Winter Solstice 2015

While we were sleeping last night, the Winter Solstice happened at precisely 11:48 Eastern Time. Last night was the night with the longest amount of darkness of the year. Today, days start getting longer and winter officially begins. The above photo was taken at the Solstice Celebration Lantern Walk in Hillsborough, NC this past Sunday evening. People came from miles around with handmade paper lanterns (with LED lights inside) to walk the mile + path along the Eno River.

Night photography is hard and the above photo does not even begin to reflect the beauty and diversity of the handmade paper lanterns. There were triangles, stars, moons, suns; lanterns on long sticks; lanterns with greenery; lanterns made from forming tissue paper around balloons, lanterns made by gluing paper snowflakes to plastic jars. The Lantern Walk, along the Eno River,  was such a family event spearheaded by The Hillsborough Arts Council. The idea was the brainchild of Eno Gallery owners Tinka Jordy and Mark Donley who outdid themselves with their paper-puppet lanterns. There was something magical about bringing in winter with a community walk, when the only lighting was supplied by the walkers themselves. The event started at 5:00pm and ended a little after 6:00 pm, on a Sunday night when there was to school the next day- just perfect for families with small children. Hopefully, this will be an annual event.

We propose a Winter Solstice Walk for Greensboro and will be happy to serve on the committee. Greensboro already has a fabulous Summer Solstice event. Who is ready to help us tackle old-man winter? (The photo above is a string of walkers at the mid-way point of the winding riverwalk; below, is a paper moon lantern with the actual moon in the background).

Comments

[Katja]

Love the idea of a winter solstice celebration in Greensboro!

[Greensboro Daily Photo]

Let's do it, Katja!

[William Kendall]

Very pretty light, Janis!