Tuesday, December 21 is the Winter Solstice if you are in the Northern Hemisphere and the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere. On the Winter Solstice, we observe a Germanic holiday that pre-dates the Christmas holiday by thousands of years – YULE. Yule celebrates the wheel of the year with bonfires, decorations of holly, mistletoe, and boughs of evergreen trees (sound like Christmas?). There are also feasts and gift-giving. This is a celebration of the rebirth of the sun and the light that it brings to the Earth (remember from here on it starts to get lighter every day until Summer Solstice in the north).
It is interesting to look at the similarities between Yule and the Christmas traditions:
- The midwinter feast lasts for 12 days
- Vikings decorated evergreen trees with gifts
- Mistletoe was believed to have healing powers (kiss kiss)
- In the Norse tradition, Old Man Winter visited homes to join the festivities. The Viking god, Odin, was described as a wanderer with a long white beard. He is considered the first Father Christmas.
- Viking children left their shoes out by the hearth on the eve of the winter solstice with sugar and hay for Odin’s 8-legged horse, Sleipnir.
Whatever you celebrate – have a wonderful time doing it!
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, solstice, Winter solstice, Yule
On the shortest day of the year, may you find light in the joy of the season!
Did you know that the ‘Christmas Star,’ the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, will be visible tonight (Dec 21). It has been 800 years since this happened. Maybe tonight will bring a miracle full of peace, health, and healing to the world. I can dream, right!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: christmas star, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, solstice, Winter solstice
Summer time, summer time, sum sum summer time. Summer time and the living is easy. Have a wonderful day whichever way your solstice takes you. Summer or Fall, we love them all.
This is a Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop. Thanks to BlogPaws for the hop. Head over there and see what they are blogging about.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Best Friends, Blog, blog hop, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, postaday, solstice, Summer, Wordless Wednesday
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Cat, Chihuahua, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, multi animal household, Mutts, pet blog, Plott Hound, pomeranian, postaday, Sheltie, solstice
On the shortest day of the year, may you find light in the joy of the season!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, blog hop, cute dogs, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday, solstice
We love to celebrate the first day of summer with a nice long walk. 
We hope that you are enjoying your day, whatever you are doing and wherever you are.
Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. What are you going to do with the extra hours of light?
Have a wonderful Sunday!
This is part of the Black and White Sunday Blog Hop. Thanks to Dachshund Nola and Sugar for hosting.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Animal, animals, Black and White Sunday, blog hop, dog, dog blog, Dog People, Dogs, Pet, pets, postaday, solstice, Summer, summer solstice
DogDaz Zoo 
