Celebrating Winter Solstice

By Selena Fox


Winter Solstice has been celebrated in cultures the world over for
thousands of years. This start of the solar year is a celebration of
Light and the rebirth of the Sun. In old Europe, it was known as
Yule, from the Norse, Jul, meaning wheel.

Today, many people in Western-based cultures refer to this holiday
as "Christmas." Yet a look into its origins of Christmas reveals its
Pagan roots. Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the birthday
of the "Invincible Sun" in the third century as part of the Roman
Winter Solstice celebrations. Shortly thereafter, in 273, the
Christian church selected this day to represent the birthday of
Jesus, and by 336, this Roman solar feast day was Christianized.
January 6, celebrated as Epiphany in Christendom and linked with the
visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter
Solstice.

Most of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated
with "Christmas" actually are linked to Winter Solstice celebrations
of ancient Pagan cultures. While Christian mythology is interwoven
with contemporary observances of this holiday time, its Pagan nature
is still strong and apparent. Pagans today can readily re-Paganize
Christmastime and the secular New Year by giving a Pagan spiritual
focus to existing holiday customs and by creating new traditions that
draw on ancient ways. Here are some ways to do this:

Celebrate Yule with a series of rituals, feasts, and other
activities. In most ancient cultures, the celebration lasted more
than a day. The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival sometimes went on
for a week. Have Winter Solstice Eve and Day be the central focus for
your household, and conceptualize other holiday festivities,
including New Year's office parties and Christmas visits with
Christian relatives, as part of your Solstice celebration. By
adopting this perspective, Pagan parents can help their children
develop an understanding of the multicultural and interfaith aspects
of this holiday time and view "Christmas" as just another form of
Solstice. Have gift exchanges and feasts over the course of several
days and nights as was done of old. Party hearty on New Year's Eve
not just to welcome in the new calendar year, but also to welcome the
new solar year.

Adorn the home with sacred herbs and colors. Decorate your home in
Druidic holiday colors red, green, and white. Place holly, ivy,
evergreen boughs, and pine cones around your home, especially in
areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above
a major threshold and leave it there until next Yule as a charm for
good luck throughout the year. Have family/household members join
together to make or purchase an evergreen wreath. Include holiday
herbs in it and then place it on your front door to symbolize the
continuity of life and the wheel of the year. If you choose to have a
living or a harvested evergreen tree as part of your holiday
decorations, call it a Solstice tree and decorate it with Pagan
symbols.

Convey love to family, friends, and associates. At the heart of
Saturnalia was the custom of family and friends feasting together and
exchanging presents. Continue this custom by visiting, entertaining,
giving gifts, and sending greetings by mail and/or phone. Consider
those who are and/or have been important in your life and share
appreciation.

Reclaim Santa Claus as a Pagan Godform. 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. Decorate your home with Santa images that reflect His Pagan
heritage.

Honor the Goddess as Great Mother. Place Pagan Mother Goddess images
around your home. You may also want to include one with a Sun child,
such as Isis with Horus. Pagan Goddess forms traditionally linked
with this time of year include Tonantzin (Native Mexican corn
mother), Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune), Bona Dea
(Roman women's goddess of abundance and prophecy), Ops (Roman goddess
of plenty), Au Set/Isis (Egyptian/multicultural All Goddess whose
worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary), Lucina/St.
Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light), and Befana (Italian
Witch who gives gifts to children at this season).

Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in
which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun
by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols. If you have
a indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a
Yule log and save a bit to start next year's fire. Decorate the
inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights.
Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols,
this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.

Contribute to the manifestation of more wellness on Planet Earth.
Donate food and clothing to poor in your area. Volunteer time at a
social service agency. Put up bird feeders and keep them filled
throughout the winter to supplement the diets of wild birds. Donate
funds and items to non-profit groups, such as Pagan/Wiccan churches
and environmental organizations. Meditate for world peace. Work magic
for a healthier planet. Make a pledge to do some form of good works
in the new solar year.