Pagan holidays are ancient traditions that have been celebrated for centuries by various cultures around the world. In 2022, these holidays continue to hold significance for those who follow pagan beliefs. One of the prominent pagan holidays in 2022 is the Spring Equinox, also known as Ostara. This holiday marks the arrival of spring and the balance between day and night. It is a time of renewal, growth, and fertility. People celebrate Ostara by decorating eggs, planting seeds, and participating in rituals that honor the changing of the seasons.
When exactly does it occur? The solstice usually -- but not always -- takes place on December 21. The date that the solstice occurs can shift because the solar year (the time it takes for the sun to reappear in the same spot as seen from Earth) doesn't exactly match up to our calendar year. If you want to be super-precise in your observations, the exact time of the 2022 winter solstice will be 21:48 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Wednesday, according to EarthSky.org and Farmers' Almanac. That's almost six hours later than last year's time. Below are some examples of when 21:48 UTC will be for various local times in places around the world. Because of time zone differences, the vast bulk of Asia will mark the winter solstice on Thursday, December 22.
Winter solstice 2022, the shortest day of year and the official first day of winter, is on Wednesday, December 21 well, for a decent chunk of the world anyway. People in balmy Singapore, just 137 kilometers or 85 miles north of the equator, barely notice the difference, with just nine fewer minutes of daylight than they have during the summer solstice.
People celebrate Ostara by decorating eggs, planting seeds, and participating in rituals that honor the changing of the seasons. Another significant pagan holiday in 2022 is Beltane, which falls on May 1st. Beltane is a fire festival that celebrates the arrival of summer.
Winter solstice 2022: Shortest day of the year is long on pagan rituals
Wednesday weather forecast - Dec. 21, 2022 00:54 For the past six months, the days have grown shorter and the nights have grown longer in the Northern Hemisphere. But that's about to reverse itself. Winter solstice 2022, the shortest day of year and the official first day of winter, is on Wednesday, December 21 (well, for a decent chunk of the world anyway). How this all works has fascinated people for thousands of years. First we'll look at the science and precise timing behind the solstice. Then we'll explore some ancient traditions and celebrations around the world.
The science and timing behind a winter solstice
The winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, when the sun appears at its most southerly position, directly overhead at the Tropic of Capricorn. The situation is the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere, where only about 10% of the world's population lives. There, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year -- and the beginning of summer -- in places like Argentina, Madagascar, New Zealand and South Africa.
When exactly does it occur? The solstice usually -- but not always -- takes place on December 21. The date that the solstice occurs can shift because the solar year (the time it takes for the sun to reappear in the same spot as seen from Earth) doesn't exactly match up to our calendar year. If you want to be super-precise in your observations, the exact time of the 2022 winter solstice will be 21:48 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) on Wednesday, according to EarthSky.org and Farmers' Almanac. That's almost six hours later than last year's time. Below are some examples of when 21:48 UTC will be for various local times in places around the world. Because of time zone differences, the vast bulk of Asia will mark the winter solstice on Thursday, December 22.
• Tokyo: 6:48 a.m. Thursday
• Hanoi, Vietnam: 4:48 a.m. Thursday
• New Delhi: 3:18 a.m. Thursday
• Istanbul: 12:48 a.m. Thursday
• Jerusalem: 11:48 p.m. Wednesday
• Copenhagen, Denmark: 10:48 p.m. Wednesday
• Charlotte, North Carolina: 4:48 p.m. Wednesday
• Winnipeg, Manitoba: 3:48 p.m. Wednesday
• San Francisco: 1:48 p.m. Wednesday
• Honolulu: 11:48 a.m. Wednesday To check the timing where you live, the website EarthSky has a handy conversion table for your time zone. You might also try the conversion tools at Timeanddate.com, Timezoneconverter.com or WorldTimeServer.com. What places see and feel the effects of the winter solstice the most? Daylight decreases dramatically the closer you are to the North Pole on December 21. People in balmy Singapore, just 137 kilometers or 85 miles north of the equator, barely notice the difference, with just nine fewer minutes of daylight than they have during the summer solstice. It's pretty much a 12-hour day, give or take a few minutes, all year long there. Much higher in latitude, Paris still logs in a respectable eight hours and 14 minutes of daylight to enjoy a chilly stroll along the Seine. The difference is more stark in frigid Oslo, Norway, where the sun will rise at 9:18 a.m. and set at 3:12 p.m., resulting in less than six hours of anemic daylight. Sun lamp, anyone?
Residents of Nome, Alaska, will be even more sunlight deprived with just three hours and 54 minutes and 31 seconds of very weak daylight. But that's downright generous compared with Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. It sits inside the Arctic Circle and won't see a single ray of sunshine. What causes the winter solstice to even happen? Because Earth is tilted on its rotational axis, we have changing seasons. As the planet moves around the sun, each hemisphere experiences winter when it's tilted away from the sun and summer when it's tilted toward the sun. Hold on! Why is the Earth tilted? Scientists are not entirely sure how this occurred, but they think that billions of years ago, as the solar system was taking shape, the Earth was subject to violent collisions that caused the axis to tilt. What other seasonal transitions do we mark? The equinoxes, both spring and fall, occur when the sun's rays are directly over the equator. On those two days, everyone everywhere has a nearly equal length of day and night. The summer solstice is when the sun's rays are farthest north over the Tropic of Cancer, giving us our longest day and the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere.
Winter solstice traditions and celebrations
It's no surprise many cultures and religions celebrate a holiday -- whether it be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or pagan festivals -- that coincides with the return of longer days. Ancient peoples whose survival depended on a precise knowledge of seasonal cycles marked this first day of winter with elaborate ceremonies and celebrations. Spiritually, these celebrations symbolize the opportunity for renewal. "Christmas takes many of its customs and probably its date on the calendar from the pagan Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Kalends," Maria Kennedy, assistant teaching professor in the Department of American Studies at Rutgers University, told CNN Travel in an email. Saturnalia started on December 17 and Kalends started on January 1, said Kennedy, who specializes in Christmas studies. Citing academic research, Kennedy said early founders of the Christian church condemned the practices of these holidays, but their popularity endured. Christian observance of Christmas eventually aligned around the same time in the calendar even though there's no specific date set in the Gospels for the birth of Jesus. Here's more on some of those ancient customs: Alban Arthan
In the Welsh language, "Alban Arthan" means for "Light of Winter," according to the Farmers' Almanac. It might be the oldest seasonal festival of humankind. Part of Druidic traditions, the winter solstice is considered a time of death and rebirth. Newgrange, a prehistoric monument built in Ireland around 3200 BC, is associated with the Alban Arthan festival. Saturnalia In Ancient Rome, Saturnalia lasted for seven days. It honored Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture. The people enjoyed carnival-like festivities resembling modern Mardi Gras celebrations and even delayed their war-making. Slaves were given temporary freedoms, and moral restrictions were eased. Saturnalia continued into the third and fourth centuries AD. Dongzhi It's not just ancient Europeans who marked the annual occasion. The Dongzhi Winter Solstice Festival has its roots in ancient Chinese culture. The name translates roughly as "extreme of winter."
They thought this was the apex of yin (from Chinese medicine theory). Yin represents darkness and cold and stillness, thus the longest day of winter. Dongzhi marks the return yang -- and the slow ascendance of light and warmth. Dumplings are usually eaten to celebrate in some East Asian cultures.
Celebrations
Many places around the world traditionally hold festivals that honor the winter solstice. A few of them include: Montol Festival Better known for pirates than the solstice, the town of Penzance on the southwest coast of England revived the delightful tradition of a Cornish processional -- along with dancing, mask-wearing, singing and more. Stonehenge The UK's most famous site for solstice celebrations is Stonehenge. On the winter solstice, visitors traditionally enter the towering, mysterious stone circle for a sunrise ceremony run by local pagan and druid groups. The English Heritage Society says the 2022 celebration will be held on Thursday, December 22. It will be livestreamed on its YouTube channel.
Lantern Festival In Canada, Vancouver's Winter Solstice Lantern Festival is a sparkling celebration of solstice traditions spread across the Granville Island, Strathcona and Yaletown neighborhoods.
April 2021
It is a joyous occasion filled with music, dancing, and bonfires. People often participate in Maypole dances and may choose to gather herbs and flowers to make garlands and wreaths. Litha, also known as the Summer Solstice, is another important pagan holiday in 2022. It occurs on June 21st and marks the longest day of the year. It is a time to celebrate the abundance of nature and the power of the sun. Many pagans choose to spend Litha outdoors, enjoying the warmth of the sun and communing with nature. Samhain, also known as Halloween, is a significant pagan holiday that falls on October 31st. It is the time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to be the thinnest. People honor their ancestors and communicate with the spirits during this time. It is also a time for divination and reflection. Yule, also known as the Winter Solstice, is the pagan holiday that marks the shortest day of the year. It occurs on December 21st and is a time to celebrate the return of the light. Many pagans decorate their homes with evergreen branches, light candles, and exchange gifts. Yule is a time of cozy gatherings with loved ones and reflection on the past year. In conclusion, pagan holidays in 2022, such as Ostara, Beltane, Litha, Samhain, and Yule, continue to be celebrated by those who follow pagan beliefs. These holidays are rich in symbolism, rituals, and customs, and provide an opportunity for pagans to connect with nature, honor their ancestors, and celebrate the changing seasons..
Reviews for "Finding Community: Pagan Holiday Gatherings in 2022"
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4. Emily - 1 star - "Pagan holodaya 2022" was an absolute waste of time. The plot was convoluted and difficult to follow, with far too many unnecessary subplots that added nothing to the overall story. The characters were poorly developed, making it difficult to care about their fates. The dialogue was cringe-worthy and often laughable, and the special effects were cheap and unimpressive. The film seemed to rely solely on shock value to compensate for its lack of substance, resulting in a disjointed and unsatisfying viewing experience. I would strongly advise against wasting your time on this film.