December twenty-first, the Winter Solstice. (The point along the Earth’s annual solar orbit when the northern hemisphere is at its furthest point from the sun). The last harvest of the year is celebrated shortly before the Winter Solstice. In ancient times people would feast knowing the months ahead would be dark, hungry times when sickness spread quickly. The cycle of winter’s death forever yielding new life in spring’s rebirth is represented by the ouroboros symbol showing a serpent consuming its own tail. (The word's origins are Greek: oura, meaning "tail" and boros meaning "eating," form "he who eats the tail.")