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Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
1:00 AM 21st December 2024
nature

In The Bleak Midwinter

Image by Joe from Pixabay
Image by Joe from Pixabay
The winter solstice is also known as midwinter and is an astronomical phenomenon marking the day with the shortest period of daylight with the sun at its lowest in the sky. It occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun. It happens twice a year, once in each hemisphere.

Midwinter reminds me of the lovely poem, A Christmas Carol written by Christina Rossetti in 1872, which has now become one of the most loved English Christmas carols. The poem was put to music by Gustav Holst in 1906 and was published in The English Hymnal with the title In the Bleak Midwinter.

In the bleak mid-winter
Frosty wind made moan
Earth stood hard as iron,
Water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow,
Snow on snow,
In the bleak mid-winter
Long ago.

Our God, heaven cannot hold Him
Nor earth sustain,
Heaven and earth shall flee away
When He comes to reign:
In the bleak mid-winter
A stable-place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty —
Jesus Christ.

Angels and Archangels
May have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim
Thronged the air;
But only His Mother
In her maiden bliss
Worshipped the Beloved
With a kiss.

What can I give Him,
Poor as I am? —
If I were a Shepherd
I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man
I would do my part, —
Yet what I can I give Him, —
Give my heart.


The date of the winter solstice is different each year and can fall anywhere between 20 December and 23 December. This year in 2024 the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is Saturday 21 December.

The word 'solstice' comes from the Latin solstitium meaning 'sun stands still' because the apparent movement of the sun's path north or south stops before changing direction.

Solstices are opposite on either side of the equator, so the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere and vice versa.

Astronomical Seasons:

Spring Equinox - 20/21 March
Summer Solstice - 21/22 June
Autumn Equinox - 22/23 September
Winter Solstice - 21/22 December


Who celebrates?

The druids are associated with the solstices and mark the start of the solar year with a celebration of light and the rebirth of the sun.

The purpose of Stonehenge is still subject to debate, but its importance on the winter solstice continues into the modern era, as thousands of people gather there every year to celebrate the occasion. Stonehenge has been a prehistoric site of worship and celebration for thousands of years.

Photo by Jack B on Unsplash
Photo by Jack B on Unsplash
Stonehenge is now a World Heritage Site.

The Heel Stone which is the largest stone at Stonehenge weighs about 30 tons. It is said that the giant stones of Stonehenge were so positioned to align with the midwinter sunset at the winter solstice and the midsummer sunrise at the summer solstice.


Image by Егор Камелев from Pixabay
Image by Егор Камелев from Pixabay
Winter and snow

In the winter it is the time when we get snow. With climate change and the way our weather has been these last few weeks, I think a few people are hoping for a white Christmas.

So even though the days will be getting longer after the winter solstice it doesn't necessarily mean it will suddenly get warmer, but who knows, sometimes in the UK we can get all sorts of weather in one day.

Snow is a lot more likely in January or February rather than in December. In the UK the average days of snow or sleet in December are 3.9 days, but 5.3 days in January and 5.6 days in February.

Photo by Kacper Szczechla on Unsplash
Photo by Kacper Szczechla on Unsplash
Some interesting facts about snow:

Snowflakes are made of crystals of ice
Each snowflake is different
Light and fluffy snow is called 'powder'
Snow is not white but translucent and reflects white from the sun
Freshly fallen snow absorbs sound making everywhere sound quiet
A fear of snow is called chionophobia
Scotland sees the most snow in the UK
It can't be too cold to snow rather too dry to snow


Good news!

The good news is that after the winter solstice, which is the shortest day, the days start to get longer and the nights shorter. Anyway we can all look forward to the spring equinox which is Thursday 20 March 2025.