LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Winter Solstice: Summer Solstice
built 613 days ago
The festivals of the Winter Solstice celebrate the start of the new solar year and the beginning of winter. The fantasies of superstition have ... used this astronomical event to celebrate Saturnalia, Yule, Christmas, and many other superstitious events. The unknown builders of Stonehenge (see photo above) in southern England constructed the megaliths at around 2000 B.C.E. which makes it at least twice as old as Christianity. It accurately predicts both the summer and winter solstices.
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[T]hen why, if the solstice is the turning point, is June 21st considered the first day of summer and December 21st the first day of winter? This odd fact is because while the hours of daylight are changing, the oceans need to catch up. Oceans take a long time to heat up and cool down (something called thermal inertia). In June, they are still cool from the winter, so the warmest days happen in July and August. (Have you ever gone swimming off Cape Cod in June? Brrrr!) Similarly, the oceans hold onto the warmth of summer long after the barbeques have ended.
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These sites have information about the winter solstice - the first day of astronomical winter. Students can learn how the Earth's tilt and orbital motion influence the length of days and nights. Students can ... find the history of pagan and Christian traditions and rituals of celebration that day. The sites include photographs, schematics, animation, and eThemes Resource on Winter, Summer Solstice, and Seasons.
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Summer Solstice