Essays on Winter Solstice

Astronomers and researchers have different presentations and assumptions of the Stonehenge. However, one major assumption made by people is that the Stonehenge showed the presence of ancient astronomy. As per its location and positioning, the site aligns with the sunset direction during the winter solstice and the sunrise direction during the summer solstice. Dr. Gerald Hawkins was one of the astronomers astonished by the rocks and came up with his interpretation of the Stonehenge. According to him, the Stonehenge shares similar qualities to an IBM computer and it may be the blueprint for computer technology. Despite his descriptions, Richard ...

Christmas Day is an annual Mass celebrated by Christians to commemorate the birth of Jesus. Just as other events, borrowed from pagan cults, scientists believe that Christmas also owes its origin not to the birth of Jesus, but mostly is a continuation of pagan rituals. The adoption of Christianity in Europe was accompanied not only with the displacement of pagan cults, but also borrowing some of their elements. So to ease the population shift from one religion to another, the Christian church often retained pagan holidays, but gave new meaning to them (Pappas, “Pagan Roots? 5 Surprising Facts About ...

Question 1

The vernal equinox occurs in March when the sun appears to be crossing the celestial equator. During this time, the sun is usually heading north. The autumnal equinox occurs in September when the sun crosses the equator as it moves towards the South Pole. On these days, the sun is directly over the equator. This results in equal durations of day and night.

The solstices occur when the earth is at its farthest distance from the sun. It occurs due to the elliptical shape of the earth’s orbit around the sun. This means that there are two solstices ...

Christmas is considered to be both a religious holiday as well as a worldwide cultural event. Christians around the world celebrate Christmas in December to remember the birth of Jesus, their spiritual leader. However, this holiday began long before Jesus was born, and has changed throughout the years depending on the geography and climate of the country it is being celebrated in. The cultural phenomenon of Christmas first began centuries before the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, as cultures would celebrate the Winter Solstice. The importance of celebrating the Winter Solstice came out of the fact that many people worked ...

Seasons are caused by the tilting of the earth’s axis in relation to its orbit around the sun. Moreover, the angle from which the sun hits the earth exposes some areas to longer periods of sunlight than others. In addition, the intensity of the sun’s heat varies from place to place depending on the direction of the sun. Equinoxes denote the axis of the earth being analogous to the direction of its revolution. The Vernal (spring) equinox occurs on March 21st while the Autumnal (fall) equinox takes place on September 21st. During equinoxes days and nights ...

Wonton

One of the most popular Chinese dishes all over the world is surely wonton. The food is considered a very important thing for a good living by innumerable people all across the globe owing to its taste and preparation. It surely titillates the taste buds and leaves one wanting for more. The word “wonton” is pronounced in Chinese pinyin as “hún tun” or “hún tún”, and in Cantonese the word is pronounced as “wěn tēn.” This delicious dish is, in fact, regional pasta that has its origins in the country of China. Thus, the dish has ...

Early Christianity adopted many of the Pagan rituals as it evolved. The influences of Paganism can be found in the symbols Christians use as proof of their faith, the buildings they worship in and the ceremonies they participate into the holidays they celebrate. John H. Newman the author of Development of the Christian stated, "The use of temples, and these dedicated to particular saints, and ornamented on occasions with branches of trees; incense, lamps, and candles; votive offerings on recovery from illness; holy water; asylums; holy days and seasons, use of calendars, processions, blessings on the fields, sacerdotal vestments, ...

Solstice occurs twice a year when the sun is at the highest or the lowest point as seen from the poles. Solstices mark the beginning of summer and winter in the southern and the northern hemisphere. This phenomenon occurs when the earth’s axis is tilted towards or away from the sun’s rays. The occurrence has an impact on the amount of daylight experienced in different parts of the planet. Solstices occur twice in a year; around June 21 and December 21. These seasons are opposite because Winter solstice in one Hemisphere is the Summer Solstice in the other Hemisphere. ...