Happy Winter Solstice!

[c9]

Right this instant is the Winter Solstice in the northern hemisphere of Earth. The smallest amount of daylight in a 24 hour period, centred on right now. Wooo!

This is the event that all these other holidays came from, so be sure to enjoy it! There are no presents, sorry. But at least the days get longer starting right now (13:35 EST, 21 Dec 2005).

Earth's Seasons - Equinoxes and Solstices - 2005-2020

Comments

[lifein2x3.livejournal.com]

Damn, I missed it, I was in the shower.

[cap-hill-latte.livejournal.com]

I was just about to post something similar. This is my favourite day of the year because it means the days only get longer from here on out. I’d celebrate by following the Icelandic tradition of eating a piece of rotten shark meat, and drinking a shot of like-drinking-gasoline-but-worse schnapps*, except Brian and I couldn’t agree on whose luggage the rotten shark meat was to be carried back in so I don’t have any handy. Pete and I are going out for lunch to celebrate over Thai instead.

*This combination is consumed at winter solstice to celebrate the fact that “it only gets better from here”. The horror of the shark meat + schnapps combo symbolizes the worst time of the year, once you’ve swallowed it, things can only get better. Of course, the Viking at the Viking version of Medieval Times who yelled at me until I ate the stuff didn’t tell us this until after I had put it in my mouth.

[swimmer979.livejournal.com]

And your versions of OS support cyrrilic or you see Russian texts as a set of senseless symbols?

[c9.livejournal.com]

My operating system supports Cyrrilic characters, I just wish I understood them. :-)

[swimmer979.livejournal.com]

Learn Russian, Chinese and Arabian - for us the future. ;)

[c9.livejournal.com]

Very true. Many children in western Canada now learn Mandarin Chinese in school.