Wheel of the Year
Winter Solstice
In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter solstice is celebrated on 21st December. This is the time of the greatest darkness.
In the Summer Hemisphere, people celebrate Midsummer (the time of maximum light).
Yule
The solstice is the time of year when the earth’s poles are angled either away from or towards the sun at its maximum tilt, causing the shortest day and longest night in the Northern Hemisphere and the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere.
Yule was originally called the Wild Hunt from an ancient Norse festival celebrating Odin.
However, there is evidence that the winter solstice has been observed since 10,200 BCE in the Neolithic Period (the Stone Age). We see evidence at monuments in Newgrange (Ireland), Maeshow (Scotland), and of course the most famous of all, Stonehenge (England).
Stonehenge
The Great Bear
(or The Plough)
Since ancient times the Druids called the winter festival Alban Arthan (Welsh for ‘Light of Winter) and Alban Arthuan (meaning the ‘Light of Arthur’) and remember King Arthur Pendragon, who is symbolically reborn again at this time.
They also link this festival to The Great Bear star constellation (also known as The Plough). which is visible in the sky at this time.
Starvation was common during the cold, dark winter months. People followed the movement of the sun more closely then and it was common to celebrate that they had survived another difficult winter.
Yule was therefore a festival of fire, light, and feasting, where animals that could not survive the lack of food would be slaughtered.
Yule log
People and cultures around the world still celebrate the winter solstice:
Scandinavia
On the 13th of December, Scandinavians honour Saint Lucia, one of the earliest Christian martyrs. Saint Lucia’s Day was combined with the earlier Norse festival of light, where candles were lit to drive away bad spirits. Girls still dress up in white dresses with red sashes and put wreaths of candles on their heads.
China
The Chinese celebrate Dong Zhi, which means ‘Winter Arrives’. It was originally a day when fishermen and farmers spent the day with their families to celebrate the passing year, the return of the longer days and eat rice balls called tang yuan.
Yin and Yang
Water and Fire
This celebration is believed to have connections to the concept of yin and yang,
Yin is the time of greatest darkness and stillness. It is a time to go inward and reflect on the year that has passed.
Guatemala
The festival of Saint Thomas is celebrated in the week leading up to the winter solstice.
It is believed that the Catholic Church blended their celebration with an ancient Mayan festival. People wear masks and traditional costumes and sing and dance in street parades.
Iran
Iranians celebrate Shab-el-Yalda when Mithras the sun god defeated darkness. People read the 14th-century Sufi poet Hafiz’s poems, candles are lit, and people feast on pomegranates and nuts.
Regardless of our culture and/or religion, celebrating the winter solstice may be a way for us to connect to the Earth and practice gratitude and thankfulness for all we have.
Some ideas and traditions we might like to include are:
- Burn a Yule log
- Decorate your home with evergreen wreaths of holly, ivy, and mistletoe
- Light lanterns to represent the return of the sun
- Make orange pomanders
- Brew mulled cider
- Bake cookies for friends
- Exchange gifts with loved ones
- Set intentions for the new year
- Take a walk in nature – regardless of the weather. Connect with Mother Earth and be thankful for the abundance all around you.
Wishing you much light and love during this time of greatest darkness and inner stillness
Lee-Anne x
