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Winter Solstice

2

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  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    Sorry @Jessie, I wouldn't get too excited.  It's just something I know about rather than something that I'd say has caught on here.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    Jessie said:
    IdleHans said:
    Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    It hasn't reached my house, that's for sure
    Stig said:
    Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    Sorry @Jessie, I wouldn't get too excited.  It's just something I know about rather than something that I'd say has caught on here.
    That's still quite amazing. You spelled those words correctly and used them correctly!
    Thank you very much :)
  • Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    I really hope not, worst food in a country full of deliciousness 
  • Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    I really hope not, worst food in a country full of deliciousness 
    Hahahahaha....

    Chinese desserts in general...

    Rest of the food - amazing
    Dessert - nah
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,961
    Jessie said:
    IdleHans said:
    Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    It hasn't reached my house, that's for sure
    Stig said:
    Jessie said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Dongzhi everyone. May your tangyuan balls be sweet and tasty.
    @Stig I thought this was only celebrated in China.... The tradition of eating "Tang Yuan" balls has now entered the UK? Unbelievable....
    Sorry @Jessie, I wouldn't get too excited.  It's just something I know about rather than something that I'd say has caught on here.
    That's still quite amazing. You spelled those words correctly and used them correctly!
    Thanks, Jessie, I've been practising hard on my speeling
     ;) 
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
  • Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
  • JaShea99
    JaShea99 Posts: 5,458
    It’s not, but going against the grain always gets attention and sparks debate.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.
  • ken_shabby
    ken_shabby Posts: 6,255
    Prefer summer solstice. Means autumn is creeping nearer, then winter.
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  • Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.
    Not sure I know anyone that celebrates it and definitely didn’t receive any cards!
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.
    Not sure I know anyone that celebrates it and definitely didn’t receive any cards!
    It's not about cards and it really doesn't matter whether anyone celebrates it or not. It's still the most important day simply for what it is.
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 28,617
    edited December 2024
    If you get the chance you should visit New Grange in Ireland, it’s a massive tomb arranged around the winter solstice.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgrange
  • Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.
    Not sure I know anyone that celebrates it and definitely didn’t receive any cards!
    It's not about cards and it really doesn't matter whether anyone celebrates it or not. It's still the most important day simply for what it is.
    I think you mean “in my opinion it’s the most important day….”
  • golfaddick
    golfaddick Posts: 33,625
    Like our (football) season things can only get brighter. No coincidence our thumping win was just as the darker days are getting lighter. 

    Only upwards from here.
  • Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    The winter solstice was at 9:21 am this morning, at which time the sun was furthest south in the northern hemisphere.

    From today until the summer solstice, it's more daylight each day.

    Happy new celestial year 🎉
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,961
    Lovely. I can feel my seasonal affective disorder receding already (helped by a 5-0 away win and palace having their arses handed to them.)
  • I watched the live stream from Stonehenge this morning. Not as spectacular as the summer solstice can be but still beautiful to see. 
  • IdleHans said:
    Lovely. I can feel my seasonal affective disorder receding already (helped by a 5-0 away win and palace having their arses handed to them.)
    Do you use a light box to help? I do and find it very helpful.
  • IdleHans
    IdleHans Posts: 10,961
    IdleHans said:
    Lovely. I can feel my seasonal affective disorder receding already (helped by a 5-0 away win and palace having their arses handed to them.)
    Do you use a light box to help? I do and find it very helpful.
    Thank you. No, it's not really too bad though I've considered it in the past. I've learned to take comfort from the positive seasonal things such as rich stews, dark flavoursome sipping beers, red wine, real fires and long walks with the dog, especially on cold crisp days. I used to be much less content when I was working, going to and returning from work in the dark was miserable. Nowadays I can at least make the most of the daylight.
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  • Arsenetatters
    Arsenetatters Posts: 5,974
    edited December 2024
    IdleHans said:
    IdleHans said:
    Lovely. I can feel my seasonal affective disorder receding already (helped by a 5-0 away win and palace having their arses handed to them.)
    Do you use a light box to help? I do and find it very helpful.
    Thank you. No, it's not really too bad though I've considered it in the past. I've learned to take comfort from the positive seasonal things such as rich stews, dark flavoursome sipping beers, red wine, real fires and long walks with the dog, especially on cold crisp days. I used to be much less content when I was working, going to and returning from work in the dark was miserable. Nowadays I can at least make the most of the daylight.
    I agree, I try to enjoy the best of the season (we have no choice tbh!) Outdoors early morning when it’s misty. Soups, stews, red wine, sloe gin and real fires - especially using the branches that have come down during storm A-Z
  • Nowt like a solstice. Prefer winter cause it means the nights are drawing out now. Couple of.momths a spring will be here, my favourite season.
  • Gillis
    Gillis Posts: 998
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.
    Not sure I know anyone that celebrates it and definitely didn’t receive any cards!
    It's not about cards and it really doesn't matter whether anyone celebrates it or not. It's still the most important day simply for what it is.
    I think you mean “in my opinion it’s the most important day….”
    Isn't it taken as read that every post on this forum is in the poster's opinion?

  • I've recommended this site before for checking on sunrise and sunset times - great for general interest and holidays etc.   

    https://www.timeanddate.com/sun/uk/london
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,843
    edited December 2024
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.

    Agree with all of this apart from 2 - the date for Easter is determined by the moon and the spring equinox (so still the movement of the sun I suppose so linked to the soltices!). The winter solstice celebration predates Christianity (hijacked by them and moved 4 days!) by thousands of years.
    When we lived in Kent we used to host a Yule dinner party for friends in the village.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,021
    bobmunro said:
    Stig said:
    Stig said:
    Happy Solstice everyone. The most important day of the festive period. Can't wait for summer to start tomorrow!
    Why is it the most important day of the festive period?
    1. Because it's the only celebration that has any real-world meaning. It is beyond culture. 
    2. Because it is the one that sets the time of year for other celebrations.
    3. Because it is the only one that has universal significance. 
    4. I'm pretty sure (though happy to be proved wrong) that it will be the date that Charlton get their biggest festive win.

    Agree with all of this apart from 2 - the date for Easter is determined by the moon and the spring equinox (so still the movement of the sun I suppose so linked to the soltices!). The winter solstice celebration predates Christianity (hijacked by them and moved 4 days!) by thousands of years.
    When we lived in Kent we used to host a Yule dinner party for friends in the village.
    Yeah, I wasn't meaning to include Easter - that would be a bit of an over-stretch. In my head, I was referring to 'over the festive period' so roughly speaking everything from St Nicholas Day on 6th December to Epiphany/Twelfth Night a month later.  
  • MrOneLung
    MrOneLung Posts: 26,849
    Don’t really get why the longest/shortest days are very important to be honest. 

    That said, how did the ancients manage to work out the exact date? 
  • fenlandaddick
    fenlandaddick Posts: 1,768
    edited December 2024
    MrOneLung said:
    Don’t really get why the longest/shortest days are very important to be honest. 

    That said, how did the ancients manage to work out the exact date? 
    Just as clever or stupid as us. But worked with less technology. Time taken to work out would have been longer, but the capacity to think, reason and resolve is the same.
    They also had to work with the seasons. Solstice important so they can start planning food for the coming growing season.
    I expect the community was more in touch with the cycles of nature than we are today.
    I also think they were far more connected to other communities than historians think, no evidence of this apart from my experience with people. We are naturally social and inquisitive. Talking, learning and therefore trading are important parts of our social fabric.

  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,843
    edited December 2024
    MrOneLung said:
    Don’t really get why the longest/shortest days are very important to be honest. 

    That said, how did the ancients manage to work out the exact date? 
    On your first point - they are not really as important now, but thousands of years ago the seasons and the changing weather, daylight and so on were essential for what was an agrarian civilisation.

    How did they work it out? By plotting the position of the sunrise throughout the year. They would have worked out that there were 365 days in a year - a simple tally rather than the Gregorian calendar of course, and hey presto.

    Edit: @fenlandaddick said pretty much the same - before me!
  • SuedeAdidas
    SuedeAdidas Posts: 7,740
    MrOneLung said:
    Don’t really get why the longest/shortest days are very important to be honest. 

    That said, how did the ancients manage to work out the exact date? 
    The was a webcam on Stonehenge so everyone could work it out 👍🏼