The Winter solstice & Doomsday

In 2012, the earliest winter since 1896 arrives with the solstice at 6:12 a.m. on December 21 (EST). Here’s more about the first day of winter:

Photo via winter desktop wallpapers

There's an English proverb that says: A fair day in winter is the mother of a storm. Winter inspires both joy and woe. Some people can't wait for the cooler weather, snow, skiing and ice skating, curling up by a fire, and the holiday spirit. Other people dislike the frigid temperatures, blizzards, and wild weather. The word solstice comes from the Latin words for 'sun' and 'to stand still.' In the Northern Hemisphere, as summer advances to winter, the points on the horizon where the Sun rises and sets advance southward each day; the high point in the Sun’s daily path across the sky, which occurs at local noon, also moves southward each day. At the winter solstice, the Sun’s path has reached its southernmost position. The next day, the path will advance northward. However, a few days before and after the winter solstice, the change is so slight that the Sun’s path seems to stay the same, or stand still. The Sun is directly overhead at 'high-noon' on Winter Solstice at the latitude called the Tropic of Capricorn. In the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice days are the days with the fewest hours of sunlight during the whole year.

Source: The Old Farmer's Almanac (abridged and adapted)

What about the end of the world?

CartoonStock

The Mayan calendar finishes one of its great cycles in December 2012, which has fueled countless theories about the end of the world on December 21, 2012 at 11:11(UTC). One theory suggests a galactic alignment which would create chaos on Earth because of the gravitational effect between the Sun and the Black hole called Sagittarius A, which is located at the center of our galaxy. Another theory involves a 'polar shift', which means a reversal of the north and south magnetic poles. Scientists believe that the Earth is overdue for a geomagnetic reversal. However, this can take up to 5,000 years to complete and does not start on any particular date. NASA scientists have thoroughly studied and analyzed the possibility of the Earth ending in 2012, and have concluded that 21st December 2012 will be nothing more than a normal December solstice. There is simply no scientific evidence to support any claims of an apocalypse on Earth on December 21, 2012. Yet, if you want to know more about this alleged end of the world, check out these best prophecies of doomsday prophecies in history!

Source: timeanddate.com (abridged and adapted)

You might also like

Spring and the Holi Festival

Summer Solstice @Stonehenge

The Autumn Season Teacher Guide

2012-the end of days

12-12-12

UK Christmas Cooking Customs

MINCE PIES

Photo Elaine Lemm

Mince pies are the first sign of Christmas in the UK. These tiny tartlets, often served with mulled wine, start popping up everywhere, from workplace canteens and coffee corners to the local Starbucks. Shops advertise late opening hours and fashion shows accompanied by mince pies and mulled wine, Every pre-Christmas gathering, cocktail party and tea party will have a supply. Newspapers usually have features rating this year's supermarket and packaged variations. It's supposed to be good luck to eat a mince pie every day of December and most people don't turn them down when offered. So, by the time the holiday season is over, most people are well fed-up with mince pies. But whether they like deep or shallow mince pies, or simply can't stand them, most Brits know it's Christmas from their first mince pie of the season. 

TURKEY

Photo via Britain on View

Smoked salmon, served with buttered brown bread and a slice of lemon, or wrapped around some prawns, is a typical festive starter. Turkey long ago replaced goose as the most popular main course. But it is what the turkey comes to the table with that make it especially British. The accompaniments include: chipolatas (small sausages) wrapped in bacon; roasted root vegetables, especially roasted parsnips which are sweet and moist; brussels sprouts, often with chestnuts or bacon or both; bread sauce, a mixture of bread crumbs, milk, cream, onions and seasonings. 

CHRISTMAS PUDDING

Photo: RFB Photography

The traditional British Christmas pudding is a bit like a cannonball made of dried fruit,nuts, flour, eggs, suet or butter, spices and loads and loads of alcohol. It comes to the table sprigged with holly or winter cherries and flaming with brandy. Rich and heavy, a little bit of Christmas pudding goes a long way. A good Christmas pudding is started months before Christmas, steamed for several hours, then tightly wrapped and left to age. Whisky or brandy are used to plump up the dried fruit and are added to the cooked pudding from time to time. On the day, the pudding is once again steamed for a few hours. Then hot brandy is poured over it and set alight. Traditionally, a three-penny (thruppence) or six-penny (sixpence) coin, both long out of circulation, is baked in the pudding. Finding it is considered good luck. In some families, silver or porcelain charms are kept for this purpose.

CHRISTMAS CAKE

Photo via Sainsbury's

Like the Christmas pudding, the traditional British Christmas Cake is started months before the holiday. It is a very rich fruit cake which is 'fed' with brandy or whisky - a few spoonfuls at a time, every few days for weeks. Before Christmas, the cake is wrapped in a rolled layer of marzipan and topped by a thick layer of rolled white icing. Then the whole thing is neatly wrapped in a red ribbon and topped with a holiday motif. In effect, the cake is sealed, airtight, in all that marzipan and icing. That, plus the amount of alcohol it has absorbed, should make it last a very long time. And, kept in a biscuit tin or a plastic food box with a sealable lid, Christmas cakes have been known to be edible for months, even years. The Christmas cake is not usually part of Christmas dinner but is kept to be offered at tea time and for snacks during the holidays.

In, About.com UK Travel

You might also like

Br/Am Traditions