Winter officially began this week. I like to be the optimist by saying every day now is getting longer. Daylight length is important to all living creatures. Many people have severe mood changes during the Christmas season. They may sleep too much and have little energy. They may feel miserable for no apparent reason. Their bodily rhythm is out of balance. These problems could be caused by the shorter days of winter.
Plants have their own built-in light timers. The amount of light and darkness a plant gets each day is called the photoperiod, and it influences many activities in plants including growth, seed germination and flowering.
Winter begins
The sun is now the farthest distance from the equator. From now on, daylight gradually gets longer until June 21, the longest day of the year. Light was very important to early agricultural peoples. There was a fear that the sun would disappear forever unless certain rituals were performed. People of ancient Rome had a celebration called Saturnalia, which began on Dec. 17 and lasted seven days. The festival was named in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture, from whose name we get Saturday. There were processions through the streets. Candles were lit to symbolize the rebirth of the year. Houses were decorated with greenery. Presents were exchanged.
Many of these customs have influenced the way we celebrate this time of year.