The MOST IMPORTANT Night of the Year: The Winter Solstice

[@ashleysma1511]

Happy Solstice to my fellow Pagans and Christians alike. May your sun burn brighter upon its return tomorrow. Blessed be.

[@cynthiaahern9081]

Happy Solstice to you also. And may your next year be blessed 🙌 From a Christian.

[@princesslavenereacts]

Blessed it be

[@nneichan9353]

happy solstice

[@ashleysma1511]

Ya'll, I am about to cry. Set your intentions, celebrate but guard against the dark. Thank you so much for the happy wishes and regards

[@aaronnunn5240]

Great, I'm in the Southern hemisphere!

[@eardwulf785]

Also celebrated on the evening of the 21st of December by our Saxon and Dane ancestors was Modraniht in honour of our Mothers: Mothers Night. Light a candle in remembrance of all absent Mothers 🕯️

[@PalleRasmussen]

Source?

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

Not saying it ain’t so but I’ve lived here for 52 years now, I am reasonably familiar with local tradition and while my new age aunt does celebrate winter solstice, and while people light candles for all kinds of reasons at odd intervals I never heard anyone mention anything about a Mothers Night in my life … I am sure my aunt would jump at the idea tho …😄

[@eardwulf785]

@@whynottalklikeapirat Seriously???? Just hit up Wikipedia or even Google. My mother passed away on the 21st of December 2009 and I've always lit a candle beside her portrait each year since. It's common knowledge amongst people read up on. Modraniht seems to be the preferred spelling, check it out and get back to me and the source dude

[@KDSima]

I love that! I had never heard it called that before. It is wonderful. You r right though, after Googling it, I realized it is called that all over the place. Thanks!

[@justalaborer713]

Interesting that they believed darkness had a source and moved. We still say things like it grew dark and the darkness was very thick.

[@bumpassb]

In the Bible it alludes to the fact that it can be so dark that you can feel the darkness. I have experienced this. Very unnerving.

[@katakana1]

@@bumpassb This isn't your average everyday darkness, this is... Advanced darkness

[@blackc1479]

"The darkness seemed to eat the light"

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@katakana1 omg! i was totes about to say that!

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@bumpassb ja, it's called synethesia

[@majidbineshgar7156]

Yalda ( Yule) in Iran is still celebrated .

[@BardovBacchus]

I was a full grown adult, about a dozen years ago, when I learned that sunset pauses at the beginning of December and starts getting later, not on the Solstice, but on December 6th, what some call St Nick's night or Krampus Nacht. Sunrise, on the other hand, lingers later and does not fully reverse until Jan 6th, aka Twelfth Night

[@carrie5980]

Now I'm just confused 😅

[@cris_ad]

Explains the relevance of December 6th - back in Romania, when I was young, we used to put our shoes out on that date so we would get candy. Unsure how that actually relates to your information, but it shows that the date was relevant.

[@abandoninplace2751]

@@carrie5980 Longest night (winter solstice), earliest sunset (early December), and latest sunrise (early January) are not the same thing. Actual dates depend on latitude. (Ask the southern hemisphere about that. Completely opposite everything going on.)

[@jakeaurod]

If I remember correctly, this is a feature of the Analemma, caused by the changes in speed of Earth in its orbit due to the perihelion and aphelion. It should be noted that the line of apsides precesses, as does the tilt of the Earth's axis, which is known as the precession of the equinoxes. So, these dates will not stay constant on longer time scales.

[@rhoddryice5412]

@@carrie5980 It’s because of the difference between the sidereal day(23h56m) and he solar day(24h). It’s like the sun set and sun rise playing catch.

[@metalonmetal5291]

Hi, in Iran we've been celebrating the Winter Solstice for thousands of years. It's called "Yalda". One of the most important festivities in the Iranian and Greater Iran calenders. Families get together, enjoy pomegranates, watermelon, variety of nuts, etc; and stay awake until near dawn talking/partying. Our New Year is at the "exact" moment of the Spring Equinox (by exact I mean calculated by the second), which is on March 21st unless we have a leap year.

[@uv10100]

I have of heard the the pomegranate in the story of Ishtar\Inana descent into the underworld as a fruit of the dead, being a symbol for death and rebirth. Is the context of it in Yalda Night similar? In the Jewish tradition we associate it with the new years eve (Rosh Hashanah) as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.

[@metalonmetal5291]

@@uv10100 Yalda goes back way before Judaism as it's an ancient Aryan-Mithraic celebration of the triumph of light over darkness and the birth of Mithra. Still a very important celebration for all Iranians and Irani people to this day. BTW, pomegranate is native to Iran and other Aryan lands.

[@Tymbus]

You might be interested to know that the city of Brighton & Hove has adopted a recently invented celebration of the Winter's Solstice called "Burning the Clocks". The event was invented in 1994 by Sam Sky and consists of a parade of 2,000 people carrying paper and willow lanters that are, at the parade's end, thrown on a bonfire.

[@stephennicolay1940]

Ditch Halloween and things will improve.

[@alicefreist318]

My mother taught us about the old pagan holidays of Winter & Sumner Soltice, plus the equinoxes. She is gone now, and Solstice means more to me than it ever did before. It is a time to feast and be generous, to tell stories with friends and family, to contemplate the meaning of life, of death, and our place in the ever-renewing universe. Despite fear of hunger, cold, darkness, and death, the light returns. Life goes on, and we can take comfort in the knowledge of eternal renewal.

[@thissunchild]

Beautifully said🙏🏾❤

[@o.solaris6407]

Well said. I'll be spending the night of the solstice in solitude and set the intention that the days ahead will be brighter, better.

[@thissunchild]

Beautiful 🙏🏾 I have Covid and have been forced to spend these leading up to and away from this winter solstice in solitude. I thought it would lead to depression and the missing of my family. Who would have thought it would become the most peaceful time in my life, even though I have been sick as a dog. The solitude during this time has led to peace and an embracing of the dark that has been profound. I am a changed woman.

[@janerkenbrack3373]

Happy Solstice to you. May the days grow longer.

[@JuxtaPositionings]

As sure as the sun rises, they will

[@thehairywoodsman5644]

it is my birthday. I was born on the solstice 1966 . 12/21/66

[@Crowhag]

Thank you for the insightful video. And thank you for linking my video on Father Christmas at the end. I appreciate it very much. Blessed Solstice!

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for your kind words, your video deserves to do well.

[@eveadame1059]

@@Crecganford ALIEN HYPOTHESIS THEORY ⚜️ 12 is the mirror of 21 ⚜️ 12 is the Prime Number of 37 ⚜️ 21 is the prime number of 73 ⚜️ 7 x 3 = 21 ⚜️ The Binary for 73 is 100101 that is a Palindrome ⚜️ 37 is also the mirror of 73 ⚜️

[@moonpearl4736]

May your life grow brighter as the days grow longer.

[@beefandbarley]

Back atcha. 🙏

[@martemacdougall1985]

I received your Winter Solstice video this evening as I was about to light my candle on my altar of greens. Here on the west coast of Canada the Solstice began at 7:27 PST. There are no coincidences! Thank you for your video .❤ And Happy Holidays too. 🌲💚

[@anthonycliftonjones2564]

Everyone thinks that Stonehenge was built to celebrate the Summer Solstice but in reality it celebrated the Winter Solstice

[@Sealia77]

Wasn't it both but modern pagans seemed to forget about the winter one?

[@rogeriopenna9014]

Well, if they celebrated the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, they were at the same time celebrating the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere.

[@Joyride37]

Stonehenge is aligned toward both. To sunrise of the summer solstice and sunset of the winter solstice

[@PanglossDr]

A large amount of evidence has been found of feasting in the Winter, absolutely none for the Summer.

[@sigmundbalmung]

Pretty sure everyone thinks Stonehenge was built to celebrate the winter solstice. I have never heard of it being built to celebrate the summer solstice.

[@littlebird619]

Sending warm wishes to you from the most light of the year. Happy summer solstice to those of you experiencing the Winter darkness on the other side of our planet. ☀️🌙

[@Crecganford]

Thank you, may your summer solstice be warm and and full of joy!

[@jvfg170]

@@Crecganford Warmer than it already is? hahaha. I can't speak for all southern countries, but Brazil is as hot as hell! Anyway, happy winter solstice for those of you in the north!

[@lhurst9550]

First! Spring is known as the starving season. Winter stores are used up and before the year's crops come in.

[@MariaSole773]

I knew that after wintersolstice there are three days if stasis where the night ist still that long until 25th of December where the daylight increases again. This was called Sol Invictus

[@oldschoolman1444]

And it was hijacked by Christianity, then moved to the spring equinox. The sun/son died for three days and rose again.

[@MariaSole773]

@@oldschoolman1444 yes exactly

[@irenejohnston6802]

High jacked by Christendom not Christianity.

[@reversefulfillment9189]

In the Hindu calendar the day starts at sunrise even to this day.

[@RegebroRepairs]

I just learned the old slavic name for the period is Koliada, which is likely coming from Kolo, circle, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷléh₂, which became "wheel" in English. And "hjul" in north germanic. Which is likely a cognate with Yule. So likely the idea that midwinter is a celebration of the circle of a year is actually something that goes all the way back to indo-europeans.

[@cris_ad]

This is the kind of information that makes me froth at the mouth in excitement. Thank you for sharing, that is wonderful to know.

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

I could be wrong but I believe the first people descended from the indo-Europeans to settle in the British & Irish isles were the Celtic tribes. But Stonehenge was built long before the Celts showed up. There are also the Temples in Malta which also have alignments to the Winter Solstice. They were also built long before the Indo-Europeans. I'm not sure of the temples at Gobekli Tepi. So I'd say celebrating the solstice is much older.

[@Joyride37]

@@grannyweatherwax8005 sorta! The bell beaker culture was the first Indo-European speaking people to colonize the British isles. They arrived around 2500 BC, replacing a lot of the local population, building their barrows on top of passage tombs, though continuing to use and build Stonehenge for another 1000 years or so. Then proto-Celtic speakers from Central Europe (who were descendants of the bell beaker people that settled there), migrated and eventually arrived to the British isles, and I believe as far as archaeology and genetics show, celticized the isles in some way where their culture became the dominant one. But they didn’t replace most of male population like the bell beakers seemed to toward the Neolithic farmers But yeah most of the megaliths in Europe were built but neolithic farmers, who aligned their stuff with the solstices. Gobekli Tepe as far as I remember is more aligned with the stars

[@arianatrifonova5651]

Also it's combined with "kolene" when we technically sacrifice an animal so there is meat on the table after fasting.

[@gaufrid1956]

You are right, Jon. Where I live in Cagayan de Oro Mindanao Philippines there are quite a few days and nights of the same length during mid December, but the Winter Solstice is December 22. There is not a massive difference between the length of the day and night from the Summer to Winter Solstices (only a little more than one and a half hours). As a result, and I guess in part due to the possibility of growing crops year round, there doesn't seem to be any tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice. It's like summer all year round here. It is the "Dry Season" (in Tagalog "Tag-araw") that runs from about November to May. Certainly in Europe it makes sense to celebrate the time when the nights get shorter. In the Philippines the night is where fearful creatures might lurk, and that wouldn't change much all year. There are certainly many stories about such things.

[@MichaelYoder1961]

Blessed Yul, Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas!

[@cris_ad]

I read a book a while back (so sorry, I don't remember the name, but it had something to do with Santa Claus and Odin and the wild hunt...??) that said that all celebrations at the end of the year are a celebration of the winter solstice, but with the change of cultures, belief systems, and the many calendars coming and going, the days shifted, hence why Halloween is in late October and why the new year is after the winter solstice, but they are all, or originally were, a celebration of the winter solstice, and I think that makes sense.

[@chiron14pl]

I think you're right about the winter solstice being more recognized and celebrated than other specific days. I think you're also right in saying it probably was the first fixed holy day(s), given the cycling of the moon more quickly. Solstice holidays are nearly universal whereas the "cross-quarter" festivals such as Halloween (Samhain) seemed particular to Celtic, even Irish cultures. Indeed those cultures gave us the names of those festivals in modern neo-Pagan circles. It makes more sense to celebrate the dead on the longest night.

[@IainMcGirr]

Just to be clear Oiche Samhain orginated in Ireland and later Scotland... so "even Irish culture" ... it was from Ireland exported to the US by Irish immigrants ... just want to make that clear... happy "Hiberian Soltisce " .. :) and Yeah PS Im aware that was the name the romans gave to Ireland

[@chiron14pl]

@@IainMcGirr Thx, learned something

[@kellydalstok8900]

I’ve heard that the biblical Samson from the bible was a sun god that was changed into a human when they tried to remove all traces of their polytheistic past from the bible. His long hair was the sun’s rays. It seems likely that his diminished strength was wintertime.

[@beverlybelcher3423]

When I thought about it, we actually do start a new day in darkness. Our new days start at 12 a.m. midnight.

[@kellydalstok8900]

But apparently that wasn’t always the case. Without clocks midnight isn’t as easy to determine like midday is.

[@antsquirly7654]

Solstice Blessings. Having lived in Alaska during my childhood, I learned the meaning of the seasons in an extreme way. The Equinox's were powerful but the Solstices taught you how to live. The winter solstice, for me, has always been my favorite, and as a child, I referred to it as the long night. I can't put into words the feelings experienced but I can say they are extreme, too. You go about your life in total darkness and as Imbolc draws near you wait outside in the cold for that spark of light. This is why I refer to Imbolc as First Light. You have to pay attention and keep your eye out on the horizon, but if you're diligent, you'll see that tiny spark of first light. It's a promise of things to come. - They say nothing is absolute, but I beg to differ, we have the Solstices and Equinoxes. They happen on their schedule, not men's.

[@grannyweatherwax8005]

How are north were you in Alaska? It sounds like you lived in polar night. I lived near Anchorage for a while in the 90s. I'm back in the lower 48 but I still miss the extremes of darkness and light each year. Winter hasn't felt "right" since I left.

[@antsquirly7654]

@@grannyweatherwax8005 I was in Fairbanks. My mother and I were walking past the post office there one day when cars started honking their horns and people started whooping and hollering. Alaska had just attained statehood.

[@anthonycliftonjones2564]

The Wessex Project building an oil pipeline across Wiltshire. Archaeologists discovered mollusc fragments around Stonehenge that were indicative of woodland specimens rather than grassland. Yes the Neolithic is associated with Power and Prestige and the rise of an elite horse culture but many sites weren't surrounded by agricultural landscapes but by the wildwood.

[@shanegooding4839]

Horse culture didn't become preeminent across Europe until the Bronze Age.

[@Alcy-091]

Lara at the Sakro Sawel channel made a video about what the winter solstice meant to ancient people that came out a few days before this one. She mentioned it was the most celebrated time in the ancient world, discussed sacred sites and covered themes of death, rebirth, and creation, though with different meanings and interpretations.

[@SNOWNDOGS12]

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!🌲🌿🌎❄

[@mukhumor]

We all need to celebrate something. Solstice, Saturnalia, Christmas.... whatever, have a good one.

[@shadowgod1797]

we persians still celebrate this event as yalda/yule

[@verapipoca]

Thank you so much for this vídeo. I think it's important know how our ancestors understand the world and the life. I think we still have something of they. Many blessings for you. An very Good solstice for you. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

[@RIXRADvidz]

here in America we have structures in the South West that align to the solstices over miles of terrain. Chaco Canyon has a few alignment structures that line up to the horizon to guarantee you know where the Sun is coming from for Solstice.(s) Thanks for this entertaining and education chat. Really nice.

[@wendychavez5348]

Sounds like you're from a similar part of the Southwest as I--merry solstice, neighbor!

[@RIXRADvidz]

@@wendychavez5348 ✨🤟

[@nicolassantis5198]

In Chile, the Mapuche's new year (We Tripantu) happens just in Winter Solstice and it's a holyday since a few years ago.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@natillefoxy9881]

Wow, what's the day? 💖

[@nicolassantis5198]

@@natillefoxy9881 It varies but somewhere along June

[@wwsuwannee7993]

Another example is the Hebrew Sabbath, which starts at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday.

[@Bjorn_Algiz]

Good tidings and winter solstice/yule to all! Hail! 😊 loved the video!

[@charlytaylor1748]

Right. I have paused the viideo to grab myself a cup of tea as instructed. Looking forward to this one...

[@argumentfoireux1660]

You said that for our ancestors the 24h period started by the night. In many indo-european languages, 8 is close to night: add a "n" and you have acht/nacht in German, octo/noctis in Latin and so on, it does not work for the Greek, Slavic languages and some of Celtic ones, it works for Romance, German and Hindi (adding a "r" instead of "n"). Weirdly, there is also a sound proximity between 9 and new: novem/novus in Latin, neun/neu in German. In French, we sometimes use the same word "neuf" for the 9 and new. As Indo-Europeans were keen of the figure 3, I imagine that 9 (3 by 3) marks the end/begining of a triple cycle of 3 and the 8 is the night before this milestone. 3 by 9 is 27 which is close to the Moon cycle of 29,5 days. Roman calendar used Nundinae, a 9 days period. As far as I know, I am the only one to suggest this hypothesis and I am not a scholar of the field: it is generally a red flag for the validity. Have you got some comments to send this story off to fiction?

[@wendychavez5348]

Your brain recognizes patterns. That's how new ideas are born. I have no idea how correct your thoughts are, though they're certainly worth exploring!

[@soultron4238]

So glad to have you in my feed.

[@jennaferknight3850]

As an observer of aceint traditions, I thank you

[@deespaeth8180]

Excellent as always, Jon! Good Yule!

[@beefandbarley]

Blessed Solstice to all. Here comes the Sun! ☀️☀️☀️

[@Chrisspru]

i partook in the solstice today, at a local pagan site. been doing so for three years. the site is for the summer solstice and equinoxes too. a good friend of mine finished sanctifying their hand caved runes after a year of visits today. on top of a mountain in the middle of a forest during a thunderstorm

[@beefandbarley]

@@Chrisspru Wow, wonderful! Truly awesome.

[@kellydalstok8900]

Doo-doo-doo-doo

[@beefandbarley]

@@kellydalstok8900 🎶…and I say, it’s alright 🎶

[@arianatrifonova5651]

I spent the night watching the sky by my sacred fire. Plenty of shooting stars, beautiful sunrise. It was worthed catching the cold 😂 Happy new year! In my bulgarian calendar it's supposed to be 7529th!

[@Gwing7061]

Winter Solstice blessings and thank you for this video, so interesting. Just found your channel and looking forward to seeing you again 🌼

[@Crecganford]

Thanks and welcome

[@lyarrastark6254]

Intriguing. Thank you for teaching me something new. Happy Solstice!

[@Crecganford]

And a happy solstice to you!

[@monkeywrench2800]

Enjoying the statue of the lion man god on the shelf. Fitting for this video. Good longest night to you, mate.

[@LeendertBuitendijk]

What about the winter solstice in Tiahuanacu from the Aymara culture in Bolivia and the winter solstice from the Quechua people in Cusco/Perú. This festivities still exist, I lived in both countries and partipated

[@LeendertBuitendijk]

The solstice in Cusco is in Sacsayhuaman and is called Inti Raymi

[@wendychavez5348]

My mom spent 2 years in the Peace Corps in Bolivia (the same 2 years my dad was in Vietnam--I really am descended from war & peace!) and Inca culture has always fascinated me. Thanks for this nugget of lore!

[@allegralikessunnydays1704]

Always learn something new and thought provoking from you, thank you. Peace and Health for the brighter times ahead x

[@rabbitonthemoon]

The world must have been a very mysterious and wild place back then.. I'm sure early forms of calendars and time keeping were of great comfort.

[@jayleeper1512]

The world is still a mysterious and wild place, it is just that now our technology blinds us to that reality.

[@dalestaley5637]

I always look forward to every episode. Thank you, Jon. I tell my friends about your account.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you, I appreciate that.

[@shanegooding4839]

No problem with the sound on my end. Any issues may be worth trying a different device. Thanks for another great post Crecganford! Merry Yultide!🎉

[@928juggalo4]

May the solstice be kind to all.. May the love warm you, and the light guide your way. So Smote it be for all, y'all...❤🌟

[@MythVisionPodcast]

YES! I love these videos Jon! ❤❤❤

[@Crecganford]

Thank you as always Derek, so proud of you and what you have achieved this year Derek.

[@GingerBread178]

Irish wisdom preserved in bible and pyramids by conor macdari is a great read.

[@Joshwork13]

Never heard of it but I looked it up. Seems like it’s mostly full of conspiracy theories masked as Irish pride.

[@NeaFrea]

Absolutely the most important day-night of the year 🌞🔥💫

[@sheridalton7584]

well done. great video. i love the every day getting a little brighter from here on out. I have been on my Journey for 4 years and pretty much every concept, every area of life and spirituality that i am lead down involves a change of perspective. Its a path of learning, it is equally a path of unlearning. Blessed be. Im a new subscriber, Bravo, excellent job.

[@ziploc2000]

We had solar panels installed this year shortly before the Summer Solstice, and for 6 months I've been plotting our solar generation, which is dependent on three main factors: Length of day, angle of the sun hitting the panels, and cloud cover. Cooler panels are also more efficient and generate a bit more power. Back in June/July we had many days with over 70 KwH of power generation, and lots of days of completely clear skies. By the Fall Equinox it was down to 54 KwH, but at least the skies were clear or partially clear more days than not. In late October we had one clear day when we generated 44 KwH, slightly more than on our worst day in June. Alas in December the clouds have been with us most days, and our best generation was 16.7 KwH on the 8th. Tonight I am celebrating the longest night of the year, and looking forward to longer days and more solar power again. For reference, our daily "load" is between 15 and 20 KwH and doesn't change much over the year, but excludes the stove, washing machine and dryer. Those we could mange without in a total power cut.

[@Murdo2112]

I think that's actually a really interesting comment. Since the Industrial Revolution, the lives of most people (in the developed West, at least) has become increasingly separated from the natural cycles of the year. We simply haven't needed to think about them much, as the means of our existence, food and warmth, have become largely independent of the seasons. In the inevitable future, in which we've left our dependency on fossil fuels behind, and instead develop renewable energy, most forms of which depend on one or another natural phenomenon, we're likely to become much more aware of the passage of the year again. Things such as equinoxes and solstices may well begin to matter again, to the wider population, outside of religious or spiritual considerations.

[@LuthienAlexandra]

This is very interesting to me. I'm a Romanian and I've always been curious about the following fact: my grandma, a simple country woman who keeps to the Christian tradition of not working on holidays, always stops working in the evening before the actual holiday. For example, she would be crocheting all day, then stop as soon as the sun starts setting. It always seemed strange to me, and her explanation was "it's how it's done." Now I understand. It's amazing how old the roots of such a simple custom can be.

[@nowthenzen]

The Sun Set Ends the Day - coming out of dark into light and back to dark, our lives.

[@shakirakhan7118]

The next day will not " be lighter and brighter, as you say." On Solstice ( Sun stand still) the sun arrives at its most southern point in the sky from earth's perspective. On the 22nd, 23rd, 24 th the Sun rises in this exact same spot, interpreted as the "sun stands still". On the 25th, it moves 1' north, and so the return of the light is celebrated then with candles. etc.

[@magreco2018]

Happy Solstice to all❤🎉❤ Thank you Crecgandorf for all the interesting doc.❤🎉❤

[@erokul]

The things will be better! Stay safe and thank you for another gem!

[@jimmymorrison8314]

Before I watch the video I have to say that KZbin made it very hard for me to view this. It would not let me watch without a forced ad throughout the whole video, taking uo a third of the screen. That being said, time to enjoy. Thank you.

[@Crecganford]

I will see if I can do anything to fix this, thank you for letting me know.

[@jimmymorrison8314]

KZbin had no chance. I turned it off and on again. Lol. Great video. It's always good to hear other traditionalists speak. Thank you.

[@neilhaverly4117]

Curious if anyone is aware of any Norse legends including two Suns and two Moons in Earths sky or inside of the Snow globe with the tree and roots in the center?

[@wendychavez5348]

That sounds hauntingly familiar, though as a survivor of traumatic brain injury I can't quite say I know the legend. Can you tell us more of it?

[@neilhaverly4117]

@@wendychavez5348 I've heard of a few American Indian legends of multiple creations including a couple that speak of two Suns. There's definitely 2 local moons one east west and the other south north, would have to think that the darkhole sun also was a South North though if it were to light up again I would think that the global warming group would be certain that we're all still going to drown while we complain about not enough water and the rivers no longer making it to the ocean

[@LindaB651]

Happy Solstice and Blessed Be!

[@marasmiusgoldcrow6746]

There are a ton of stone time markers in Portugal and Spain as well.

[@michaelguy5151]

I liked the way you explained that.I was brought up Christian but now I am not and I don't like feeling like a hypocrite on Xmas around my Christian family

[@erikhoff5010]

Getting past that feeling takes a bit of time. Continue to learn about your new faith and it will become easier each year. Hail and Skal! God Jule

[@joebutta7539]

Celebrate w/your loved ones, try and remember all are learning what each needs to in time, some are ahead some are behind, some are caught and some are rambunctious in their time. Respect Brother thankyou 💜

[@intellectually_lazy]

there's still the disgusting commercialism, which goes hand in hand with the exploitation and eco-degradation, and if you watch any xmas movies you can realize you're not living the message which gave you that fuzzy feeling, and yeah, hope you get along well, with your fam, even the one who will not stop talking about too much woke, because you're all getting thrown in that pressure cooker. hope that bahs your humbug for you. you're welcome

[@intellectually_lazy]

@@erikhoff5010 faith is great. i don't care what stan marsh says about disintegration. faith is the best album ever. wouldn't call it new though. it was their first. think it was still the late 70s

[@irenejohnston6802]

Carry on its your choice. Xmas isn't Christian never was. Christendom, Apostasy, the Bible's false friend. UK is a secular society (census 2021) yet people still looking to satisfy their spiritual need somehow. Matthew 5:3. Which means in koine Greek 'beggars for the spirit' ie. Begging for need to be satisfied. Anything just as long as it's not what they think is "Christianity". 🕊

[@christinechambers8608]

Thank you for your interesting commentary. One of the most important impacts for ancient peoples, indeed up to mid-19th century, was the lack of night time lighting. In our modern lives, we are constantly surrounded by light. The night sky, the moon and the stars were all the light available and were watched with great anxiety, Any unexplained changes were seen as portents of disaster and death. Once the Winter Solstice had passed and nights grew shorter, I think ancient peoples felt less fearful and saw the coming spring with hope.

[@4everseekingwisdom690]

I know the equinox was celebrated as the best time for spiritual transformation.. Time dictates transformation in some way the sun is an analog for our soul anyway I'm thinking the solstice has a deep connection in regards to spirituality

[@danielmcgowan5221]

the thing about Tonight ... is how quickly it turns into Last Night

[@ForestGirlTeresa]

May the Winter Solstice bring you new hope, Creganford and my fellow viewers. I have a bronze, Victorian-era solar stag statue: his antlers end in candle holders, so that it can bear light. So even in recent history people were cognizant of the power of the sun’s return. Like that carol, “The Holly and the Ivy,” which has the line, “the rising of the sun and the running of the deer.”

[@staudd]

listening in after some time again, and your audio mix has gotten way better! it used to be a bit dull, now its a joy to listen.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you for your feedback, I have tried to improve it.

[@allenschmitz9644]

They even knew the moon was 'transparent' go figure.

[@alimoeini7360]

Awesome I should say happy yalda to all of you here :) But a point I wanted to make is that yalda, although a family gathering, poem reading and storytelling, has the mythological origin of birth of the sun god (Mithra) and I also believe that there are some evidence that Achamenids started their new year based on the beginning of spring and measured their years although inaccurately, from there.(nowruz being the most important celebration and all). Overall I'm a new subscriber so I'm sorry if any of my points have been covered before and I'm saying mundane things :) Glad I found your channel btw, as I'm quite interested in myths (with a bias to Iranian myths, being my culture and all) and your videos are awesome Thanks for sharing, hope I can learn more from you

[@joeg7849]

Get the mug! As I watch the steam rising from my Crecganford mug, it takes me back to the old days of these stories. Get the mug and support this awesome channel.

[@Crecganford]

Thank you.

[@darkhobo]

Ive tried to explain this to people. That every culture in human history (and indeed every alien culture developed on a planet orbiting a single star) will have a major holiday on the winter solstice. Probably their single most important holiday. And they dont really get it. So thank you Cragenford. You get it. Happy Solstice.

[@jamesmckenzie4572]

I find myself wondering who first noticed the shadows were moving the other way after the solstice. Was it a mountain, a cave or a tree that demonstrated the change? Did they stick a pole into the ground and mark events, perhaps with stones through the year, protecting the site so it wouldn't be disturbed? How many days beyond the solstice did it require to know what was happening? I'm sure all of this occurred over time and likely more than once, but the mind of that first individual(s) intrigues me to no end. Thanks, as usual, for the stimulating talk.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

Seeing this at 21st december whilst outside there is 100 km/h wind and heavy rainsqualls, I cannot but wonder if our prehistoric ancestors would have just cancelled the festivities around the winter solstice most of the time.

[@kerryfox5681]

Wow. My favorite so far. So much of the mainstream is made up around How they built these things instead of around Why they built these things. In my case this was very enlightening so thank you!

[@svensvensson1085]

Yooo! Just celebrated it with my family! We burned gävla bockar as a sort of sacrefice for the sun to come back. As kid we would always look forward to the only night where we were not only allowed to stay up late, but supposed to stay awake for as long as possible. Great tradition can recommend!

[@markjohnson5276]

Got the winter blues? Take heart as of Dec 22 each day has one more minute of sunlight added until Jun 21. I celebrate the Solstice. On the summer Solstice I leave at sundown and drive a route that goes thru several ghost towns arriving home at sunrise.

[@feral_orc]

I like that there's no arguing with Newgrange about what its measuring. That's probably the best evidence for the winter solstice being more important at least in pre-roman western Europe. And it is a burial mound on top of that.

[@EmL-kg5gn]

I can’t explain why but this is so comforting to think about. Thank you for this lovely video!

[@N_Ukestar-z9k]

Solar calendars are easy! Measuring the movement of the sun during the year is done easily by measuring the shadow of a stick standing up from the ground, with a simple sundial. The shadow is long in the winter and short in the summer and it repeats every year. You don't need to build Neolithic monuments, to measure the length of a shadow, to have a solar calendar.

[@barnowl.]

From Australia and other 'lands down under' in the southern hemipshere we have a different perspective, as our winter and summers are the opposite to the northern hemisphere. It is summer now, with the longest days and the shortest nights. In Australia we also have the oldest living culture in the world, the aboriginal people who are the remnant people of the very ancient Lemurian civilization and their (mostly submerged) land.

[@yordantodorov7105]

Greetings from Bulgaria! Here we are still celebrating this day. It is known by many names - one day, your day, god is camming day an so on... It is believed that this day the holly mother starts to give birth to the new sun an it will be born 3 days later. After that it will came to the earth on a "sur" deer

[@ClairvoyantEntertainment]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏

[@gelinrefira]

Chinese culture of course celebrates the passing of the winter solstice called 冬至. We will make little balls of sweet dough, sometimes with some sort of sweet fillings inside like red bean, sesame, peanut paste and then cook it in a dessert soup called 汤圆. Making the little dough balls is a family event where the kids and adults will roll the dough by hands.

[@Murdo2112]

Fascinating, as always. But most impressed that you managed to get Roger Waters to appear in your thumbnail!

[@Crecganford]

A special guest appearance for this special event!

[@Pipsqwak]

Probably the simplest reason for the significance of night was the fact that people are diurnal and sleep during the night. Until modern times, sleep was regarded as a mysterious, dangerous state akin to death. Many ancient cultures likened sleep to death, a time when the soul traveled (dreams) out of the body. If the soul did not return, the person died. Different levels of consciousness were seen as stages between life and death. Since the urge and need to sleep is strongest at night, night would have been seen as a dangerous, possibly deadly interval which required rituals in order to survive until morning, People were at the greatest danger during the longest night. Another factor in the mystical power of nights might be that humans have poor night vision - things seen in dim light look scary and are hard to identify, and dangerous predators lurked in the night. Keeping a fire going and having rituals and keeping watch against the dangers of the darkness would have been utterly necessary,

[@unechaine1]

My ancestor from Israël have other practices. Also, in India, people take care of the new moon in december, wich is also a deep dark.

[@LuDux]

So you live in area with caves, consider them portals and use then accordingly and then you move to plains without caves.. Could there be connection between caves and stone circles?

[@hildeschaf8891]

Maybe there is one more aspect for the night as the beginning of the day. Childbirth mostly occurs during nighttime (in ancient times surely more than today without induction of labour and Caesarians). My first obstetrics teacher told me that we bear our children under the cover of darkness. So this is the beginning you can say the first part of creation and with the second part the sunrise you can see the result of this creation. And as an other aspect childbirth takes you also near to death which is also represented in the long night.

[@flamencoprof]

It is strange to me that here in New Zealand the descendants of European colonists are running around celebrating all these mid-winter traditions at the time of our Midsummer Solstice.

[@TheKlaun9]

I can't talk for everyone, but for me, the day starts in the middle of the night and ends in the middle of the night and not with sunrise. Come to think of it, it's sort of a really strange thing.

[@bob_btw6751]

A nicely well thought out presentation about the origin and history of the Winter Solstice events that have infused belief systems. Karahan and Gobekli Tepe, a civilization 11,000 ya, have markers built into their structures for Winter Solstice. From then untii now is a long time for one particular event each year to hold a place of significance. Our ancestors were smart people indeed.

[@claudia.k.g.1271]

Happy winter solstice to you! Thanks for all your insights and wonderful stories💫

[@somedandy7694]

A most felicitous Christwanzannukaturnalieyulestivus To one and all!

[@PalleRasmussen]

Shortest day is today actually. The exact time of the solstice this year was 03:57 CET in the morning of the 22nd (IIRC) so our ancestors were right. I share that conviction BTW; it is the longest night. And the summer solstice is the shortest night (or none as is the case in Sisimiut where I lived for three years).