Winter Solstice, Holiday of Light

Many people of today’s organized religions consider winter solstice celebrations to merely be a pagan phenomenon. In researching information for this article I found for myself further proof that the actual roots of the world’s religions and philosophies share even more concepts than may be apparent. In this article I will describe the celestial event of winter solstice, its influence on some ancient religions and their influence on the celebrations of today.

The winter solstice occurs at the instant when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane from the observer. Depending on the shift of the calendar, the event of the winter solstice occurs sometime between December 20 and December 23 each year in the northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and June 23 in the southern hemisphere. Although the Winter Solstice lasts an instant, the term has been used to refer to the full 24-hour period.

On the night of winter solstice, as seen from a northern sky, the three stars in Orion's Belt align with the brightest star in the eastern sky Sirius to show where the Sun will rise in the morning after winter solstice. Until this time, the Sun has exhibited since summer solstice a decreasing arc across the Southern sky. At the moment of winter solstice, the Sun ceases to decline in the sky and the length of daylight reaches its minimum for three days, during which the sun does not move on the horizon. After this, the Sun begins its ascent into the northern sky and days grow longer. The word solstice is derived from the Latin sol (sun) and sistere (to stand still); so Winter Solstice means Sun standstill in winter.

I have found that worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures recognize it as rebirth, and celebrate with rituals, holidays, festivals, and gatherings. Many cultures celebrate or have celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, and many other festivals of light around the world. Since the event is observed as the reversal of the Sun's ebbing presence in the sky, concepts of the birth or rebirth of sun gods have been common and, the year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to life-death-rebirth deities or new beginnings such as the Scottish Hogmanay's Redding, a New Years cleaning tradition. Also reversal is another usual theme as in the Roman Saturnalia's slave and master reversals.

In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. It was nearly the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the observances were not always on the day commencing at midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-Romanized day, which falls on the previous evening.

In pre-historic times, winter was a very difficult time for indigenous people in the northern latitudes. The growing season had ended and the community had to live off of stored food and whatever animals they could hunt. The people would be fearful as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each day. They feared that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and extreme cold. Communities were not assured to live through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous months. Starvation was common in winter, also known as the famine months. After the winter solstice, they would have reason to celebrate as they saw the sun rising and strengthening once more. Although many months of cold weather remained before spring, they took heart that the return of the warm season was inevitable. The shortening and returning daylight became associated with the concept of birth and or death/rebirth. These prehistoric indigenous people had no elaborate instruments to detect the solstice, but they were able to notice a slight elevation of the sun's path within a few days after the solstice, perhaps by December 25 and so celebrations were often timed for about the 25th. 

The traditions varied, and were observed throughout the world by the indigenous from South and North Americas to Asia, Asia Minor, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Many outside traditions are often adopted by neighboring or invading cultures melding and absorbing customs and mythology. Some historians will often assert that many traditions are directly derived from previous ones rooting all the way back to those begun in the cradle of civilization or beyond, much in a way that correlates with the origins of languages.

Monotheistic religions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, tend to view time as linear. Everything started with creation and the world as we know it will end at some time in the future. Aboriginal and Neopagan religions being tied to the earth and seasons see time as circular and repetitive, with lunar (monthly) and solar (yearly) cycles. The pagan rituals were performed to guarantee the continuity of nature's cycles.

Here’s what I found:

The indigenous people of Finland, Sweden and Norway, worshipped Beiwe, the sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. She traveled through the sky in a structure made of reindeer bones with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to bring back the greenery on which the reindeer fed. In Sweden and many surrounding parts of Europe, polytheistic tribes celebrated a Midvinterblot or mid-winter-sacrifice, featuring both animal and human sacrifice. The blot (ceremony) was performed by goði (priests) at particular sites, most of which have churches built upon them now. Midvinterblot paid tribute to the local gods, appealing to them to let go winter's grip. The folk tradition was finally abandoned by the 13^th century, due to missionary persistence.

Originally the name Giuli signified a 60 day ocean tide beginning at the lunar midwinter of the late Scandinavian Norse and Germanic tribes. The arrival of Juletid thus came to refer to the midwinter celebrations. By the late Viking Age, the Yule celebrations came to specify a great solstice based Midwinter festival that blended the traditions of various midwinter celebrations across Europe, like Mitwinternacht, Modrasnach, Midvinterblot, and the Teutonic solstice celebration, Feast of the Dead. In the year 960 King Håkon of Norway signed into law that Jul was to be celebrated on the night leading into December 25^th to align it with Christian celebrations. For some Norse sects, Yule logs were lit to honor Thor, the god of thunder. People feasted and drank mead around the bonfires while listening to minstrel-poets singing ancient legends until the log burned out three, or as many as twelve days later. It was believed that the yule log had the magical effect of helping the sun to shine more brightly. The Icelandic Ásatrú and the Asatru Folk Assembly in the US recognize Jól or Yule as lasting for 12 days, beginning on the date of the winter solstice. The indigenous lore of the Icelandic Jól continued beyond the Middle Ages, but was condemned when the Reformation arrived.

The Ancient Swedes, Scandinavian Lutheran, and Eastern Orthodox also celebrated Lucia or Lussi Night on December 13^th, what was supposed to be the longest night of the year. The feast was later appropriated by the Catholic Church in the 16th century as St. Lucy's Day. It was believed in the folklore of Sweden that if people, particularly children, did not carry out their chores, the female demon, Lussi or Lucia die dunkle would come to punish them.

The Early Germans (c.500-1000) considered the Norse goddess, Hertha or Bertha to be the goddess of light and the home. They baked yeast cakes shaped like shoes, which were called Hertha's slippers, and filled them with gifts. During the Winter Solstice houses were decorated with fir and evergreens to welcome her coming. When the family had gathered to dine, a great altar of flat stones was erected and a fire of fir boughs was lit. Hertha descended through the smoke, guiding those who were wise in saga lore to foretell the fortunes of those persons at the feast. There are also darker versions of Perchta which terrorize children along with Krampus. Many cities had practices of dramatizing the gods as characters roaming the streets. These traditions have continued in the rural regions of the Alps, and various similar traditions, such as Wren day, survived in the Celtic nations until recently. Modranicht, Modresnach (Mothers' Night) was an Anglo-Saxon and Germanic feast. It was believed that dreams on this night foretold events in the upcoming year. By the year 730, it was thought to be observed by the Anglo-Saxons on the winter solstice. After the reemergence of Christmas in Britain it was recognized by many as one of the Twelve Days of Christmas.

In twelfth century Russia, the eastern Slavs worshiped the winter mother goddess, Rozhnitsa, offering sacrifices of honey, bread and cheese. Bright colored winter embroideries depicting the antlered goddess were made to honor the Feast of Rozhanitsa in late December. And white, deer-shaped cookies were given as lucky gifts. Karachun, Korochun or Kračún was a western Slavic holiday similar to Halloween as a day when the Black God and other evil spirits were most potent. It was celebrated by Slavs on the longest night of the year. On this night, Hors, symbolizing the old sun, becomes smaller as the days become shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and dies on the December solstice. He is said to be defeated by the dark and evil powers of the Black God. In honor of Hors, the Slavs danced a ritual chain-dance which was called the horo. Traditional chain-dancing in Bulgaria is still called horo. In Russia and Ukraine, it is known as khorovod. On December 23^rd Hors is resurrected and becomes the new sun, Koleda. On this day, Western Slavs burned fires at cemeteries to keep their departed loved ones warm, organized feasts in the honor of the dead so as they would not suffer from hunger and lit wooden logs at local crossroads.

In ancient Latvia, Ziemassvētki, meaning winter festival, was celebrated on December 24^th as one of the two most important holidays. Ziemassvētki celebrated the birth of Dieviņš, the highest god of Latvian mythology. The two weeks before Ziemassvetki are called Veļu laiks, the "season of ghosts." During the festival, candles were lit for Dieviņš and a fire kept burning until the end, when its extinguishing signaled an end to the unhappiness of the previous year. During the ensuing feast, a space at the table was reserved for Ghousts, who was said to arrive on a sleigh. During the feast, certain foods were always eaten: bread, beans, peas, pork and pig snout and feet. Carolers went door to door singing songs and eating from many different houses. The holiday was later adapted by Christians in the middle ages. It is now celebrated on the 24th, 25th and 26th of December and largely recognized as both a Christian and secular cultural observance. Lithuanians of the Romuva religion continue to celebrate a variant of the original polytheistic holiday.

The New Years Eve celebration of Scotland is called Hogmanay. The name comes from the old Scots name for Yule gifts of the Middle Ages. The early Hogmanay celebrations were originally brought to Scotland by the invading and occupying Norse who celebrated a solstitial new year (England celebrated the New Year on March 25). In the year 1600, with the Scottish application of the January 1^st New Year and the churches persistent suppression of the solstice celebrations, the holiday traditions moved to December 31^st. The festival is still referred to as the Yules by the Scots of the Shetland Islands who start the festival on December 18^th and hold the last tradition (a Troll chasing ritual) on January 18^th. The most widespread Scottish custom is the practice of first-footing which starts immediately after midnight on New Years. This involves being the first person (usually tall and dark haired) to cross the threshold of a friend or neighbor and often involves the giving of symbolic gifts such as salt (less common today), coal, shortbread, whisky, and black bun (a fruit pudding) intended to bring different kinds of luck to the householder. Food and drink where in return given as gifts to the guests.

Meán Geimhridh (Irish for midwinter) or Grianstad and Gheimhridh (meaning winter solstice) is a name sometimes used for hypothetical midwinter rituals or celebrations of the Celtic tribes, and late Druids. In Ireland's calendars, the solstices and equinoxes all occur at about midpoint in each season. The passage and chamber of Newgrange, a tomb in Ireland (Pre-Celtic or possibly Proto-Celtic 3,200 BCE), are illuminated by the winter solstice sunrise. A shaft of sunlight shines through the roof box over the entrance and penetrates the passage to light up the chamber. The dramatic event lasts for 17 minutes at dawn from the 19^th to the 23^rd of December. The point of roughness is the term for the winter solstice in Wales which in ancient Welsh mythology was when Rhiannon gave birth to the sacred son, Pryderi.

Lá an Dreoilín or Wren day had been celebrated in Ireland, the Isle of Man and Wales on December 26^th. Crowds of people, called wrenboys, took to the roads in various parts of Ireland, dressed in motley clothing, wearing masks or straw suits and accompanied by musicians supposedly in remembrance of the festival that was celebrated by the Druids. Previously the practice involved the killing of a wren, and singing songs while carrying the bird from house to house, stopping in for food and merriment.

Mistletoe was considered sacred because it mysteriously grew on the most sacred tree, the oak, and was ceremoniously cut and a spray given to each family, to be hung in the doorways as good luck. Druid priests would cut it from the tree on which it grew with a golden sickle. To hang it over a doorway or in a room was to offer goodwill to visitors. Kissing under the mistletoe was a pledge of friendship. Mistletoe is still forbidden in most Christian churches because of its Pagan associations, but it has continued to have a special place in home celebrations. In England, during the 18^th century, there was a revival of interest in Druids. Today, amongst Neo-druids, Alban Arthan (Welsh for light of winter) is celebrated on the winter solstice with a ritualistic festival, and gift giving to the needy.

Neopaganism is a group of religions which are attempted re-creations of ancient Pagan religions. Of these religions, Wicca is the most common. Wiccans recognize eight seasonal days of celebration. Four are minor sabbats and occur at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. The other are major sabbats which happen approximately halfway between an equinox and solstice. In most Wiccan sects, the winter solstice sabbat is often called Yule. It is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The name Yule has been appropriated from Germanic and Norsk paganism. It is a time for introspection, and planning for the future. Wiccans may celebrate the Sabbat on the evening before the time of the actual solstice, at sunrise on the morning of the solstice, or at the exact time of the astronomical event.

Originally celebrated by the ancient Greeks as Kronia, the festival of Chronos, Saturnalia was the feast at which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of Saturn, which originally took place on December 17^th, but expanded to a whole week, up to December 23^rd. Saturnalia, was both a gigantic fair and a festival of the home. Riotous merry-making took place, and the halls of houses were decked with boughs of laurel and evergreen trees. Lamps were kept burning to ward off the spirits of darkness. Schools were closed, the army rested, and no criminals were executed. Friends visited one another, bringing good-luck gifts of fruit, cakes, candles, dolls, jewelry, and incense. Temples were decorated with evergreens symbolizing life's continuity, and processions of people with masked or blackened faces and fantastic hats danced through the streets. Roman masters feasted with slaves, who were given the freedom to do and say what they liked (the medieval custom of all the inhabitants of the house, including servants and lords alike, sitting down together for a great Christmas feast, came from this tradition). A Mock King was appointed to take charge of the revels (the Lord of Misrule of medieval Christmas festivities had his origin here).

By the third century, there were many religions and spiritual mysteries being followed within the Roman Empire. Many, if not most, celebrated the birth of their god-man near the time of the solstice. Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275) blended a number of Pagan solstice celebrations of the nativity of such god-men/saviors as Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules, Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus into a single festival on December 25^th called the Sol Invictus ("the undefeated Sun") or, more fully, Deus Sol Invictus ("the undefeated sun god") which was a religious title applied to at least three distinct divinities during the later Roman Empire; El Gabal, Mithras, and Sol. On this, the first day after the solar standstill of the winter solstice, the duration of daylight first begins to increase, as the sun once again begins its movement toward the North, and is interpreted as the "rebirth" of the sun. At the time, Mithraism and Christianity were fierce competitors. Aurelian had even declared Mithraism the official religion of the Roman Empire in year 274. Christianity eventually became the new official religion of Rome in the 4^th century.

Christmas or Christ's Mass is one of the most popular Christian celebrations as well as one of the most globally recognized midwinter celebrations. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the God Incarnate or Messiah, Yeshua of Nazareth, later known as Jesus Christ. The birth is observed on December 25^th, which was the winter solstice upon establishment of the Julian Calendar. Banned by the Catholic Church in its infancy as a pagan practice stemming out of the Sol Invictus celebrations, Christian churches eventually recognized the sustained practices as a Christian festival in various cultures within the past several hundred years, allowing much of the folklore and traditions of local pagan festivals to be preserved. So today, the old festivals such as Jul, are still celebrated in many parts of Europe, but the Christian Nativity is now often representational as the meaning behind the holiday. This is why Yule and Christmas are considered interchangeable in Anglo-Christendom. Universal activities include feasting, midnight masses and singing Christmas carols about the Nativity. Good deeds and gift giving in the tradition of St. Nicholas by not admitting to being the actual gift giver is also observed by some countries. Many observe the holiday for twelve days leading up to the Epiphany.

In the third century various dates, from December to April, were celebrated by Christians as Christmas. January 6^th was the most favored day because it was thought to be Jesus' baptismal day (in the Greek Orthodox Church this continues to be the day to celebrate Christmas). January 6^th, celebrated as Epiphany in Christendom and linked with the visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter Solstice. Any record of the date of birth of Yeshua of Nazareth (later known as Jesus Christ) has been lost. There is sufficient evidence in the Gospels to indicate that Jesus was born in the fall. I recall a television show on the History Channel in which the idea that Jesus was born in August or September was put forth because his family was traveling to be counted in the Roman census which was taken at that time, but this seems to have been unknown to early Christians. By the beginning of the 4^th century, there was intense interest in choosing a day to celebrate Jesus’ birthday. In the year 273, the western church leaders selected December 25^th because this was already the date recognized throughout the Roman Empire as the birthday of various Pagan gods. By the year 336, the Roman solar feast day was Christianized and with the growing popularity of the Christian cults, Jesus of Nazareth came to be given much of the same recognition previously given to a sun god, thereby including Christ in the roman tradition. Since there was no central Christian authority at the time, it took centuries before the tradition was universally accepted: eastern churches began to celebrate Christmas after 375, Ireland started in the 5^th century, the church in Jerusalem started in the 7^th century, Austria, England and Switzerland in the 8^th century, and the Slavic lands in the 9^th and 10^th centuries.

The merry side of the Roman Holiday Saturnalia was adapted to the observance of Christmas. By 1100’s Christmas was the peak celebration of the year for all of Europe. During the 16^th century, under the influence of the Reformation however, many of the old customs were suppressed and the Church forbade processions, colorful ceremonies, and plays. In 1647 in England, Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas altogether then when Charles II came to the throne, many of the customs were revived, but the feasting and merrymaking were now more secular than religious.

Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin: holly, ivy, mistletoe, yule log, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen tree, magical reindeer, and use of the colors red, green, and white. Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year). Santa's reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God.

Many other traditions throughout the Americas, Africa, and Asia have celebrations inked to the winter solstice. I have focused on the European traditions because of their apparent influences on and absorption into the modern celebrations of Christmas. I have specifically highlighted traditions that have been absorbed by or directly influence our modern celebrations not to draw distinctions but to emphasize the unity of thought and belief that can be expressed in the world today.

Blessings to all and enjoy whatever celebration you observe during this season of light.

Shiva (Neil)