Saturday, December 21, 2002

Winter Solstice QUOTE OF THE DAY I'll tell you how the west was won; in a murder style. From coast to coast, from sea to sea; it all used to be Indian country. They were livin in tribal unity, from Tierra Del Fuego to the Arctic Sea. But then one day, they met a white man, coming with a gun in his hand. All he wanted was a small piece of land. All he wanted was a small piece of land. But from coast to coast, and sea to sea they called it the Manifest Destiny. From border to border. From border to border. So I'll tell you how the west was won; twas in a murder style. - - Casper Lomayesva (Hopi) Lyrics from his album "The Sounds Of Reality" http://www.3rdmesa.com RHINO HERE: The lyrics above come from a powerful young Reggae singer named Casper Lomayesva who happens to be a Hopi Indian from Arizona. What? American Indian reggae music you say? Yes and great reggae music at that. The wedding together of cultures, ethnic groups, even religious ways of life is something that's gone on since the beginning of humanity. Caspers work is downloadable at: http://www.3rdmesa.com Then there's "Indigenous", the American Indian blues band featuring Sioux virtuoso guitarist, Mato Nanji'. If you haven't heard his licks that evoke memories of Jimi Hendrix & Stevie Ray Vaughan, then you're really missing something. Indigenous' work is downloadable at: http://www.indigenousrocks.com The Christmas holiday itself is a wedding of cultures, though I'm sure some would not want to agree. But if the homework is done, one would find that all cultures and religions have a holiday around this time of the year. A simple way of looking at it is that during the time of year we call spring, life force energy comes beaming down on the people from the sun, and it comes bursting out of the ground in the form of plants, and most, if not all cultures and religions, have a celebration to honor the rebirth (if you will) of life's energy. In Christianity it's Easter. During the time of the year when the green plants wither and the sun is at its wane, people must look to each other for the life energy to survive. Christmas. But it's known that this time of year wasn't when Jesus was actually born. So how did Christmas evolve? Inquiring Rhinos seek out answers and with the help of friends and relatives, find them. Thanks to my friend Christina Moon for the following explanation. 8:14:54 AM    comment

The Winter Solstice In astronomy, the solstice is either of the two times a year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great circle on the celestial sphere that is on the same plane as the earth's equator. In the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the southern hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reversed. The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. Because of this tilt, the northern hemisphere receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the southern hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the earth continues its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the sun changes and the seasons are reversed. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, "sun" and -stitium, "a stoppage." Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. Yule, (Winter Solstice), marks the shortest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and is an important holiday to those who follow the old ways. To the ancients, it appeared as if the Sun and Moon stopped in their flight across the sky...The Sun's representation as the male divinity, or celestial ruler, predates Christianity. As with other rituals and celebrations, the Church felt that by assimilating this holiday into the Christian beliefs, it would help convert those who still followed the Olde Ways. Relationship to Christmas The selection of December 25th as a Christian holiday was first recorded in scholarly texts dating to 325 A.D., although the actual practice was first decreed in 274 A.D. by the Emperor Aurelian. Since the non-Christians viewed this time as the rebirth of the sun, it made sense for the Church to also mark this period as the celebration of the nativity of Christ (birth of the Son). Curiously, the selection of the day appears arbitrary although mankind had long known how to calculate the solstices. One can only guess that, rather than shift the celebration each year, a regularly scheduled event was preferable... ... The Winter Solstice marks a crucial part of the natural cycle. In a real sense, the sun begins anew its journey toward longer days, times of new growth, rebirth, and renewal of the world once again. In a spiritual sense, it is a reminder that in order for a new path to begin, the old one must end and that the Sun (Son) will come again. Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ). All copyrights belong to original publisher. - COMMENT ON TODAY'S BLOG - SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES - SURF RHINO'S LINKS http://www.rhinosblog.info "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. RHINO'S WEB SITES: http://www.rhinosblog.info (RHINO'S WEBLOG - PRESENT & PAST) http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Tell a friend about this weblog, or if you know someone who'd like to join the Rhino's Blog mailing list, drop a line to rhino@kifaru.com. 8:05:05 AM    comment

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