On Thu, 29 Dec 2005 07:55:27 -0800, Persephone wrote:

On 28 Dec 2005 15:29:30 -0800, "Chuckie"
wrote:

The winter soltise is a druid holiday
Chuckie in the frozen north, zone 5

Wrongie, Chuckie. The Winter Solstice
is an astronomical phenomenon:
In layman's terms, the day is at its shortest.

What different cultures, including the Druids,
do at the Solstice is another matter.

Persephone


And to add further to the Winter Solstice (which was my 50th birthday)

It Came Upon a Midnight Clear

On December 21st, the sun reaches its nadir on this travels across
Earth's horizons, an event we call the Winter Solstice. The Sun
appears to hesitate for the next three days before beginning its
six-month return to zenith on June 21st, which we call the Summer
Solstice.

In ancient times it was believed that the Sun began is ascent exactly
at midnight three days after the Solstice. Though there were no clocks
in those days, our ancestor' method of calculating that precise moment
was accurate. The same method is not quite as accurate today, due to
the slight shift in the heavenly bodies. This ancient method is as
follows:

At nightfall on December 24th, in the eastern sky you will see three
prominent stars. These are the belt of the constellation of Orion.
These stars are often called the Three Wise Magicians, or the Three
Kings of the Orient. If you imagine a straight line through these
stars towards the east, you will come to a point on the horizon that
the Egyptians, in 2000BCE called "Aptah", which means "crib or
cradle". It is exactly at this point that in a very short time the
brightest star in the winter sky, Sirius, will appear. The place of
Sirius' emergence marks the exact spot where the Sun will make its
appearance at dawn.

The birth place of the newborn Sun is in the foreground of the
constellation of Virgo, the Virgin. The constellation of Taurus, the
Bull, and Capricorn, the Goat, are situated close by, which is why
this area of the sky was called "the Stable". So we have before us in
the winter sky the entire nativity scene: the three kings of the
Orient pointing to a star that marks the precise birthplace of the
infant God-King, born of a virgin in a celestial stable.

The ancients charted the travel of the star Sirius as it moved
westward. At the mid-point of its travels, it marks the rebirth of the
night Sun at midnight of December 25th, the beginning of many gay
festivities and celebration, then just like today. To our ancestors
this meant the Sun had won out over Old Man Winter, that all life
would be saved by its warm, life-giving rays. The Sun had experienced
death for three days, but on December 25th it was resurrected, reborn
on Natalis Solis Invicti, "The Birth of the Unconquered Sun."
"Christ's Mass or Christmas", really means "Sun's Mass." The title
Christ may be traced to the Chaldean "Chris" a name of the Sun. Its
Hebrew equivalent, "Heres" occurs several times in the Old Testament
where it is always translated as "Sun".

Solar theology has inspired some religions to bolster their own
deities by borrowing from the power of the Sun, and much confusion
exists because of this practice. However, anyone can look for
themselves: on a December midnight clear, the truth is revealed. To
know that the Sun will bring us warmed, green crops, and renewed life
is certainly grounds for rejoicing.

Blessings to all