John Donne A nocturnall on St Lucies day, Being the shortest day
Soon it will be the ‘yeares midnight’ again. For our ancestors this was a time of mystery and fear as the days got darker and darker and the sun sank lower in the sky. They worried that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and cold. Many of the traditions and symbols of this time of year, like the holly and the ivy, mistletoe, and the Christmas tree, are remnants of pagan rituals to appease the gods and persuade them to return light and warmth to the earth. Of course we now know that there is a simple scientific reason for the seasons. The earth tilts slightly on its axis like a spinning top fixed in an off-balance position so that …