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| Winter Solstice |
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Winter Solstice, or Yule, is held on December 21st or 22nd. It marks
the shortest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and is an
important holiday to those who follow the old ways.
To the ancients, it appeared as if the Sun and Moon stopped in their
flight across the sky—this is the longest night of the year and was
a time of both anticipation and rejoicing at the Sun's rebirth out
of the Goddess. From here on in the year, the days will become
longer as the god grows into his full strength.
Many, many cultures the world over perform solstice ceremonies. At
their root: an ancient fear that the failing light would never
return unless humans intervened with anxious vigil or antic
celebration. During this time food supplies were waning thin and yet
a common tradition of a celebratory feast often took place.
Speaking of those buzzwords I mentioned in the above section,
imagine the clarity of intention and faith required to consume your
store of food, believing in the return of the sun when you are
freezing and fear the darkness will continue to consume the light?
Pagan holidays have influenced many Christian traditions, including
Halloween and Easter. Common symbols of Christmas such as displaying
evergreens, holly, and mistletoe; burning fires & lighting candles;
decorating evergreen trees...(the history and symbolism behind these
traditions are very interesting but a bit too lengthy to include
here! Next year...)
The selection of December 25th as a Christian holiday was first
recorded in scholarly texts dating to 325 A.D., although the actual
practice was first decreed in 274 A.D. by the Emperor Aurelian. The
Sun's representation as the male divinity, or celestial ruler,
predates Christianity. Since the non- Christians viewed this time as
the rebirth of the sun, it is likely that this influenced the Church
in marking this period as the celebration of the nativity of Christ.
Both Christmas and the Winter Solstice celebrate the birth of gods.
Although Hanukah does not have the historical connections to the
Solstice as does Christmas, it is also a time of honoring rebirth
and the continuation of life. Similarly it is symbolized by
progressively lighting candles whose light gains strength in numbers
with each day of the celebration. Coincidence or not, the similarity
to increasing sunlight with each passing day is noteworthy.
So as December 21st and December 25th draw near and Hanukah has
begun, I am reminded of the sacredness of this season. Just as we
need the natural world to sustain our bodily needs - we need our
faith to sustain our spirit.
By Lisa Keutman, psychotherapist
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