Longer Days Ahead

Posted on December 21, 2020 by vanbraman

Today was the shortest day of the year and marks the official beginning of winter. After Thanksgiving I always look forward to the winter solstice as the length of days are gradually shortening.

Wall Art, Four Seasons, Street Art, MuralOf course, the solstice is the official start of winter but depending on where you live it usually feels like winter much sooner. Especially if you live in an area where it snows.

River reflections, Saale River, Jena, GermanyIt is nice to have a time of year when the trees are bare and there is a great opportunity for interesting reflection pictures of the trees in water. The picture above is from near our office in Jena, Germany.

If I am in Germany during December I only get about 8 hours from sunrise to sunset. Here we have about 9 and a half hours.

Fog, Trees in Fog, Driving in FogToday was also foggy which made the day seem shorter as it was darker than usual.

Glasgow Scotland, Rainy Day, Scotland country road I have also been remembering the winter solstice from five years ago. I was in Glasgow, Scotland and experienced my shortest day ever. However, it was A Long Shortest Day as I had a packed schedule. That day had less than seven hours of daylight and was also cold and rainy

Of course, there are many people who live far enough north that their shortest days have no daylight at all.

silhouettes, Singapore, beach, palm tree, sunsetI am also thinking of colleagues that live in Singapore as they will only have 12 hours and 3 minutes of daylight today. I am sure that they will not notice the difference as this is only 9 minutes less than what they have on the day of the summer solstice.

I am definitely looking forward to longer days as it will make sheltering in place more bearable. I am working during most of the daylight hours and the evenings are so dark.

Steven

 

 

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Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem

Posted on December 20, 2020 by vanbraman

Tours of Jerusalem will often make a stop at the Church of Saint Anne.

church of saint Anne, Jerusalem, Mary, Anne, Joachim, The Romanesque style church was built in the 1130’s near the remains of the Pools of Bethesda.

Church of St. Anne, Jerusalem, Crusader churchMany singing groups visit the Church of Saint Anne as it has very good acoustics. I have sung there a few times and there are a few videos floating around on the internet of me singing with a group.

church of saint Anne, Jerusalem, Mary, Anne, Joachim,What many people do not realize is that the church was built on top of a grotto that according to tradition was the home of Anne and Joachim.

Who are Anne and Joachim? According to early traditions they were the parents of Mary the mother of Jesus. However, they are not mentioned in the Bible.

Of course, this is the Anne that the church was named for.

Above you can see the steps leading down into the grotto.

church of saint Anne, Jerusalem, Mary, Anne, Joachim,At the top of the stairs leading down to the grotto there is a sign making the claim that it is the Birthplace of Our Lady. There is also another nearby site that makes the same claim.

church of saint Anne, Jerusalem, Mary, Anne, Joachim,There are some interesting works of art in the grotto that show the birth of Mary.

church of saint Anne, Jerusalem, Mary, Anne, Joachim,In this picture you can see the remains of the grotto along with a newer wall that is covered with art.

It was interesting to see people prostrating themselves in front of these pictures.

The church building belongs to the French Roman Catholic Church and this can be seen in the way the building is decorated and furnished. Also, in the worship rituals that are performed throughout the day.

I hope to visit there again in the future as it is wonderful to sing in the church building.

Steven

 

 

 

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