# Summer Solstice



## RayDando (Feb 2, 2006)

caracal said:


> Today we have here on the north part of earth the summer solstice. Tonight we have the shortest night here.
> At a old celtic tradition some people have a party at the evening.
> Is it right that the night of 21. December is the shortest night at the south hemisphere? And do you celebrate this?


Frank,

Your summer solstice is our winter solstice and we celebrate it by freezing our buts off.
21 Dec is our shortest night but we don't really celebrate. I think that because the change in our seasons is so mild (compared to Europe) it has never become a cultural event. The solstice passes unnoticed by most here.
Pity, because I feel like some pagan celebrating myself (as long as it involves mead and nudity) :wink:


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## Karoojager (Dec 20, 2005)

RayDando said:


> Frank,
> 
> Your summer solstice is our winter solstice and we celebrate it by freezing our buts off.
> 21 Dec is our shortest night but we don't really celebrate. I think that because the change in our seasons is so mild (compared to Europe) it has never become a cultural event. The solstice passes unnoticed by most here.
> Pity, because I feel like some pagan celebrating myself (as long as it involves mead and nudity) :wink:


Raymond,

I not drank mead last night and danced not nacked around the fire, but I drank my traditional tee with 73% rum. Oh man, after the third cup of tee I saw Odin and his ravens, by the fourth cup I got a hit from Thor`s hammer:wink: Now I have a babalaas ( hope the writing is right ) seems this is from the old celtic music what my wife played the whole night.
I like to celebrate the old traditions because this remember at our roots.


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## Matatazela (Mar 1, 2005)

I had some gluhwein, and went to bed early. Will celebrate summer solstice with more gusto...


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## Karoojager (Dec 20, 2005)

Ahh, I forgot that you have winter, this is the right time for Glühwein.
Wherefrom you got this lecker stuff in S.A.? Do you drink this with a small Amaretto inside?


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## Matatazela (Mar 1, 2005)

Cinnamon, cloves, red wine, microwave and let it cool, then drink... Not true Glühwein, but close enough, and definitely better than cold wine last night. Well below freezing last night, and I forgot to put the car in the garage. Frosted windows again!


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## Karoojager (Dec 20, 2005)

Matatazela said:


> Cinnamon, cloves, red wine, microwave and let it cool, then drink... Not true Glühwein, but close enough, and definitely better than cold wine last night. Well below freezing last night, and I forgot to put the car in the garage. Frosted windows again!


Yesss, this is the recipe.
How many degrees in minus do you had last night? Ice on the car window by day and night is here normally for approximately four month:wink:
Up to 6°- we speak here from a frosted night.
At the moment we have 17°+ and this is our summer, normally we must have 24 to 30°+ at this month, but I think the weather is changing around the globe.


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## OutaAfrica (Mar 14, 2007)

Hi frank also celebrated last night dont know what but this morning I had TB (terrible Babalas) Had some Irish Wiskey and a couple of spring bokkies and some other stuf . This morning thor was breaking my skull went to relax feel much better now we also got a cold winter this year it is at the moment about 23 degrees and at night about 9


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## Matatazela (Mar 1, 2005)

It is 22 degrees Celsius at the moment! Midwinter is wonderful between 10am and 3pm...

-9 degs Celsius is the coldest in town this year (Dundee) to date, but last night was only -1 deg Celsius.)


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## Karoojager (Dec 20, 2005)

Matatazela said:


> It is 22 degrees Celsius at the moment! Midwinter is wonderful between 10am and 3pm...
> 
> -9 degs Celsius is the coldest in town this year (Dundee) to date, but last night was only -1 deg Celsius.)


I enjoy the time between 9am and 12am if the animals come out of the bushes to warm up in the sun and take a small drink at the water pond straight to my blind:tongue:


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## Laura (Feb 21, 2007)

There are some traditions that have a festival/celebration on the evening, ie. most Pagans, Wiccans etc, probably would.
This ties in with the old Celtic traditions, as many of them are related to pagan/wiccan/druidic/(ICouldGoOnForever)/ festivals. The calenders used in thes traditions tend to mark the passage of days related to the seasons, and so the Solstices and Equinoxes mark the "quarter days" of the year.

The Winter Solstice would be Yule in the Southern Hemisphere, (overseas its on the 21th Dec) and many of the practices and traditions of that day were "converted" or "borrowed" by Christianity for Christmas, as because they wanted more people to become Christian, they adapted a lot of the festivals with Christian meaning so that people could carry on doing what they always had, and just attach new meaning to it. "Deck the Halls" is a good example - if you listen closely you'll realise there's hardly any Christian reference, while Holly relates to some traditional practices.

So yes, there are some celebrations, but many Wiccans tend to want to work secretly/quietly (again due to tradition and the danger they used to be in (There was a time when "Burn the Witch" was the general idea)).

Yeah, thats my 2c, which is worth a whole lot more than those Zim dollars..


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## Karoojager (Dec 20, 2005)

Good Morning Laura,

My respect, you know a lot of our old traditions here in the old world
Most of the peoples are Christians here ( catholically, evangelic and Christ orthodox ) but some peoples celebrate the old traditions more for conservation / preserving that they not get into oblivion. My wife and son are Christians, but they come with me to the old tradition celebrations and accouter in the old clothes by dancing around the old German oaks and fire. My wife love the old Celtic music made from a bagpipe. Normally we stay this weekend at a old castle for the summer solstice, but this year we have to much work with the luggage for our visit in S.A.


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## RayDando (Feb 2, 2006)

The spingboks just got kicked by the pagans from down under.
Don't know if I am a little late but going to find some solice after the solstice. No mead or spiced wine so good old brandy wine will have to do. Enough of that with coke and I will be seeing sidhe and demi fey in the garden tonight.
Cheers all, even if we lose the rugby I am still an archer.
Now I know what the sharks felt like and it isn't pretty. 

Ray


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## Matatazela (Mar 1, 2005)

RayDando said:


> The spingboks just got kicked by the pagans from down under.
> Don't know if I am a little late but going to find some solice after the solstice. No mead or spiced wine so good old brandy wine will have to do. Enough of that with coke and I will be seeing sidhe and demi fey in the garden tonight.
> Cheers all, even if we lose the rugby I am still an archer.
> Now I know what the sharks felt like and it isn't pretty.
> ...


There definitely is power in the Haka...


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## Bushkey (Mar 17, 2006)

Matatazela said:


> There definitely is power in the Haka...


Haka, Haka hier kom kaka.:embara:


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## Matatazela (Mar 1, 2005)

Bushkey said:


> Haka, Haka hier kom kaka.:embara:


Beslis, ja!


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## Laura (Feb 21, 2007)

Yeah, I think it's important to keep older traditions alive, to know where we came from. Thats cool, it sounds fun. 

I think, (this is just a personal belief so don't mind it if you don't agree), that the reason many people enjoy Celtic, Gregorian, and Traditional styles of Music, is that we subconsiously recognise it through the ages. Something in us remembers it. Or it appeals to our more basic music senses. I sing in the school choir (our very very cool school choir - we went on tour to Italy, Germany and Austria last year, and performed Messiah with an orchestra and all-girls choir this year ) , and I love most of the Traditional Xhosa songs, like they appeal to me more than the latest music, because I think it appeals to a more basic music sense.

In our town, a bunch of crazy people decided that the best way to celebrate the Winter Solstice was to jump into Grey Dam and stay in the water for a minute in the early morning. There was an article about it in the local paper, and pictures of some very cold people.


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