This Month’s Featured Article

December can feel so dominated by the “big” holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa that the Winter Solstice, which occurs on the 21st or 22nd, depending on the year, is often overlooked. In its profoundly beautiful way, though, it’s a day worth celebrating. The folks at Olana State Historic Site in Hudson, NY, have an especially celebratory and special event planned. How fortunate that this year the actual solstice falls on December 21, which is a Saturday. Put this event on your calendar.

What is the Winter Solstice?

The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. It’s officially the astronomical and meteorological first day of winter. “Solstice,” in Latin, translates to “sun stands still.” For most of us the best news about the Winter Solstice is that the days start to get longer immediately after – though this happens oh so slowly, until, at the Summer Solstice, six months later, we have the longest day of the year.

The reason Winter Solstice is the shortest day is because it marks the exact moment that the earth is tilted in such a way that half of it is at its farthest point from the sun. Essentially, tilted this way, the earth is getting the least amount of daytime light, which contributes to the shortness of the day.

Another fun fact of the Winter Solstice is that, if it’s a sunny day, at noon your shadow will be the longest you will cast in front of yourself all year. This also has to do with the tilt of the planet. During winter in the Northern Hemisphere, the North Pole is tilted away from the sun, creating a low arc between sunrise in the east and sunset in the west. The low arc contributes to the long shadows.

Solstice at Olana

Olana State Historic Site is the once home and property of Frederic Church and his family. Church is considered the father of the Hudson River School of painting. In his twenties, he studied with landscape painter Thomas Cole, who lived along the Hudson River in Catskill, so he was exposed to the beauty of the area. He went on to travel extensively, but returned to this piece of paradise on the upper Hudson River and purchased the property that is now Olana in 1860. Church and his wife were avid travelers even after they bought the property and established the farm, and travel time and some personal tragedies took them away from it through the 1860s. But the farm was there, waiting.

In 1869 they decided it was where they wanted to be more permanently, and they began working with an architect to build the distinctive house that is preserved there today. The family moved in in 1872, but work continued on its many decorative elements. One of the most striking features is the bell tower with the easterly view of the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains.

How did it come to be called Olana and not “the farm”? According to records kept by the Olana State Historic Site, “The name Olana first appeared written ‘Olâna’ as the heading of a letter written by Isabel Church. A contemporary newspaper article credited her as the originator of the name, explained as ‘the old Latin name for a place in Persia, to which the artist’s home bears some resemblance in situation.’ Scholars have linked the name to a translated volume of Strabo’s Geographica, a Christmas gift from Isabel to Frederic in 1879. Strabo’s publication describes the geography of the Roman Empire and references the city ‘Olane,’ as one of the ‘treasure-storehouses’ on the Araxes River, which offered a view of Mount Ararat, where Noah’s ark was said to rest. It is likely that the Churches appreciated the associations this name had to their own Persian-inspired stone ‘fortress’ situated high above the Hudson River with majestic views west to America’s promised land.”

The views are unparalleled even now; one can only imagine what they were like over 150 years ago.

Church took in the landscape by day, and also studied the stars at night. Light was something he took in with a painterly eye and a sense of wonder. It was something he experienced in places around the world, so he was sensitive to its influence on place.

“Church often incorporated natural phenomena into his work,” said Carolyn Keogh, director of education and public programs, “including cloud formations, meteors, and observations he gleaned from looking upwards at the sky.” It seems highly likely that for Church, the Winter Solstice – the shortest day of the year and the arrival of winter – was an especially meaningful day.

The Winter Solstice event

Carolyn is the one who put together this year’s program for the solstice event. The theme is looking to the sky. It takes place from 1 to 5pm on Saturday, December 21.

“Since the event is happening on the Winter Solstice this year,” Carolyn said, “‘looking to the sky’ seemed the perfect theme. We’re partnering with the Mid-Hudson Astronomical Association,” she added, who will have amateur astronomers on hand with three special telescopes for people to use throughout the event. “We want to encourage participants to observe the sky like Frederic Church did,” she added, “it’s an opportunity for visitors to learn more about the sun during this key moment of seasonal change and the welcoming of winter.”

Also in attendance will be Derek James Smith, CCHT, of Constellation in Catskill. At 1pm he will discuss astrology in general and, using Church’s natal chart, explore the role of astrology in Church’s life. Derek was born in Albany, grew up in Ghent, traveled extensively after college, and now has his business, Constellation, in Catskill, so Olana has been ever-present in his life. CCHT stands for Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, and Derek is also an astrologer, tarot card reader, and creative consultant. He’ll be offering interactive astrological readings to visitors from 2 to 5pm. “Derek’s astrological readings can provide a new way to connect to Frederic Church and the history of Olana,” Carolyn noted.

An extra-special attraction for kids is Hank, a miniature donkey. He’s as cute as they come. Hank comes up from his home at Hope Farm in Saugerties, a farm animal rescue organization.

The Solstice event will take place rain or shine and there is no charge to attend. A bonfire will be provided by Olana’s partner and event collaborator, the New York Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation; there will be games and activities relating to looking at the sky; hot beverages for sale from the Catskill business Citiot; and a DJ will spin family-friendly tunes. It’s going to be a very special day, and one that will mark the Winter Solstice as forever extra-special in your life.

Enjoy Olana year-round – wintertime, too

Visitors are welcome on the grounds of Olana every day from 8am to sunset, and it is a favorite spot for hiking and drawing and contemplation. Tours of the house are held regularly in the season and monthly in the off-season. Follow Olana on social media or go to the website for the most current information.

While the Winter Solstice event is extra-special, Olana offers programs and events throughout the winter. They include:

• Artmaking in the Afternoon – a program on the third Saturday of each month that’s free and open to all ages. It’s held in the Wagon House Education Center from 1 to 4pm.
• New York State’s First Day Hike – a New Year’s Day celebration to take in the beauty of Olana on the first of the year.
• Programs around the new exhibition, “A Closer Look,” which will explore works of art from the collection through conversations with experts in diverse fields. “This program affords the opportunity to engage in dialogue around a work of art and spend extended time with some of Church’s paintings and studies,” Carolyn said. “Each month we’ll have a different rotation of paintings,” she said.

On view at the Solstice event will be Church’s ‘Aurora Borealis,’ (1865-66), a painting considered an American national treasure. As you take in its beauty, and the glory of all of Olana, you may hear Church’s words in your ear: “Nature has been very lavish here in the gift of her beauty – I am sure you would enjoy the noble scenes which our windows command.” Even on the shortest day of the year.

Photos courtesy of The Olana Partnership. Cover photo by Mark Prezorski.