Winter Solstice

Written by Madame Aradia

Saturday, 19 December 2009 15:21

Snow softly falls. The only sound is a few birds whispering together. Mother Nature waits in peaceful anticipation for her restful blanket of snow.

What a perfect way to begin the winter season...with a new blanket of snow! It is as though nature itself is, too, celebrating the winter solstice. This day, of course, marks the longest night and the shortest day of the year.

Ancient cultures around the world celebrated this time to celebrate the “rebirth” of the sun. In 7th century Japan, the winter solstice was celebrated to honor the sun goddess Amaterasu. People of the Netherlands celebrated Beiwe and ancient Celtics referred to the day as Meán Geimhridh, which essentially means Midwinter. Of course a more commonly know ancient celebration is Saturnalia, the Roman feast honoring their sun gods. Did you know the word “Yule” is an old Germanic word which roughly means a celebration of nature and religion?

To celebrate the Winter solstice, I light white candles to represent the snow and a red candle to represent the sun. I let these candles burn all day and all night. Traditionally, a Yule log would be burned, but unfortunately a fireplace is not at my disposal. At midnight, I light a special candle in honor of the season. If possible, I step out to my garden and bless it as it is going dormant, and feed the hungry birds. This is a season for rest, peace, friendship and love, new beginnings, and rebirth.