Welcome to the first post of spring. Today, this 21st day of December, the heavy down blanket of the Nordic winter slowly, surely, begins to lighten, feather by feather. The seemingly relentless march towards darkness is reversed. Day by day since June the night has nibbled away at the light. Today, the light prevails and slowly begins to retake the darkness.
According to the Danish Meteological Institute, the length of the day is 10 hours and 28 minutes shorter than on the 21st of June. We have been robbed of light.
From today, however, bits and pieces of time are being illuminated. Only fragments at first but it is enough. The winter solstice was with good reason an event to be celebrated in ancient times. The festival in Northern Europe was called Jul, or Yule in English. We still use the same word to this day for the religious festival that has tried to replace it.
Spring, in effect, starts today. Sure, an icy January and February lay in wait but the knowledge that the light is returning makes all manner of ice and snow seem laughable.
Bring on the light. Bring on the Copenhagen spring. All hail the Copenhagen summer.
[Addendum: just noticed that this is post #801 in the history of Cycle Chic. So yay for that.]
16 comments:
He, I had the feeling that this would be the subject of the day. Quite odd actually that we dont have any kind of celebration of this day, but I guess they at some point just pushed it a few days to be alligned with the christian stuff.
The Christian stuff was aligned with the winter solstice, not the other way around. Did you suppose the shepherds were watching their flocks by night in the dead of winter? Springtime is the more common lambing time.
In any case this is the official START of WINTER, not SPRING.
It is and always has been the first day of spring for me. Ever since I was little.
oh, in Spain, we have a sentence: "Santa Lucia, acorta las noches y alarga los días" It means the text that you have post.
Lucia->Lux->Light :)
Not too fast I hope! Down here in the Southern Hemisphere, we are only just beginning to enjoy our summer, and hoping it lasts a good LOOOONNNNGGG time. http://handlebraeasyriderclub.blogspot.com/
Sigh. You have such a gorgeously poetic sort of weather.
With over 60 cm of snow on the ground since last Wednesday, and temperatures hovering between -10 and -15C, it does not feel like Spring here. I call this Winter! However, even with all the snow I am still seeing the occasional bicycle out being ridden. There is hope!
December 21/22 is the start of winter not spring. Otherwise June 21 would be the start of fall, not summer.
Oh you silly people... We KNOW it's the first day of winter. Technically. Meterologically. We just look at it differently and poetically and optimistically. :-)
OK... So when exactly is the poetical start of winter?
;-P
haha... well, in my world it starts on December 1st.
It's quite a good system. Autumn is October/November. Winter lasts a mere 21 days in December. Spring lasts from December 22 to the end of February. Summer lasts from March until the end of September.
Well, here in Texas, that's literally true. Summer frequently lasts until September, October, even November. But whats a casualty are spring and fall, not winter and summer. Spring and fall are the only times of the year that are pleasant here. And I have learned to Hate summer. it seems the earlier it comes, the later it stays.
Mikael, I like your poetical seasons, and for the most part, I think it's quite similar in the northwest corner of the US; but being inland from the coast, our poetic Winter would have to be December and January, with Spring being February through sometime in May. I always enjoy a day in late February when I can go home from work in daylight for the first time. That's when Spring starts for me!
Happy Solstice to all!
Oh, right, we are silly people thinking that it's the first day of winter. Good, real bright.
Ah, anoymous. Just as it is always 5 o'clock somewhere in the world (and you may just need a cocktail), it is Spring somewhere out there as well! If we can have a 'Global Economy' I guess Mikael can have a 'Global Spring' :)
w.v. 'auddle'
Some people just get so auddled about the seasons. They should have a drink!
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