Solstice -

Winter Solstice: Stories and Traditions From Around the World

: The Oak King defeats the Holly King, allowing the days to lengthen again. Solstice

The word comes from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still), a literal description of how the sun appears to pause in its seasonal movement before reversing direction. Throughout human history, these two points in the year—the shortest day (winter) and the longest day (summer)—have been steeped in myths of light battling darkness, divine rebirth, and ancestral survival. The Battle for the Light Winter Solstice: Stories and Traditions From Around the