At the appointed time a lone bag piper made his way down the path to the sundial on the Silver Strand. Toasts were raised. Liza Butler lit two candles. One was for “those who have gone” and the second for “those who are to come.” She then read a passage from naturalist Rachael Carson’s “Silent Spring.”
“Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature. The assurance that dawn comes after the night and spring after winter.”
Bagpiper Larry Samuels played three tunes – “Mist of Time,” “All Those Enduring Young Charms” and “Fields of Athenry,” just as darkness fell.
All events were in celebration of the winter solstice, December 21st. The exact moment when one solar year ends and another begins.
For close to 20 years people have gathered at the sundial on Nature’s Bridge to Discovery to welcome winter on the shortest day of the year. “Over the years attendance has waxed and waned,” said Phil Monroe. “We’ve had as many as 50 and as few as 10.” A lot depends on the day of the week the solstice falls on, and the weather.
Last year when it fell on a Sunday and the late evening was balmy, over 50 people came. This year, Monday was cold and blustery, but more than 30 people, including City Manager Blair King and Cliff Maurer, Director of Public Services and Engineering, attended. It was Maurer’s second solstice celebration, King’s first.
King said that he had wanted to come for some time. This year all the forces lined up and he was able to get away to experience what he had been hearing about for years.
“I looked at my calendar and no one was in my office, so I came over,” he said. “It’s a fun event and a reminder that from now on every day will be longer.”
The winter solstice marks the shortest, darkest day of the year. After it passes, the days get longer and brighter.
Monroe welcomed everyone by talking about the bridge’s history, its native plants, and places to explore, learn or simply contemplate the wonders of nature.
The sunset hid behind a bank of clouds hugging the horizon. But the last ray of sunlight hit the sundial exactly at the winter solstice line as it does every year, marking the first day of winter.
Druid David Shorey and his friends came simply to watch the sunset for the Solstice. In recent years modern-day druids have helped popularize solstice celebrations in the United Kingdom and North America.
He read “Winter’s Cloak,” a poem by Joyce Rupp that ends:
Let me seek solace in the empty places of winter’s passage.
Those vast dark nights that never fail to shelter me.
For some it was a way to connect with loved ones. Jessica Lee’s grandmother Shirley Kriet used to come to the sundial to celebrate her wedding anniversary. She and her husband David came this year to celebrate in her stead. Kriet died last January.
Kim Parsons and her son Austin came all the way from Denver for their first Winter Solstice celebration. They were in town to visit her parents who have been in poor health. Her dad Dick Bey was one of the founders and could not attend this year.
“I had been hearing about this for years and had always wanted to experience it,” she said.
Although solstice celebrations have been taking place for close to two decades (there is a Summer Solstice event every year on June 21 as well), not everyone finds the time, especially during the holidays, to attend.
“To gather like this, one usually has a spiritual self and a sense of wonder and a capacity for reflection,” Butler said.
The celebration also holds something for those not spiritually inclined. For them, “there is that surrounding, ever changing sky, with all the colors and clouds. Not often do we take the time to stand still and look around at such magnificence,” Butler added.
While the organizers all live in the Cays, “It has never been a Cays event,” Butler said. It’s always been a low key, homegrown event with people bringing bottles of wine and sweet and savory snacks for people to share, but it’s somehow magical.
Newcomer Shorey called it a “wonderful community gathering.” He thanked the organizers “who contributed their time to making it magical.”
