Celebrate the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice is the day with the fewest hours of daylight and is the official first day of winter. It’s often referred to as the "shortest day of the year", and this year it is happening on Monday, December 21st.
“Solstice” comes from two Latin words: sol meaning "sun" and sistere meaning “to stand still” because it appears as though the Sun and Moon have stopped moving across the sky. After this auspicious day, the days become longer and the nights shorter, and we all become excited in anticipation of seeing more the glorious Sun.
In many cultures, the seasonal significance of the winter solstice is marked by festivals and traditions as it is seen as the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun.
With so much else going on in December with Christmas, Hannukah and New Year celebrations, it’s hard to find the energy to think about another tradition. Honesty, I’ve never paid much attention to the winter solstice, but I’ve decided to create a winter solstice practice after being inspired by other traditions this year.
Examples of some winter solstice traditions
· Dong Zhi, China
This thousands-of-years-old festival is celebrated with family gatherings, and a big meal, including rice balls, called tang yuan.
· Stonehenge gathering, England
It is unknown why the Stonehenge was built, but there’s no denying that it connects to the Sun's movement. There is archaeological research that suggests that winter solstice festivals happened at the Stonehenge. During the solstice, people gather and practice their rituals in the presence of the Stonehenge.
· Shab-e Yalda, Iran
This ancient Persian festival celebrates the end of shorter days and the victory of light over darkness. Meaning “birth,” Yalda is marked by family gatherings, candles (originally, fires lit all night), poetry readings, and a feast to get through the longest night of the year. Nuts and fruits, including watermelon and pomegranates, are traditionally eaten—legend has it that eating the fruits of summer will protect you from illness in winter.
Make your own traditions
Celebrating the solstice can be a beautiful way to remember and acknowledge that our lives are part of a larger cosmic order that is always changing and renewing, like ourselves. Creating simple rituals with personal meaning can slow us down in a jam-packed season of doing and help us appreciate what we have and reflect on 2020-a year like no other.
We’re not all winter fans, but some of the things that I’ve always loved about it are the slowness, stillness, opportunities for reflection and the craving to connect to nature. Celebrating the solstice offers these opportunities. The solstice is a transition and to honour it you can create rituals like watching the sunrise or set, write a poem, walk in the woods, write a prayer, make a list of loving wishes for friends and family, or reflect on your aspirations for the New Year.
On Monday, December 21st from 4-6 pm, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is hosting a Solstice Labyrinth walk and will have a bonfire where your written thoughts can be released.
This year, my ritual will include writing a list of the things I’m grateful for, good wishes for my loved ones and my intentions for 2021. I will meditate on this list, take a long hike, walk the labyrinth at release my thoughts into the bonfire.
Be well.
Anita
