The Shortest Day

And so the Shortest Day came and the year died
And everywhere down the centuries of the snow-white world
Came people singing, dancing,
To drive the dark away.
They lighted candles in the winter trees;
They hung their homes with evergreen;
They burned beseeching fires all night long
To keep the year alive.
And when the new year’s sunshine blazed awake
They shouted, revelling.
Through all the frosty ages you can hear them
Echoing behind us — listen!
All the long echoes, sing the same delight,
This Shortest Day,
As promise wakens in the sleeping land:
They carol, feast, give thanks,
And dearly love their friends,
And hope for peace.
And now so do we, here, now,
This year and every year.
Susan Cooper

This is one of my favourite poems for the midwinter season of Yule and Christmas and the Winter Solstice.

I share the poem for those of you who also enjoy both melancholy and hope, for in balance is contentment.

The Dark is Rising

As well as reading this poem aloud at the Winter Solstice, I enjoy reading one of Susan Cooper’s books at this time of year too. ‘The Dark is Rising’ is the second in the sequence of five books collectively also named ‘The Dark is Rising’. A fantasy tale for young adults it is just as enjoyable for old(er) adults.

One of the main protagonists in the book, Will Stanton, has his birthday on December 21^st, the Winter Solstice. And it is on his 11^th birthday that strange things start happening and the ancient battle between good and evil becomes something he cannot ignore.

It is good to read as a standalone book, in my opinion probably the strongest of the five in the series. Although they are all well written and are modern classics.

But I’ll share my favourite books for reading during the time of Advent, Christmas and Yule with you in another blog.

What is the Shortest Day?

Occurring on or a day either side of December 21^st (the variation is due to the earth’s orbit and our calendar not being in sync with each other) the Winter Solstice happens in the Northern hemisphere. The Southern hemisphere celebrate the date as their Summer Solstice, of course.

Although called the shortest day, the number of hours is still 24, just like every other day! What we mean is that it is the day with the shortest number of daylight hours. Which is due to the angle of the earth as it orbits the sun. At this point, the North Pole is facing away from that glowing, life giving celestial orb.