Once upon a time, there was an idea that people would have a certain number of free days in a year and they could choose to celebrate whatever and use those days for their celebration. The idea was that that would allow everyone to celebrate their holidays and it would be fair to every religion etc… I would be in favour of that for sure (I would never choose my holidays on a Saturday or Sunday:D) – although I like the holidays as they are as well:). But that got me thinking – what would I/we celebrate if there was no “cultural mandate”? We discussed it with my alpha male (wanna hear where that nickname comes from?) and settled down onto solstice and equinox. Probably because we are biologists and this decision was nature-driven…
But even as a working day – I love winter solstice – which is strange because I’m not a winter fan by any stretch of the imagination! But I love solstice – it’s the darkest day alright – but IT’S GETTING BETTER! I can endure the dark time when the dark is getting lighter every day;). I’ve always been like that – kinda optimistic;). So we usually celebrate it a little bit:). It started just with the dessert and grew organically…
We always bake yule’s log (because any reason for a chocolate dessert is a very good reason for a chocolate dessert;) – that’s our family motto…) but sometimes we also bake a sun bread – as it’s sometimes done in Scandinavia. It is rye-wheat bread with caraway that is shaped like a sun (sorry, I never took pictures or I just can’t find them).
Of course, as you probably have figured out by now, all traditions around Christmas derive from pagan traditions and solstice in particular! It is one of the oldest recorded winter holidays in history. In light of starving people freezing in shelters, man can easily imagine why the welcoming back of the sun would be important… So they decorated and burned logs in an open fire (Yule’s log now transformed into a dessert), they hunted down and baked a wild boar that was sacrificed to Yule (and then eaten) which is the precursor of our Christmas ham,…
Today we are shielded from the cold and hunger, for the most part (at least people reading this blog, I imagine) but solstice is still magical in a way… Modern pagan celebrations usually include spending time in nature, crafting an evergreen wreath, exchanging nature-themed gifts and of course candles and burning of incense if bonfires are not accessible… Sometimes people still also make spirals from greenery that I wrote about here (otherwise old german tradition).
On the other side of the ocean, Hopi and Zuni Native American tribes celebrate the winter solstice on the 22nd of December to lure back the sun god who travelled away. The celebration lasts for 16 days for the Hopi and ends on the 22nd that is also the start of the new cycle on the Wheel of the year. The feast includes masks and costumes of Kachina spirits and performed dances. Kids get gifts, usually dolls that represent the Kachina spirit.
Winter has always been seen as a time for renewal and introspection, for making plans and resting before the busy spring… As the festive season comes to an end, we make plans for the future. If we’re lucky, we slip into the covers with a tea and a notebook and plan away… I’ll tell you more about that in January – because you’ll be too busy with the holidays in December;). So stay tuned:).
Very Arty Fairy 