Sunday December 14th, 2008 Celebrate the Winter Solstice

Every December as the hours of daylight become shorter, I anxiously await the shortest day of the year. I know from that day forward there will be a slow but sure return to the longer days of sunlight and warmth. The solstice is a time of rebirth that leads towards the hopefulness of spring . Next Sunday, December 21 , will be the Winter Solstice, it takes place at 8:46 a.m. E.S.T. Take this week to reflect on the change of seasons and to plant your own hopes for the seasons to come.

How did ancient cultures celebrate the Winter Solstice?

Neolithic Peoples began to erect ceremonial structures to celebrate the changing seasons. On a ridge, twenty-eight miles north of Dublin stands a chamber composed of glacial boulders. Each year for a week before and after the winter solstice the light from the rising sun passes through a boxed slot above the doorway. For about seventeen minutes the chamber is softly lit, illuminating a stone basin and intricate carvings. This prehistoric structure called Newgrange reminds us that this season has long been an important one for the human race. To learn more, read Celebrate the Solstice by Richard Heinberg. To see a video of the 2007 solstice at Newgrange go to http://www.heritageireland.ie/en/Solstice2007.

What were earlier celebrations of the Winter Solstice called?

There are a number of earlier celebrations that took place near the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere. Scandinavians celebrated Yule tide to commemorate the resurrection of the sun as giver of light and warmth. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia, dedicated to the god of agriculture and the renewed power of the sun. Persians brought Mithraism and the celebration of Natalis Solis Invicti in honour of Mithras. The early Christian Church did not celebrate Christmas, but by 336 A.D. the church instituted the birth of Jesus as bringing “the light of the world.” In Weird Christmas: A Collection of Curious and Crazy Customs and Coincidences Concerning Christmas by Joey Green, you will find the history of the season and much more seasonal trivia.

How do they celebrate the Winter Solstice in Japan?

Toji is the Japanese celebration which lasts for a few weeks around the solstice. The Japanese celebrated by taking citrus baths, eating pumpkins for good luck, making offerings to one’s ancestors and giving workers a holiday. Large bonfires are made at shrines to encourage the early coming of spring. Learning more about how common holidays are celebrated around the world can help each of us to become aware of the wealth of cultural practices. Look up your favorite celebration in The Folklore of World Holidays, edited by Margaret Read MacDonald .

Is there a fable that we can read aloud about the winter solstice?

From the wonderful Keepers of the Earth series by Michael Caduto and Joseph Bruchac comes the tale, Spring Defeats Winter. The story begins with a white-haired old man who wanders the earth and everywhere he steps the ground grows hard as stone. He is confronted by a young man who is unafraid of his powers, and brings forth the flowers and the warmth of the sun. The book has interesting activities for children to help them to understand the changes of the seasons.

Are there any fiction titles that have solstice celebrations in them?

Try Winter Solstice by Rosamunde Pilcher. On this shortest day, a tragedy brings together five people in a neglected estate house near the Scottish fishing town of Creagan. Their meeting will change their lives forever. Solstice Wood by Patricia McKillip, takes you to upstate New York where a group of women knit and weave to keep closed the paths between ours and a more evil world. Drawn into this world, Sylvia Lynn searches for her kidnapped cousin in a magical and haunting realm. For a lighter touch try, A Holly, Jolly Murder by Joan Hess. Bookselller –Sleuth Claire Malloy is invited to a winter solstice celebration at the Sacred Grove. When one of the members is murdered, Claire is on the case. This is a just-right antidote to holiday busy-ness or anytime blahs.

Roberta Casella, Librarian at the Brodie Resource Library