So the middle of summer becomes the dog days. Sirius is the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major, or the Big Dog, and is known as the Dog Star. For example, did you ever wonder why the hot humid days of July and August still sometimes are called " the dog days?" Ancient peoples by their observations were able to realize that the star we call Sirius, which is at its highest point in the sky in the middle of the night in the middle of winter, is at its highest point in the sky in the middle of the day in summer. Some of that awareness lives on in popular expressions and mythology. They were your almanac, your seasonal calendar. Such movements were necessary signs of the changing of the seasons, of when to plant, when to reap, when game would be plentiful, and so on. Until relatively recently, people were much more aware of the movements of the Sun and Moon and stars than we are now unless you are either a dedicated stargazer or an astronomer. Now that half of you are smirking and the rest are composing nasty emails, I'll explain. The season is because of astronomical patterns. Based on how we celebrate the season, based on how we - and by that I mean Americans and to a perhaps even greater extent Europeans - engage and embrace the season, the traditions we follow in our celebrations, Christmas is expressed in symbols such as Santa Claus, the Christmas tree, brightly-wrapped presents, candy canes, wreaths, and mistletoe.īecause you know those people who go around saying that "Jesus is the reason for the season?" He isn't. Right at the top, you have to realize something.
I'm going to give you a very brief history of Christmas - specifically, why it comes on December 25. Usually it's some cool science stuff, but this time it's some cool history stuff. So for the rest of the show we're going to go with our occasional feature, And Another Thing, where we step away from politics - or at least almost away - in favor of something else. And Another Thing: why Christmas is on December 25
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