The Return of the Light
The Winter Solstice is described in many ways: the Return of the Light, the Rebirth of the Sun, the Death of Winter & Rebirth of Spring, the Longest Night & Shortest Day. It is typically celebrated around December 21st (June 21st in the Southern hemisphere), but can be observed any time during Midwinter (December-January), depending on the people and region.
Solstice is Latin for "sun standing still;" as the winter nights grow darker earlier, the days seem shorter and are colder. Scientifically, hibernal solstice happens when the Earth is tilted the furthest away from the Sun, and the environment becomes darker and colder. Culturally, it is a time of embracing darkness, stillness, reflection, and waiting for the rebirth of the Sun, warmth, & light.
Same Occurrence, Different Celebrations
Cultures around the world celebrate Winter Solstice in their own way. Most people honor a sun or spring deity with dances, ceremonies, and feasting. In many places, midwinter is a time of deep cold and scarcity, so people gather together around food and fire. People eat certain foods during this time to promote health and energy, and to symbolize abundance and happiness.
Some cultures believe the Sun actually dies during the longest night, and that we must hold it's light until it is reborn the next day. Thus keeping fire sources going constantly is not just for physical warmth, but also to remind the Sun to rise and light the world again.
Winter Solstice Celebrations
Yule (Feast Time)
- Regions and Peoples: Nordic/Germanic
- Foods: oranges & cinnamon.
- Activities: burning the yule log until the Sun returns, decorating with evergreen branches & holly, symbolizing life and warmth
- Deities & associations: Odin - god of war, wisdom, magic, and the dead
Panquetzaliztli (Raising of the Banners)
- Regions and Peoples: Mexico / Mexica (Aztec), Maya, other native tribes of Mexico
- Foods: tamales & amaranth bread
- Activities: mock battles between Sun & Moon, in which the Sun defeats his sister, the Moon, when she attempts to kill their mother, the Earth
- Deities & associations: Huitzliopochtli - god of war, fire, sun
Inti Raymi (Sun Festival)
- Regions and Peoples: Peru/Inca
- Foods: Chiriuchu (meat stew).
- Activities: prayers and offerings at the Temple in Cusco; ]Mamakuna (priestesses) performed divination to prevent death from befalling any of the royal family
- Deities & associations: Inti - god of sun, harvest, rain and Pachamama - mother earth
Shalako (Rain Bringer)
- Regions and Peoples: New Mexico / Zuni Pueblo
- Activities: ritual lighting of fires throughout villages by boys acting as Little Fire god
- Deities & associations: Shulawitsi - fire, sun
Sol Invictus (Invincible Sun)
- Regions and Peoples: Roman Empire
- Activities:chariot races symbolizing Sun moving across the sky
- Deities & associations: Saturn - time, abundance
Haloa (Garden Harvest)
- Regions and Peoples: Greece
- Activities :Women's festival of grape gathering, wine tasting, and eating phallic shaped cakes
- Deities & associations: Demeter - harvest, Dionysus - wine
Luciadagen (Saint Lucy's Day)
- Regions and Peoples: Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway
- Foods: saffron bread
- Activities: procession by girls acting as Lucia wearing candle wreath crowns
- Deities & associations: Sunna / Sankta Lucia - goddess/saint of the sun & light
Imbolc (renewal, cleansing)
- Regions and Peoples: Celtic/Irish
- Foods: sweet bread & dumplings
- Activities: procession of girls and women welcoming Brigid
- Deities & associations: Brigid / St. Brigid - goddess/saint of fire, sunlight, healing
Junkanoo (New Yam Festival)
- Regions and Peoples: West Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, etc.) / Igbo, Yoruba, Ga, The Caribbean / Bahamian, Jamaican
- Foods: yams, root vegetables, kpekpele (corn, fish, vegetable porridge);
- Activities: masquerades & parades to honor ancestors & collective dead
- Deities & associations: Anyanwu - goddess of the sun, good fortune, wisdom, Chukwu - supreme being, creator, Oya - orisha of storms & the dead
Markar Sankranti (Capricorn Festival)
- Regions and Peoples: India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia / Desi, Hindu, Buddhist
- Foods: til ke laddu (sesame balls)
- Activities: kite flying, bonfires, honoring sacred animals
- Deities & associations: Surya - god of the sun, Leo, Vishnu - god of life/preservation, cosmic balance, knowledge, Lakshmi - mother goddess, fortune, prosperity, abundance
Dongzhi (Winter's Arrival)
- Regions and Peoples: South East Asia - China, Shanghai, Korea, Japan
- Foods: Tangyuan (rice balls with sweet filling representing little suns) soup, hot pot with ginger & ginseng to boost the immune system
- Activities: ancestral veneration (tomb sweeping)
- Deities & associations: Zao Jun - kitchen, stove; Yuwanshi Tianzun - supreme being, creator
Yalda (the Night of Sun's Birth)
- Regions and Peoples: Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, etc. / Persian
- Foods: pomegranates & watermelon to ward against evil;
- Activities: reading epic poetry at parties
- Deities & associations: Mithra - sun, justice, oaths
Staying together, tending fires, and eating hearty foods get us through the longest night until the return of the light! Let us know what traditions or practices you and your family have around this time of darkness to light!
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