ORONO – The University of Maine Maynard F. Jordan Planetarium in Wingate Hall will offer a new seasonal program premiering at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19. “Season of Light” is a one-hour presentation for the whole family, offered only once this month.

“Season of Light,” from Lochness Productions, is about the coldest and darkest of seasons – a season that holds some of the warmest and brightest celebrations of the year. It traces the development of many of the world’s endearing holiday customs and how they involve lighting up the winter season – from the burning Yule log and sparkling Christmas tree lights to the lighting of luminarias and the Hannukah Menorah.

The show also recounts the historical, religious and cultural rituals practiced during the time of winter solstice – Christian and Jewish, Celtic, Nordic, Roman, Irish, Mexican and Hopi. It also takes a look at some of the more light-hearted seasonal traditions – gift giving, kissing under the mistletoe, songs about lords a-leaping and ladies dancing and the custom of decking the halls with greenery and candles. St. Nicholas, Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas and Santa Claus drop by as well.

The show includes a few Northern winter constellations, and illustrates why we have seasons – demonstrating the sun’s path across the sky throughout the year, and the Earth’s tilt and orbit around the sun. In the last quarter of the show, the program explores the possible astronomical explanations for a star over Bethlehem – comets, meteors, novae, supernovae and planetary conjunctions.

To obtain more information, call Alan Davenport at the Jordan Planetarium, 581-1341.