Winter Solstice

In keeping with the Irish-based content this last week, here’s a post I do every winter solstice.

Today is the winter solstice which makes me think of a lot of things – the winter solstice parties we had in college and stuff like that, but mainly it makes me think of Newgrange, a place I have been to numerous times (I have a picture on my fridge of me and Jean at Newgrange – taken by Siobhan). I wrote a little piece on what it’s like to go on a tour there.

The whole “winter solstice event” at Newgrange is something I have always wanted to do – even though it’s nigh on impossible to get a ticket, and you have to do a “solstice draw”, like a lottery – to see if you’ll be able to be one of the lucky few. And of course since it’s Ireland in December, there is no guarantee that there will even be sun on that day. But when there is? Magic. Goosebump-magic.

On the tour of Newgrange, when you are in the inner chamber, they turn off all the lights – and do a recreation of what it would look like if you were there on the sunrise at winter solstice. But to see it with the actual sun? As the people who built the mysterious structure would have seen it? Now that would be something.

Newgrange is a passage tomb north of Dublin. There are quite a few other passage tombs up there, but Newgrange is the biggest and most famous. You’ve probably seen photos of the rocks inside that are covered with spirals. Who knows why these ancient people were into spirals – but it’s psychedelic and arresting to see. The spirals are everywhere. You go into the inner chamber via a small narrow passageway – with earthen floor – and the path gently slopes up (a very important element in the winter solstice miracle. The mathematical and astronomical sophistication of the ancients is something to stand in awe before.) So what happened on the winter solstice is: when you are inside the inner chamber (and there are indentations all around – with big scooped-out spaces – nobody knows what was done there – were they graves of important community members? Nobody knows) – But anyway, it’s pitch black in there. And on the winter solstice, when the sun rises (and it’s not a rainy or misty day, etc.) – slow rays of light creep thru the open passage door – and crawl up the path (if the path were not on an incline, this miracle would not work) – and then when the rays reach the inner chamber, the whole thing is FLOODED with light. Light literally pours into the darkness. It pours UP the path, ray by ray … and then reaches the inner chamber and everything bursts into visibility. How did they know? Why did they build it? What were they doing? It’s an amazing place. Being at Newgrange is like being in the presence of the Pyramids or Stone henge or any of those other monolithic structures filled with sophistication and symbols and ancient wisdom … and to see the rays of sun slowly illuminate the entire chamber, hidden deep within the earth … Just makes you feel all humble and awestruck and quiet.

And every winter solstice crowds of people gather at Newgrange – from all over the world. Only a lucky few get spots in the inner chamber – where you can probably fit 15 people, maybe 20. You have to draw slots – and there are waiting lists of years to get those spots. But many people just camp out on the chilly grass in front of the passage tomb, to watch the sun rise from there. How amazing it would be, though, to be one of the folks inside. To watch the sun fill up the earthen chamber … just like the ancients did. Must be amazing!

Happy solstice everyone!

And here are 101 facts about Newgrange.