Today we hear from Francine, our Cultural Park Keeper, who invites you to join us for a Meditation in Nature session on the Winter Solstice. Book your place now!

This year on Saturday 21 December at precisely 09:19am the winter solstice takes place. The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin solstitium, meaning ‘sun standing still’, and is related to the position of sunset and sunrise on the horizon.

Also known by several other names, the darkest day, Midwinter, the Shortest Day, the Longest Night, the winter season officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere on the day that gets the least amount of daylight. In the days of old, before any modern technology existed, through folk tales and cultural beliefs, people thought that the lack of sunlight during the solstice was caused by monsters who had stolen the sun away. Whilst other cultures believed that this day was an opportunity to create light and goodness in the face of darkness and evil.

Frequently associated with the earth’s rebirth, many cultural festivals around this time such as the Pakistani Festival of Chaomos or the pagan Scandinavian Feast of Juul are all associated with lighting up the darkness, bringing a new year of life and growth.

Join us here at the Whitworth as we celebrate the arrival of winter with our NCHS: Meditation in Nature: Winter Solstice session. As the days draw in and the light begins to dim, we can often feel a bit lost, restless and lacking in energy. We will embrace this change by focusing on restorative and nourishing nature connection and mindfulness practices that can help us feel more connected and in tune with the changing season. No mindfulness experience needed. Wrap up warm and let’s welcome winter together. This session is delivered by our Natural and Cultural Health Service Partner, Lilasuri (Claire) Morris from Wild Awake Mindfulness.

To attend, please arrive no later than 11am and head to our park side entrance.

Book your place through our Eventbrite now!

Happy solstice,

Francine