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Winter solstice celebrated in the Okanagan

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Winter solstice celebrations in Kelowna
The winter solstice began at 2:23 p.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 In Kelowna, an ancient style structure hosted a unique gathering. Doris Maria Bregolisse reports – Dec 22, 2018

Those who dread the dark days of the cold season have a bit more hope following the winter solstice on Friday.

There will be a few more seconds of sunlight added to every day until the first day of summer.

Winter solstice celebrations welcome the sun back.

The owner of Kelowna’s Summerhill Pyramid Winery built a pyramid more than 20 years ago to host events on the dates of the equinox and the solstice.

This year’s gathering attracted dozens who listened to Stephen Cipes talk about sending out good vibes.

“To send forth peace and happiness and well-being and prosperity and wishes for a new season,” he said.

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Cipes believes the pyramid’s sacred geometry, built on principles surrounding the architecture of the Great Pyramids of Egypt, provide the opportunity to resonate their goodwill and “to be understood and heard through out the universe. There is no limitation.”

In Penticton, a group gathered at “Penhenge,” a standing stone array on Munson Mountain.

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Christ Purton, a retired scientist from the Dominion Radio Astrophysical Laboratory, designed the monument.

 

Astronomer Chris Purton explains the Munson Mountain standing stone array for the winter solstice and the equinox. Sally Kilburg/ Global Okanagan

The setting sun on winter solstice aligns to the heel stone of the four-stone array. Each stone represents an equinox or solstice.

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The gathering moved indoors to Township 7 Winery to talk about other northern hemisphere winter solstice celebrations, including the Santa Lucia Festival, a Scandinavian pageant that involves adorning young women with crowns of lit candles.

Margaret Holm explaining the significance of the Santa Lucia Festival of Lights at the Okanagan Centre of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (OCRASC) Winter Solstice Celebration held at Township 7 Winery. Sally Kilburg/ Global Okanagan

The solstice this year is within a day of the full moon, also known as the Cold Moon, a celestial event that hasn’t happened since 2010 and will not happen again until 2029.

The Cold Moon, nearly full on winter solstice, Dec. 21, 2018 in Kelowna, BC. Jeff Martin/ Global Okanagan

 

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