[lojban-beginners] Re: Seasons' Greetings

[Travis Garris <thgarris@nc.rr.com>]

Li,

The problem is, it is only the shortest day of the year in the northern 
hemisphere.  It is the longest day of the year in the southern 
hemisphere.  The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is the 
summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.

I was orginally asking regardless of clutural neutrality.  True, I'm not 
a Christian, and as such, don't celebrate Christmas in the tuest since. 
 But I am American, and I am a relatively new father, so I must admit, 
Christmas is so much fun.  So, how would you say "Happy Christ's 
Birthday" literally, in Lojban?

As to the winter solstice... I simply call it the new year.  So, on the 
22nd, I wish everyone a happy new year.  Mind you, I'm in the northern 
hemisphere, and I don't expect people in the southern hemisphere to care 
when my new year is.  But, as you can tell, the common calendar has not 
been updated (January 1 used to be the winter solstice, as did Christmas 
day, but there is something call Progression of the Equinoxes, yadda yadda).

To correctly address the solstices and not cause confusion between 
northerns and southerns, you refer to the solstices by the sun sign they 
are in, and hence the latitude line.  The northern winter solstice (and 
southern summer solstice) is the Solstice of Capricorn.  The northern 
summer solstice is the Solstice of Cancer.  I would assume the 
conversion to Lojban would be simple, just keep the sun signs as cneme. 
 You could also say 'solstice australis' and 'solstice borealis', but 
you are borrowing words from another language you simply say 'northern' 
and 'southern'.  The only advantage over the star signs is, star signs 
aren't universal, they are particular to our solar system and are apt to 
change over the eons (as has polaris borealis).

To keep it simple, just say northern and southern solstice, which 
probably translates quite easily.

-Travis


LordDraqo@aol.com wrote:

> Coi;
>       Perhaps "lesser solstice" as the Winter Solstice is the shortest 
> day of the year?
>
> Mo'i
> Li