Winter Solstice has finally arrived in the northern hemisphere which is also known as “Mid-Winter”. A time that signals total hibernation and more dark days but there is also great significance and huge celebration. This is a time when the Sun finally returns in hopes of longer days of light and warmer temperatures in the months to come.
December 21 marks the shortest day of the and the longest night. Our ancestors built Stonehenge and Machu Picchu to track the Sun’s annual path. Today, it’s significance remains the same signalling the seasonal shift. After the Winter Solstice, the days gradually get longer bit by bit and the nights get shorter. For all creatures on this planet, the more Sun and warmth is felt, more growth takes place.
There have always been Winter Solstice celebrations pre-dating the Christian celebration of Christmas. In Pagan traditions, pine trees would be decorated with lights and treasures symbolising the Sun, Moon & Stars which were sacred in Pagan faith. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, a “Yule log” was lit to celebrate the return of the sun. In ancient Rome, a feast was had to celebrate Saturn. This was one last celebration before the coldest temperatures set in, the last of the cattle herd would be slaughtered. the final batches of wine and beer would be ready for drinking and the last haul of wood was tucked away leaving a few logs to host bonfires for the communities to enjoy together before they closed their doors for a few months. In Celtic tradition, the last of the of the Mistletoe would be cut from the sacred Great Oaks and shared to symbolise life during the dark seasonal times.
Using some of these ideas for your own Winter Solstice celebrations can take the awful commercialism away from this time of year that can bring it’s own type of darkness for a lot of people. This can be an opportunity to bring some “calm” to an otherwise crazy ass time of year. A walk outside to collect a few logs, pine branches that have fallen, pine cones and anything else that can be used for your own celebration, can be an awesome afternoon. Follow this up with crafting a “Yule Log” to burn, a “Yule Plate” to keep on your table for the season and anything left over can decorate your space.
I am slowly transitioning my lill family back to a simpler way of enjoying some of these “overblown” holidays. I love showing my kids that there are other ways, old ways of celebrating certain times of the year. Not everything needs to be manufactured or purchased from large retailers and the Winter Solstice is a perfect lesson. I love that it’s right before Christmas so the kids are open to new & different ways to getting festive. We as a family LOVE fires so a big Winter Solstice fire is always on the agenda with some mulled wine for the big kids and of course hot chocolate for the littles. Burning the decorated Yule Log is a symbol of thanks for what we were given and what we are yet to receive in the warmer months. We are still stuck to the Christmas celebration of today but if we can get some very traditional times in, it makes my heart full.
No matter how you intend to celebrate or if this is the first time you are even considering December 21st as any kind of day to note, know that there are thousands of generations of the past that Winter Solstice was the “OG” of the seasons celebrations and is starting to make a real come back. Setting the intention to acknowledge this special day is sometimes celebration enough. Taking the time out to appreciate how the returning Sun sparkles on the snow is MAGIC that a factory nor human can create. xo
