A snowy Google Doodle on Sunday marked the 2019 Winter Solstice — the shortest day of the year when the Earth is farthest from the Sun. This occurs when one of the Earth's poles has its maximum tilt away from the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere. In the Northern Hemisphere, it is the December solstice and in the Southern Hemisphere, it is known as June solstice. As per Google blog, Winter 2019 in Northern Hemisphere will begin on Sunday, 22 December and end on Friday, March 20, 2020. People around the world have celebrated this astronomical milestone for centuries. Across the world, Winter Solstice is celebrated in many ways. For Jews, the winter solstice is called ‘Tekufat Tevet’, which marks the start of winter. The Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus, the son of Isis (divine mother goddess) for 12 days during mid-winter. In China, the winter solstice is celebrated by families coming together to eat a special meal. The pagans (before Christianity) in Europe celebrated the solstice as the start of winter and was a festive occasion before the snow-covered most of the land and forced people to shift indoors. Winter Solstice is also linked to the pagan belief of the crone aspect of the triple-goddess principle (Maiden, Mother and Crone). The crone aspect is also connected to the moon waxing and waning cycle. Crone is seen as the old wise woman, who is like the dark night or the deep winter and signifies the death of earth (through the waning of the moon). In Vedic tradition, the northern movement of the earth on the celestial sphere is implicitly acknowledged in the Surya Siddhanta, which outlines the Uttarayana (the period between Makar Sankranti and Karka Sankranti). Hence, Winter Solstice is the first day of Uttarayana. The famous Yule festival used to be celebrated in pre-Christian Scandinavian lands for 12 days and which later became associated with Christmas as Yule-tide. Winter Solstice influenced human consciousness so much that ancient people built many architectural structures aligned to the phenomenon of Winter Solstice. Stonehenge in England is a product of popular imagination. However, sites such as Glastonbury Tor (England), Chichen Itza (Mexico), Goseck Circle (Germany), Temple of Karnak (Egypt) and Newgrange (England) were created to celebrate Winter Solstice and map the sun’s rays. In Ireland, people gather days before the solstice at Newgrange - a massive gravesite that is more than 5,000 years old. Crowds selected by lottery wait for a chance to see the sunrise light up the ancient passage tomb. In India, winter solstice took place at 3.53 a.m. on December 22 and will be marked by a host of religious observances and celebrations. At Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England, large crowds gather to celebrate and capture the moment when the sun directly aligns with the famous stones. In China, where they call the Winter Solstice Dongzhi Festival, people enjoy rice balls called tang yuan, which translates to "family reunion". This treat is said to bring prosperity and unity-something all of us can enjoy on this auspicious day.
