana
Ndabezitha Karenga. The focus of
Kwanzaa is on family and the harvest
as well as certain principles, such as
unity and faith.
Gifts make up one of the seven
symbols of Kwanzaa celebrations.
However, gift-sharing is not the central part of this special holiday. Gifts
are symbolic of the labor and love of
parents and the commitments made
and kept by their children.
Gifts are exchanged in abundance
this time of year. The traditions behind
the giving of presents is far-reaching
and based in religious, secular and
cultural traditions.

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