winter solstice

olly Dec 1, 2005 11:45:22

would the people who use this forum regularly see sunrise (into the 21st) or sunset (on the 21st) as the more significant event around this day.

Creyr Dec 1, 2005 13:06:52

Replying to olly

This year the solstice is timed for 6.37 pm on the 21st. Which lends itself nicely to observing sunset on 21st AND sunrise on 22nd. I'll be keeping a fire going all night to see us through the darkest hours.
Someone once told me that technically the sun is at standstill at solstice and doesnt actually start to return until 3 days later - hence big party on the 25th.
Don't know how true that is.
Be interesting to hear what others think.

Spaceship mark Dec 1, 2005 13:24:20

Replying to olly

I think the commonly held theory is that the sunrise is more important. The sun rising on the solstice would be the signal for a collective sigh of relief after months of nights getting longer and temperatures dropping it would signify that the sun was still gonna come up and not just slowly fade away.
Many megalithic 'burial' monuments are aligned on the midwinter sunrise and there's the 'Stonehenge is a midwinter monument' theory too.
The fact that the sun rises in the same place for a few days would be terribly useful as, if it was cloudy, you got a few more chances. Maybe if it was cloudy throughout this would be a 'bad omen'...
What with the year not being exactly 365 days it would probably be a useful 'reset' as well for measuring time...

bawn79 Dec 1, 2005 14:12:51

Replying to olly

So anyone got any ideas for watching the winter solstice sunrise in ireland. I was at Baltray last year for it.

The Eternal Dec 1, 2005 20:34:59

Replying to olly

Greetings Olly,

I go with the midwinter sunset, as per that at Stonehenge. My reason is that the evidence, in my humble opinion, for this, is the most convincing.

Out of interest, the midweek Time Team programme about the dig at Durrington Walls seemed to give evidence to the midwinter cause.

They found evidence of midwinter feasts, and a "road" to the River Avon. This links the monument to the Stonehenge Avenue, which in turn processes to Stonehenge, arriving from the NE, i.e. towards the SW, which is where the sun would have been framed between the uprights of the Great Trilithon as it set on the midwinter solstice.

Regards,
TE.

Paulus Dec 1, 2005 20:45:29

Replying to olly

Hi Olly!

Although I aint done it for a few years now - in the days before the megalith craze really took-off and the Stonehenge festival was stopped, old locals at certain megalithic sites used to turn up mainly for the sunrise.

Nick Tasker Dec 3, 2005 17:49:14

Replying to olly

Any suggestions how to spend it? I've not done anything like this before. What usually goes on at Kit's Coty, Coldrum etc?