Alisa,

You're the 2nd person on Swap-Bot that have mentioned their love for celebrating Winter Solstice. PLEASE FORGIVE ME FOR NOT KNOWING, but can you briefly explain this celebration? Origin? How it is to be celebrated? Thanks!

vintageartchic,

The Winter Solstice is the shortest night of the year, around Dec. 22. After that night the days become longer, getting darker later and later. I'm setting up this swap way early for next year; I just didn't want to forget to do it.

It's pagan in origin. There are lots of ways to celebrate it. I'm not an expert by any means, but I've seen lots of festivals and pageants celebrating the longest night of the year and the return of the light.

For me it's not a spiritual or religious celebration, it's quite simply the night that means that longer days are just ahead. I get sad every year when daylight savings ends and it gets dark so early, so celebrating the solstice gives me something to look forward to.

I hope that was a good enough explanation. I'm sure you can find a lot more detailed (and possibly accurate) information if you google the term.

aloha, Alisa

Hooray! Here I am, on my lunch break, trying to decide if I'm going to do the Magic Wand swap or the Recycled Junk Mail swap next... And then I find this one, hosted by the beautiful Patron Saint of Wednesday Morning! Count me in, Alisa -- you just might have to remind me in, oh, 6 months or so! :)

We have just gone through the winter solstice so now the days will be getting longer and the weather colder. I think I will make my swap now while we are having the long nights or I will be making it mid summer and the wrong mood might come across. Hugs :-) PS I live in New Zealand.

We have just survived the summer solstice and look forward to the peaceful long dark winter days in Scandinavia! Nearly 24 hour daylight is hard on the body, to say the least!

Here in Alaska winter solstice is a turning point, letting us all know that winter will be leaving us. The sun will start shining more minutes per day, and the count is on! It may be the start of winter on the calendar but it is a very good thing to see more sun per day.

vintageartchick --

A solstice isn't a "holiday", it's an astronomical and seasonal natural event. There are 4 of these "sun" days in a year. 2 are called solstices -- the ones in winter and summer -- and 2 are called equinoxes -- the ones in fall and spring.

The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year and is the first day of the season Winter. In the Northern Hemisphere it occurs around Dec 21-22. Exactly 6 months later is the summer solstice, which occurs around June 21-22, and is the first day of Summer. The summer solstice is the longest day of the year. Ours just passed so every day is slightly shorter now than the one before.

In the Southern Hemisphere (Australia, NZ, etc) winter and summer are reversed, though the days themselves are the same. So their Winter Solstice just passed an dnow their days are getting longer.

Equinox refers to days when the daylight hours and night hours are exactly equal in length. The Spring Equinox is around March 22-23. It was on March 20 this year, and on March 21 in 2007. That is the first day of spring. After that date, the daylight hours are longer than the night hours. Exactly 6 months later is the Fall Equinox, which is Sept 21-23 or so. This year is will be Sept 22. After that date, the daylight hours grow shorter and shorter.

The Roamn Catholic Church and neopagans both have seasonal holidays that occur on these dates or in relation to these dates. Many ancient non-Christian cultures also had celebrations on those dates, probably bc they did not know "why" they occured and ascribed some divine reasoning to it.

Well, I think you can celebrate it as a holiday if you want to... :) Etayne

The Solstice rocks

I am not a fan of the winter and it has always been a somewhat difficult time for me. that is why I am joining this Bot. I want to embrace this time and celebrate the riches that are offered and learn to be happy and at peace in the dark time instead of depressed and waiting, waiting for the sun.

Thank you for making the Bot. I will do my best to embrace the LIGHT and giving that inhabits the darkness that comes with the chilliness of winter.

Please, I would like to have my Bot with an international, I live in California and have never traveled and would LOVE the opportunity to share with another from far away - Scandinavia perahps?

thank you

I am very into creating this swap. This is exactly what we need to keep our creative juices flowing, even in the dark times. This is when an artist kicks it in and puts there emotions into their art or project....Whether feeling happy or sad with environmental conditions..

December 22 is my birthday!!! I have to join this swap!!!

I know it says you need to have a 4.8 rating, but I'm new as of today. I absolutely love this swap idea and even have my swap thought out in my head. When I'm done here, I will sketch it out and get started this evening. I do hope you will allow me to stay. I'm really excited!

I'm so excited about this swap! I already have a few different ideas in mind to accomodate different likes. I can't wait to get a partner!

I'd love to do this swap! The only problem is that I'm a newbie. Is that a real problem? What if I'm on my best behavior?

Hi, I'm another newbie. Although I've swapped before, just not on swap bot. I've never flaked. I promise to be a good swapper...can I stay?

And yet another newbie, international in addition. But I do love the idea of celebrating this very special time of the year. So the same question for me: Can you please keep me in?

After all I can add some almost scandinavian flavour to it....

New to the site so I cannot take part due to a lack of rating. Regardless, enjoy the celebration. It happens once a year and while most see the change as a bad thing, they look at the negatives of the weather to come and the shorter days. When really they are missing the point. They can see the stars for longer, and when your awake in the morning there is frost on the ground making everything sparkle despite the nip in the air. Its still a special time of the year. If only for more blankets (and not just snowy ones).

FYI-- There needs to be a clarification. Here in the Northern Hemi [not sure about Southern- reversed I think?] After the winter solstice the hours of sunlight get LONGER. Thus why this is a celebration of the return of light!

The summer solstice is a day [Aside from my birthday! ;) ] in which there is the most daylight but alas, afterward the sun begins to slowly wane.

New to the site so cannot join, but I wish all of you a blessed and happy Solstice.

For all of you interested in spreading the holiday cheer, I just wanted to advertise my Favorite Christmas Music Mix CD swap! Happy Swapping!

Favorite Christmas Music Mix CD

Darn, I hope you have this swap again next year. Happy Winter Solstice to everyone!