Winter Solstice Today !!! (for me anyway)

For those of us in the Northern Hemiphere, and the USA, we shall have our Winter Solstice this afternoon of evening depending on where you are in the country. For us here in South Carolina it will occur at 7:22 pm. Of course for the southerners, the REAL southerners, as in Southern Hemisphere, it's their Summer Solstice, the beginning of summer. Our days will start to get longer now, more sunlight, yeh!

"Solstice" is derived from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere," to cause to stand still. The lowest elevation occurs about DEC-21 and is the winter solstice -- the first day of winter, when the night time hours are maximum.

Here's some links to sites about the Solstice:

Winter Solstice

Ancient Origins: Solstice
from this site:

The early Germans built a stone altar to Hertha, or Bertha, goddess of domesticity and the home, during winter solstice. With a fire of fir boughs stoked on the altar, Hertha was able to descend through the smoke and guide those who were wise in Saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those at the feast.

WINTER SOLSTICE CELEBRATIONS:
a.k.a. Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, the Long Night, etc. at Religious Tolerance.org

from this site which has many forms of celebrations and history:

INCA RELIGION: The ancient Incas celebrated a festival if Inti Raymi at the time of the Winter Solstice. It celebrates "the Festival of the Sun where the god of the Sun, Wiracocha, is honored." 16 Ceremonies were banned by the Roman Catholic conquistadores in the 16th century as part of their forced conversions of the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia Indians in Cusco, Peru revived the festival about 1950. It is now a major festival which begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient amphitheater a few miles away.

me in the solsticEE