A Winter Wonderland
Today marks the Shortest Day of the Year in the Northern Hemisphere as we celebrate the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice, Hiemal Solstice or Hibernal Solstice occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. We all know what Winter means but what is Solstice, anyway? The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol ("sun") and sistere ("to stand still"), because at the solstices, the Sun's declination appears to "stand still"; that is, the seasonal movement of the Sun's daily path (as seen from Earth) pauses at a northern or southern limit before reversing direction.
We'll discover how the Winter Solstice has been celebrated all around the world with today's storytime but THIS Winter Solstice comes with a very special surprise for tonight as we'll be able to witness the great conjunction of the two largest worlds in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn. We call it a "great" conjunction because to ancient skywatchers, these were the two slowest moving planets in the sky. Jupiter takes nearly 12 years to describe a full circle in the heavens, spending a year visiting each zodiacal sign in the sky, while Saturn takes 29.5 years to make one full trip around the sun. Because of their respective slow movement, a conjunction or — to the ancients — a "celestial summit meeting," was rather unusual. Such get-togethers happen, in most cases, about every 20 years on average. So, when Jupiter and Saturn got together it was simply a conjunction, but a "great" conjunction!
Usually when Jupiter and Saturn line up they are separated by about one degree, or twice the apparent diameter of the moon. Today, we see Jupiter and Saturn separated by just 6 arc minutes. That's equal to 0.1 degrees or about one-fifth the apparent width of the moon. How often do these two planets come as close as that? Some websites say it has been nearly 400 years, while others say it's been almost 800 years. Indeed, the last time these two planets appeared so close was on July 16, 1623, when they were only 5 arc minutes apart — that's actually 397 years ago.
Some have suggested this holiday season that these two planets might be a replica of the legendary Star of Bethlehem. Actually, one of the more popular theories for the "Christmas Star" was a series of conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC. For in that year Jupiter and Saturn met not once but three times that year (in May, September and December). While this year there will only be one conjunctions and much lower in the sky than the days of Jesus, we can guarantee this will be a sight to see for all ages!
We'll also celebrate Los Posadas as well as Christmas and the beginning of Kwanzaa. Los Posadas is similar to the non-secular celebration of Christmas, in that it symbolizes the special and sacred belief in the birth of Jesus Christ. Las Posadas, (Spanish: “The Inns”) is a religious festival celebrated in Mexico and some parts of the United States between December 16 and 24. Las Posadas commemorates the journey that Joseph and Mary made from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search of a safe refuge where Mary could give birth to the baby Jesus. When they were unable to find lodging in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were forced to seek shelter in a stable, where the Christ Child was born. Las Posadas is celebrated this year from Wednesday, December 16 to Thursday, December 24, 2020.
Kwanzaa is an annual celebration of African-American culture that is held from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a communal feast called Karamu, usually held on the 6th day.[1] Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach, created Kwanzaa in 1966. After the Watts riots in Los Angeles, Dr. Karenga searched for ways to bring African Americans together as a community. He founded US, a cultural organization, and started to research African “first fruit” (harvest) celebrations. Karenga combined aspects of several different harvest celebrations, such as those of the Ashanti and those of the Zulu, to form the basis of Kwanzaa.
The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal. On each of the seven nights, the family gathers and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara (candleholder), then one of the seven principles is discussed. The principles, called the Nguzo Saba (seven principles in Swahili) are values of African culture which contribute to building and reinforcing community among African-Americans. Kwanzaa also has seven basic symbols which represent values and concepts reflective of African culture. An African feast, called a Karamu, is held on December 31.