| The Winter Solstice/Dec 21
A big change of scenery in here for the season. lol! I can't help it. As an artist, I love to play with decorations and web pages. I would guess that many of you have already put up your trees and maybe even put the gifts beneath them. And I'm sure by now that you have the lights and decorations on them. And a few of you have probably attended parties and watched someone getting a kiss or two beneath the mistletoe.
Nobody much goes wassailing anymore but we all used to. I know I did a few times anyway as a kid. I couldn't sing very well, and still can't, lol, but I did try back then. Thankfully I have other talents. But we do hear a lot of songs like "Deck the Halls" and Jingle Bells" anyway these days on the radio, tv, and in the stores we shop in. The neighborhoods we live in are all alight with the glow of the season. There are wreaths on the doors and candles in the windows. There's punch, eggnog, cakes, pies, and a feast at this time of year for those that are lucky enough to have one. And for those that aren't, there are wonderful people like Elf Louise and Father McNeil here in Texas. Have you ever wondered where all these traditions come from?
As followers of the Craft, our celebrations still follow many of the ancient customs of the season, such as the ones above. We have decorated trees, wassailing or carroling, gift giving, Yule logs, and mistletoe as a part of our ancestry during the holidays. Yes, these " Christmas" traditions are pagan in nature. But if you will notice, the word "Christmas" isn't in that sentence above anywhere, and the reason for that is because when I did these very things for my first few years, I wasn't celebrating "Christmas" but the Winter's Solstice. All of these customs were handed down from our pagan traditions. In the olde days, we still sang from house to house, and as part of a household full of the Irish spirit, there was quite a bit of laughing, toasting, and partying.
In the olde days, (Not in my time, lol,Way before it. In the days of the Druids.) a hymn was (and sometimes still is) sung to the trees, wishing them good health and long lives. Then after the singing, a blessing was also given to aid them in fruitfulness. Soon you would hear the sound of guns being fired into the distance to drive away any baleful spirits and the toasts would begin. Nobody but a Celt can make toasts like those you would hear on this sacred day. Once the drinking and toasting was all finished, the remainder of the drink was poured out on the earth around the trunk while bread or cakes from the wassail celebrations were placed upon its branches. It was such a merry and joyous time of year. The Midwinter's Festival, it is also called. But it wasn't to be merry for very long. Soon the church would come in and try to change it.
In all actuality, this holiday season of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of the Celtic fertility rites. As a matter of fact, the Christian version of this holiday wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth.
In the olde days, the Church deplored anything pagan and had this holiday declared "outlawed", and so the pagans were no longer allowed to enjoy their holidays in the open. It was only many years later that christians finally began to celebrate the Winter Solstice, but by another name. This began when the church finally delegated the birth of the Christ child to December 25th, and thus "Christ Mass". This new christian holiday was so close to the birth of our own sweet Sun King on December 21st, whose birth, death, and resurrection seemed strangely close to that of Jesus Christ and predated him as well, that one has to wonder. *smiles*
The Winter Solstice, (Dec 21st or thereabouts) is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. It is the seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day.
In the olde days, it was also a druidic festival known by the name of Alban Arthuan, or Arthur's Light and it was a time when gifts were bestowed on the less fortunate. It was the birthday of King Aurthur. This is when the dark half of the year gives over to the light half. From now on, the light will be increasing, from the Winter Solstice until the Summer Solstice. Beginning at sunrise , the sun will climb a little higher and stay out a little longer each day. On Solstice Eve, the longest night and shortest day of the year, among the celts of olde, there was much celebrating as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, and the One that had warmed the frozen Earth and made her bear fruit. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother once again and gives birth to the new Sun King. (Very similar to the birth of Christ, is it not?)
Alban Arthuan was a festival of peace and a celebration of waxing solar light. Many honored the forthcoming Sun child by burning an oaken Yule log, and honored the Goddess in her many Mother aspects. The Father God was also honored in various forms, such as Santa Claus, the Old Sky God, Father Time, and the Holly King.
The full moon falling closest to the Winter Solstice is called the Oak Moon in honor of the God, and is associated with the Oak tree. As we celebrate the Winter Solstice, many of us think of the elderly "old year" being replaced by the child "new year." The dualistic God experiences the Holly King dying of old age (the old year passing) and at the same time, the Oak King is reborn (the new year arriving).
Back in the days of the druids, this holiday was also celebrated by the lighting of bonfires in the fields and wassailing (carroling) of the trees and crops. Many a time the nature spirits were toasted with the delicious taste of spiced cider.
The children of that ancient time period, used to run and sometimes sing from house to house with apples and oranges. These were carried in baskets full of evergreen and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun. The Evergreen was symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was an accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly, mistletoe, and ivy decorated many a home, both outside and in. Mistletoe (and their white berries) represent the rebirth power and fertility of the God. The Holly (and the red berries) represent the rebirth power and fertility of the Goddess.Those that decorated in this way thought to offer an invitation to the Nature Sprites so that they might come and join in the celebration on this night. All year long, a sprig of Holly was hung near the door as a constant invitation to good fortune.
On this, the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of
our souls', there springs new hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World. On this night, divinations will be cast, magick and rituals will be performed, and everyone will celebrate with food aplenty. This was a night for fertility rites in the olde days as well, but in the olde days, girls standing
under the mistletoe were apt to receive much more than a kiss. Many pagans may choose to perform the Great Rite at this time of year as well in honor of the birth of the new Lord.
Ritual for the Winter Solstice here!!
Winter Solstice
Also called: Yule, Jul, Saturnalia, Christmas, solar/secular New Year Full Moon closest to the holiday:
December 10th, 2000 - 4:03 A.M. - Full Moon (Cold Moon)
dates: around December 21
Nature Spirit Correspondences: snow faeries, storm faeries, winter tree faeries
energy: regeneration & renewal
Goddesses: Great Mother, Isis, Mary, Tonazin, Lucina, Bona Dea, Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, Hectate, Athene,The Fates
Gods: Sun Child, Horus, Jesus, Mithras, Santa/Odin, Saturn,Apollo,Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.
Holly King
rituals: personal renewal, world peace, honoring family & friends
customs: wreaths, lights, gift-giving, singing, feasting, resolutions, ....The evergreen tree is used to represent eternity of life and longevity ...
Symbols: yule logs, evergreen boughs, holly, mistletoe, baskets of clove studded fruit, Christmas Cactus, poinsettias
Herbs or Plants:
Christmas Cactus, Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, ivy, fir, sage, yellow cedar.
Foods:
fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, ale, roasted apples).
Incense: violet, patchouli, frankincense, myrrh, lilac, rose geranium, pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.
Colors: blood red, white, black, red, green, gold, silver, yellow, orange.
Stones: serpentine, jacinth, peridot,rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.
Animal Correspondences: Mouse, deer, horse, bear
Bird Correspondences: rook, robin, snowy owl
Activities:
Wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, gift giving, kissing under the mistletoe
Spellwork:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.
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Winter Solstice
