Winter solstice celebration in Dallas ends 20-year run

The Mayan calendar didn't actually end on this winter solstice, but a Dallas tradition did: The elaborate yearly celebration run by Amy Martin concluded a 20-year run. About 900 participants, volunteers and performers packed the Cathedral of Hope on

Click through to see photos of Winter Solstice celebrations: In 2012, the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere will occur on Dec. 21, 2012 at 6:12 a.m..

Each year after on the Winter Solstice or close to it, boating and sailing enthusiasts get together to celebrate with a big chili cook-off they call the "Bottom of the Pit" party, meaning the sun has reached its lowest point in the sky and will work

One calendar cycle comes to an end today as another begins. This magical moment is the December solstice, when the Sun stands farthest south in the sky for the entire year. It marks the end of autumn and beginning of

Park volunteer Anne Moore leads a tour through the Muir Woods during the Muir Woods' Winter Solstice celebration in Mill Valley, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. For the first time in 30 years the program celebrated the shortest day of the year instead