The winter solstice is here. Today marks the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere, while last night was the longest night of the year. This has been an important event for millennia, with evidence of celebrations going back as far as 10,000 BCE. Some of the world"s most famous Stone Age monuments, including Stonehenge, are aligned with the point that the sun rises or sets on the winter solstice. Traditionally, it was a time for feasting and lighting of fires to symbolise the darkest day of the year. Ancient Germanic tribes celebrated the winter solstice by bringing evergreens into their homes as a symbol of the returning light and the coming spring.
Happy winter solstice!
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Dont just fly, darling. Soar!
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Hoodoos, Sunset Point, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, USA
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Whooper swans, Kotoku Pond, Japan
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Zoroaster Temple, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States
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A young bull moose
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Our forgotten forests
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The picturesque Mughal architecture
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Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park, Washington, United States
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Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Utah
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Reflecting on Christmas
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World Elephant Day
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Chilling out on an ice floe
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A female Eurasian red squirrel, Switzerland
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Samuel Beckett Bridge, Dublin, Ireland
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Sundance Film Festival
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Unbe-leaf-able
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Sea lion in a kelp forest, Baja California, Mexico
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Horsetail Fall, Yosemite National Park, California, USA
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Royal Alcázar of Seville, Spain
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An unbreakable bond between siblings
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Shark Awareness Day
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A beautiful labyrinth
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Sequoias of the sea
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Superbloom in Carrizo Plain National Monument, California, United States
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This magical beach is worth the hike
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Im ready for my close-up, Mr. DeSquirrel
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A light in the coastal darkness
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Zion National Park, Utah, United States
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On a dark and stormy night...
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, USA
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