How the Sun Illuminates Spanish Missions On the Winter Solstice

[Judi Lynn]

Today, the rising sun shines on altars and other religious objects at many Spanish churches in the U.S. and Latin America





The 2007 midwinter solstice illumination of the main altar tabernacle of Old Mission San Juan Bautista, California. (Rubén G. Mendoza/Ancient Editions, CC BY-ND)
By Rubén G. Mendoza, The Conversation
SMITHSONIAN.COM
2 HOURS AGO


On Thursday, Dec. 21, nations in the Northern Hemisphere will mark the winter solstice – the shortest day and longest night of the year. For thousands of years people have marked this event with rituals and celebrations to signal the rebirth of the sun and its victory over darkness.

At hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of missions stretching from northern California to Peru, the winter solstice sun triggers an extraordinarily rare and fascinating event – something that I discovered by accident and first documented in one California church nearly 20 years ago.

At dawn on Dec. 21, a sunbeam enters each of these churches and bathes an important religious object, altar, crucifix or saint’s statue in brilliant light. On the darkest day of the year, these illuminations conveyed to native converts the rebirth of light, life and hope in the coming of the Messiah. Largely unknown for centuries, this recent discovery has sparked international interest in both religious and scientific circles. At missions that are documented illumination sites, congregants and Amerindian descendants now gather to honor the sun in the church on the holiest days of the Catholic liturgy with songs, chants and drumming.

I have since trekked vast stretches of the U.S. Southwest, Mexico and Central America to document astronomically and liturgically significant solar illuminations in mission churches. These events offer us insights into archaeology, cosmology and Spanish colonial history. As our own December holidays approach, they demonstrate the power of our instincts to guide us through the darkness toward the light.

Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-sun-illuminates-spanish-missions-on-winter-solstice-180967619/#HQdjU2xvsfowIgqI.99

[AllaN01Bear]

1. ohm myyyyyy!!

i wonder if anyone in the congregation noticed it besides the field photographer.

[RussBLib]

2. color me skeptical

Thousands of Spanish missions were built just so such that the sun on the Winter Solstice would shine brightly on some treasured object? As what? A nod to the pagans for stealing their holiday? A nose-thumbing to those same pagans, perhaps?

This one sounds like fake news to me.