12/20/2023
Blessed Winter Solstice❄️ 🌬✨️
Solstice Symbols : These are all connected to the Winter Solstice as they are aligned with the rising sun on the Winter Solstice.
Stonehenge* They throw big celebrations here
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/solstice/
Newgrange* Newgrange Stone Age Passage Tomb - https://www.newgrange.com
Maeshawe* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maeshowe
Fire is a HUGE part of every celebration of the Winter Solstice usually taking the form of a bonfire to rid away the darkness until the light comes back and takes over.
Leaving out food items and/or making bird feeders with peanut butter and seeds to hang for the birdies.
Creating a winter solstice spiral to honor, release and speak to next year. We use evergreen/pine and anything to represent the natural world (Pinecones, sticks, rocks) or even figures of animals/plants. There is a candle that goes in the middle and you start in the middle with your own candle and as you walk around you speak what you need to and place your candle along the spiral before you get to the end.
We always make a sun bread too!
-The author and book https://www.elisakleven.com/sun-bread
-A recipe to make it
https://simplylivingwell.com/blog-food/y945zhv8ypudm2wvep94rr4l2heig1
We started a new tradition and shared it on Monday .. we made pomander oranges!
It's super easy! Makes holes and a design with a toothpick and then add cloves to the hole to make your design come to life!
I've also added a few photos at the end of other ideas that you can create to celebrate.
Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World
Saturnalia - Ancient Romans * Dedicated their celebrations to Saturn the god of agriculture and time. It started as a one day celebration but ended as a week long celebration.
St. Lucia - Scandinavia * A festival of lights that honors a Christian woman who was killed for bringing food to persecuted Christians. In her honor little girls wear white dresses with red sashes along with wreath crowns holding candles. She was killed on the shortest day of the year.
D**g Zhi - China * Although this is not a celebration-based holiday for the Chinese, they do get cozy with family to welcome the longer days as well as the positive energy to come in the new year.
Toji - Japan * The Solstice is also not a celebration for the Japanese, rather it is an honoring of the entering of the new year with health and good luck. They often bathe with yuzu, a fruit that is said to hold properties in keeping away the germs and bringing in health. On the solstice they will throw the fruit into the water at hot springs and public bath houses and also often will eat Japanese squash said to bring in good luck.
Shab -e- Yalda - (translates to night of birth) Iran * This is a celebration for their god of the sun Mithra coming back ‘to win’ over the darkness. They gather together and build fires to keep themselves safe from the darkness. They make wishes and eat pomegranates and nuts along with some other traditional foods.
Inti Raymi - (translates to sun festival) Peru * They celebrate the Winter Solstice in June because they are opposite of us. They are celebrating and honoring Inti their sun god. Traditionally a 3 day fast would take place and on the 4th day, the solstice, they would go to a ceremonial place to watch the sun rise. They would also provide a variety of offerings as thanks.
The Feast of Poseidon - Ancient Greece * A huge celebration and men would go and start bonfires while women went to eat and drink away from them. The celebrations would go on for a while and each town would host a feast as well as provide offerings to put in the fire.
Yule - Norway & Sweden *This celebration is a 12 day feast that begins on the Solstice. The father of the home would go and get a large yule log and they would light one end and the log would burn for up to 12 days and that is how long they celebrated for.
A book list :
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/106621.Books_for_Celebrating_the_Winter_Solstice
