wrapping gifts
the dog stops panting
for a pet
saying good-bye
my hand warms
the iron gate
winter sun
lifting his round face
to catch it
“wrapping gifts” – Mainichi News Dec. 5, 2005 (No.678)
“saying good-bye” – tiny words (March 6, 2003)
“winter sun” – Manichi Daily News, March 5, 2005 (No. 669)
The Winter Solstice has arrived. A time to re-light the candle of hope
and forgiveness for all. Click here for our collection of Solstice haiku
and senryu.
a candle
in every window —
strangers light our path
Our Solistice message from last year — not surprisingly — still
rings true:
Christmas was set at the end of December, in the Fourth Century, in order to
co-opt (or overcome) ancient Sun-Solstice celebrations [see, e.g., here, here,
and even there] , the Solstice Story seems well worth retelling. Universe Today
has a good summary of the science and the lore, including this excerpt:
The season we call “winter” begins on the Winter Solstice. The word Solstice means “sun still”. Because ancient peoples knew nothing of the earth’s tilt, the southward march of the sun was a troubling time. There was fear that one day the sun might continue moving south until was lost entirely. Many cultures conducted rituals to encourage the sun to move north again and when it did there were great celebrations. These celebrations, regardless of culture, all had a common theme that of rekindled light.
Not surprising then that many of the traditions and customs of ancient Solstice celebrations have survived to the present day. Although we know that the sun will begin moving north without any encouragement from humans, we still use this time of cold and darkness to celebrate the theme of rekindled light. From the Hanukah Menorah, to the Scandinavian Yule log, to the lights of the Christmas tree, during this season we seek to push back the darkness with light. Although the forms have evolved over the centuries, we can still see the spirit of many of the old ways in our present day Solstice celebrations. still
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