By 5:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21 — the shortest day of the year, sunlight-wise — people waited in shadowed groups to get inside Mission San Juan Bautista to witness the shaft of light that would beam down the center of the aisle to the altar.
It was the 19th such celebration of Solstice, the shortest and darkest day of the year, at the Mission, which was built in 1797.
As more people, from near and far away, joined the waiting crowd, some with flashlights, they gathered in welcoming clusters. One hardy group, bundled up in warm coats, hats and gloves, left Modesto at 3:30 a.m. to experience the light.
A man from Aromas said he has been coming to the Mission to celebrate Solstice for 10 years, with five of those being successful in experiencing the light. “Everything depends on the weather,” he said.
The crowd grew larger, as the sun crawled up through some of the clouds, and the doors opened at 7:15 a.m. By then, the faithful were clearly seen, as the rising sun erased the dark of night from the faces of those who waited.
Before the doors opened, a man and woman came forward, welcomed the crowd, and began a celebration with a drum, maracas and burnt sage.
“The sage takes away the negative,” said the man with the drum, as another woman let the smoke fall over those who desired it.
“Pray for your family for those who are alive or for those facing the end of life,” said the welcoming woman said, who previously told the crowd it was her birthday.
Another woman quietly asserted it marked her third year of sobriety.
The doors opened and one woman started to shut the door, but was stopped by someone else.
It was learned later they were both right, in a way. It was too early for the shaft of light that shines down from the window and points to the altar on this day. That can occur later when the door is shut, depending on the sun.
No one could be disappointed as sunlight did stream down the aisle, and shown brilliantly on the Nativity at the altar, where folks took turns bathing in the light at the altar, before walking back down the aisle.
According to what is written by Reuben G. Mendoza, professor in the division of global studies at California State University Monterey Bay, the light from the window was first discovered in 1997 by the pastor, when he let folks into the sanctuary early one morning. That began the annual Solstice celebration at the Mission.
“Largely unknown for centuries, this recent discovery has sparked international interett in both religious and scientific circles,” Medoza wrote on Facebook. “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.”
“These events offer us insights into archaeology, cosmology and Spanish colonial history,” Mendoza said. “As our own December holidays approach, they demonstrate the power of our instincts to guide us through the darkness toward the light.
“California Indians counted the phases of the moon and the dawning of both the equinox and solstice suns in order to anticipate seasonally available wild plants and animals. For agricultural peoples, counting days between the solstice and equinox was all-important to scheduling the planting and harvesting of crops. In this way, the light of the sun was identified with plant growth, the creator and thereby the giver of life” ,states Mendoza.
At the end of the morning sunlight experience, people were leaving the sanctuary by 7:45 a.m., and a few met up at the San Juan Bakery and Grocery for coffee and a pastry. They shared what the early morning experience meant to them.
One man summed up the early morning event by saying, “There was Gregorian chanting, native drums and song, a bit of Shamanism, and even a standard, church song. There was something for everyone,” he said.
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