Today is the winter solstice when the day is shortest and night longest ☀️🌖 It's been a significant point for peoples and cultures throughout history, with some seeing it mark the start of a new year. In the UK, Neolithic monuments, such as Orkney's Maeshowe and the Dorset Cursus, align with the day's solar movements. There are also many traditions and customs associated with the solstice and the wider midwinter period. Here one of the most familiar is the decking of spaces with nature's greenery. Although a pre-Christian practice, it received the blessing of Pope Gregory the Great and by the Middle Ages, churches across the country were full of holly and ivy come Christmas. So whatever you're doing today, take a moment to think of the longer days to come. It'll be Spring before you know it. Source: The Stations of the Sun by Ronald Hutton #wintersolstice #solstice #midwinter #sunrise