DIANE'S CORNER ..
Every year, the Earth celebrates the summer solstice on the longest day and shortest night of the year, which officially kicks off the summer season. And this day actually occurs twice a year depending on its location: in the Northern Hemisphere, the solstice is usually celebrated on June 20th or 21st and, for the Southern Hemisphere, it usually falls on December 21st or 22nd. Throughout its long history, aside from marking the changing of seasons, the summer solstice has also meant different things in different cultures, but all of them have mostly agreed that it signified a period of renewal, growth, and plentiness since it was tied to agriculture and good fortune in general.
Why is the Summer Solstice the Longest Day of the Year?
The summer solstice is a natural astronomical event that happens when the Earth’s axial tilt is at its maximum inclination toward the sun (at around 23.44 degrees). Because of this position, the sun takes longer to travel through the sky and, for the people on Earth, it appears to be at its highest point in the sky.
Since the sun spends more time traveling across the heavens, this means that the day lasts longer, and in turn the night is shorter. This is because the tilt of the Earth’s axis causes different parts of the planet to receive varying amounts of sunlight as it orbits around the sun. The exact timing of the solstices can vary slightly from year to year due to the Earth’s elliptical orbit around the sun, but they generally occur around the same dates each year.
Likewise, as one hemisphere enters its summer months, the other is beginning the winter season, since the opposite pole is furthest away from the sun, therefore receiving less sunlight.
History of the Summer Solstice
Back to a time when there were no clocks or calendars, people from many cultures relied on the movements of the sun and the stars to keep track of time and calculate the beginning and the ending of the seasons. It was important to keep track of the skies and other astronomical events because they were useful to plan their daily lives around their crop cycles, such as harvest and planting seasons, as well as other economic and religious activities.
Some ancient cultures like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans considered the summer solstice as a time of fertility, abundance, and the renewal of life and celebrated it as such. For many of these cultures, the summer solstice was a day to pay tribute to the sun god or goddess in their religion’s pantheon. Such was the case with the Greeks, who also considered the solstice as the start of their calendar year, would honor Cronus, the patron of agriculture, through the festival of Kronia, while the Romans marked the occasion with a festival dedicated to Vesta, the goddess of the hearth and home. The ancient Egyptians, on the other hand, celebrated the solstice as the beginning of the Nile flood season, which was critical for agriculture in the region, and paid tribute to their sun god Ra.
The summer solstice is an important spiritual and cultural event in many indigenous cultures as well. Native American tribes in North America hold traditional ceremonies and dances during the summer solstice celebrations. Further to the south, the Inca people honored the sun god Inti with a 15-day festival called Inti Raymi, full of dances, ceremonies and sacrifices to the god.
In recent times, the summer solstice celebration became more commonly associated with magic, evil spirits and Paganism, while still keeping the tradition of worshiping the sun and doing bonfires and rituals to ensure good fortune.
thanks, Michele, Picture Coordinator
JOKE OF THE DAY thanks, Beth
high-octane
MEANING:adjective:
1. High-energy; powerful; dynamic.
2. In relation to engine fuels, having a high octane number resulting in anti-knock properties and higher efficiency.
ETYMOLOGY:Octane number is a measure of anti-knock properties of a fuel used in engines. A high octane number indicates greater resistance to engine knocking. The term octane refers to hydrocarbons with eight carbon atoms. Earliest documented use: 1931.
USAGE:“Mr. [Arthur] Hayes’s high-octane lifestyle certainly comes closest to that of the fictional British spy.”
Ride to Freedom; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 18, 2021.
"take me to my food" human that I own and control
1. High-energy; powerful; dynamic.
2. In relation to engine fuels, having a high octane number resulting in anti-knock properties and higher efficiency.
Ride to Freedom; The Economist (London, UK); Dec 18, 2021.
TODAY'S ARTIST thanks, Natalie
IDIOM OF THE DAY
What does 'button your lip' mean?
Meaning: If you button your lip, you keep quiet and don't speak. It is also used as a way of telling someone to shut up.
Meaning: If you button your lip, you keep quiet and don't speak. It is also used as a way of telling someone to shut up.
thanks, Patsy
thanks, Patsy
with the rain, the irises have bloomed along with the lupins
(Not So) TOTALLY USELESS FACTS OF THE DAY
Per NASA research, the ideal time for a 'power nap' is 10-20 minutes.
Researchers found something they call reminiscence bump, a period in the subjects' lives where music triggered strong feelings of nostalgia and other strong emotions and memories. This bump reached a peak with songs the subjects loved when they were 14-years-old.
Found in Southeast Asia, there are bananas that have a red peel. They are said to taste sweeter than the traditional banana.
he hates the floor because that's where he slipped as a puppy....YOUR CALL by Sylvia, CAN DO Correspondent
Coincidence
The crossword puzzle that gave away D-Day Invasion code words
Retired school teacher Leonard Dawes had been producing and compiling the crossword puzzle for London's Daily Telegraph newspaper for over twenty years, when in May 1944, it was discovered that he put together a series of puzzles that somehow managed to include the code names of two D-Day beach invasions that were to be carried out by the U.S – the Utah and Omaha. Within a two-week period, the crosswords also contained several other super secret code words like Juno, Overlord, Sword and Mulberry that nobody outside of General Eisenhower's staff was supposed to know. The MI5, Britain's counter-espionage service, assumed Dawes was a German agent and interrogated him, but released him a short time later once they became convinced the words were chosen randomly.
leaves me with questions, no?
no matter what happens with your days.....
PICTURES OF THE DAY
A collage of six mustard images: Seeds of the mustard plant (top left)
may be ground (top right) to make different kinds of mustard. The four
mustards pictured are a simple table mustard with turmeric coloring
(center left), a Bavarian sweet mustard (center right), a Dijon mustard
(lower left), and a rough French mustard made mainly from black
mustard seeds (lower right).
Swiss Alps
Yellow-billed choughs on the Alpstein Massif
Scharbeutz, northern Germany
Two young women ride their horses along the shore of the Baltic Sea
knitthanks, Charlotte
A collage of six mustard images: Seeds of the mustard plant (top left) may be ground (top right) to make different kinds of mustard. The four mustards pictured are a simple table mustard with turmeric coloring (center left), a Bavarian sweet mustard (center right), a Dijon mustard (lower left), and a rough French mustard made mainly from black mustard seeds (lower right). |
knit
knit
thanks, Rose
knit
knit
knit
puffins dancing around their little nest
KNIT PATTERNS OF THE DAY thanks, Valerie, Canadian Correspondent
knit
KNIT PATTERNS OF THE DAY
Cable Baby Blanket
she has mushrooms growing on her oak tree
crochetthanks, Clara
Summer Earrings
crochet
Aerial view of the Tantallon-Hammonds Plain fire (outside of Halifax)
PANTRY RECIPE thanks, Helen
CROCKPOT RECIPE thanks, Anita
Both vegetarian and vegan diets may provide health benefits, including reduced body weight, lower cholesterol levels, and decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it is important for vegetarians and vegans to ensure that they are meeting all of their nutritional requirements.
SWEETS RECIPE thanks, Mindy
ADULT COLORING
answer:
CHILDREN'S CORNER thanks, Kate
PUZZLE
WORD SEARCH
| averse baker conjunction counterpart crash cross daisy decree | enemy enthusiasm globe grove heresy ironic | lean lure mirage moat nadir never number | onerous opera plant realm resist rival safety streak | tact tasse tavern torsion tribulation tune vein waist |
SUDOKU .. hard
solution:
This week, Anne Frank would have been 94....
What Is Your Secret Talent?
QUOTE thanks, Michele
This important chart tells you how you can know when someone has spiked (or otherwise tampered with) your drink:
www.dianesdailycorner.blogspot.com
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