One of the things I
would love to see, but probably never will, is the midnight sun. If I
were to travel North to somewhere like Tromsø in Norway around the
middle of June, I could stand on the elegant bridge across the
Tromsøysundet Strait and watch the sun set over the water, then
around midnight it would hover briefly just above the horizon before
ascending once again to start the new day.
Of course what goes
up must come down, and every year around Christmas time, the sun
never quite manages to rise as far as the horizon. The sky begins to
lighten around midday but then darkens once more and falls back into
night. In Tromsø it requires a special kind of courage and endurance
to keep your spirits as Winter approaches. The days get shorter,
darker and colder and then disappear altogether into perpetual night.
You need to stay strong to survive, but each year some inhabitants
find they no longer have that strength; that is why there is a tall
fence along the Tromsø bridge.
That is also why all
over the world above the Tropic of Cancer, around the middle of
December, there are festivals of light: Christmas, Saturnalia, St
Nicholas Day, Saint Lucia, Hanukkah, Yule. We need the reassurance of
good company, laughter, food, bright colours and light. Some
authorities call it a superstitious attempt to rekindle the sun, but
that is just a metaphor. We are really keeping the light alive in us.
Spare a thought for
those who are alone this Christmas, those whose light has been taken
away, whose loved one has died, those who find no joy in the tinsel
and glitter. For some, Christmas simply adds insult to injury.
For the twelve days
of Christmas the year holds its breath, the days refuse to lengthen,
but gradually at first, then faster and faster as we move towards
Spring, the light returns. For us too, in our lives, like a miracle
out of nowhere, after sorrow, we find peace. May the spirit of peace
bring light into your life this Christmas.
Just remember in the winter
Far beneath the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with the sun's love,
In the spring becomes the rose
The Rose, Amanda McBroom
No comments:
Post a Comment