What is the winter solstice?
The solstices occur because the Earth is tilted on its axis at about 23.5 degrees. If the tilt wasn’t there, there would be equal day and night everywhere. The tilt of the Earth also accounts for the four seasons.
The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, marking the shortest day of the year, occurs when the sun is directly overhead in the Tropic of Capricorn. This year it takes place on the morning of Saturday, December 21st.
In the southern hemisphere it marks the longest day of the year.
Similarly, when the sun is over the Tropic of Cancer it marks the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere and the shortest in the southern hemisphere.
Why is it so important?
Cultures around the world have regarded the movement of the sun in the sky with great awe and reverence since the dawn of civilisation.
The word solstice comes from the Latin , meaning sun stop or sun still.
It is not a coincidence that the early Christians adopted December 25th for Christmas Day, as this was the date on which the Romans celebrated the solstice. We do not know when Jesus Christ was born as the gospels do not say, but the birth of Jesus was adopted from the festivals marking the birth of the sun.
Why is Newgrange so special?
Newgrange is a burial complex that was constructed around 3200BC in the Brú na Bóinne (the Boyne Valley) making it older than the pyramids at Giza.
It is a burial passageway dating from the Stone Age. Its true purpose was not revealed until December 21st, 1967, when archaeologist Dr Michael O’Kelly made an astonishing discovery.
He confirmed local lore that the rising midwinter sun passed through the roof box above the entrance to Newgrange, flooding the burial chamber within with light.
Somehow, and nobody knows how, our ancestors 5,000 years ago were able to accurately track the passage of the sun across the sky to the extent that they knew when it would be in the exact location to shine light into the burial chamber inside.
Dr O’Kelly’s discovery made Newgrange world-famous and in 1993 it was made a Unesco world-heritage site.
What happens at Newgrange during the winter solstice?
For four days around the solstice from December 19th to 22nd a small number of visitors are allowed into the burial chamber: 20 people on December 19th, 20th and 22nd, respectively, but only 16 on December 21st.
The 16 people have been decided by a worldwide lottery in which 18,500 people entered. There will be visitors in the tomb from Austria and the United States on Saturday.
If it stays fair on Saturday morning the sun will shine in the chamber for 17 minutes from 8.54am.
The event was first live-streamed during Covid-19 in 2020 and will continue to be live-streamed. It will be shown on the Office of Public Works website and YouTube channel, the Heritage Ireland website and on the RTÉ Player.
