Winter Solstice By Any Other Name
By Raewytch
As I wander down my local high street window-shopping and
people watching I am aware of the festive lights twinkling above – attached to
the various shops and lampposts. The shops themselves - windows brimful of
packages covered with tinsel and wrapped up to look like seasonal gifts.
Seemingly unaware of the financial crunch we keep hearing about, they beckon
the harried Christmas shopper in to increase the amount on the credit cards. At
my daughter’s school, they are rehearsing for the school Christmas concerts and
busy collecting unwanted toiletries to sell at the seasonal fayre.
And today I was amused to be accosted by the normally
friendly parents of her school chums. They spoke to me with undisguised pity in
their voices as they asked the usual questions at this time of year. ‘Oh yes
that’s right – you’re a pagan aren’t you? Bet you feel a bit left out this time
of year? Well what do you do at Christmas then?’ ‘Such a shame isn’t it –
doesn’t she get upset at not getting any presents?’. And a number of various
similar questions that added up to the accusation of my obvious scrooge like
behavior because I don’t do Xmas!!
Of course once I explain that actually, I don’t celebrate
the 25th December, but the Solstice a few days before. That yes, we do have a
decorated tree, celebrations, sing songs, have presents and do many of the same
kinds of things with a different emphasis there is almost a sigh of relief.
Then its off to accost the other strange people who don’t ‘do Christmas’ – with
the majority of pity levied on the family who’s children are Jehovah’s
witnesses and ‘don’t have any Christmas or even birthdays!!!’
It amuses me because of the way people become almost
concerned and worried that my child isn’t going to be part of the celebrations
with their own kids. Whereas for the rest of the year they seem to have no
problem at all that we are a pagan family! It amuses me because I feel that I
actually have far more fun and joy throughout the whole year celebrating all
the festivals and giving them equal attention and making sure my youngest
daughter enjoys herself as well as learning about the reasons why we celebrate
them and what they mean.
This year I decided to be pro-active and gave the school and
my daughter’s current teacher copies of a book I wrote on celebrating the
seasons in a pagan family. It included our family activities and beliefs for
the complete yearly festivals as well as the solstice and it was very well
received. The school head was very positive and let me know they will be
including activities and information in it for inclusion in the assemblies
along with the other cultural activities they now include, such as Devali and
Hanukkah.
As a family we do enjoy all the seasonal cycles but I do have
a sneaky extra love for this time of year. It’s the whole of autumn through to
winter that I love the most. Beginning with harvest time – when we have outings
foraging in the countryside. Then Samhain – when we have a family circle for
friends and children with a party that culminates in the local trick or treat
activities. Finally with the many craft activities and preparations we put into
our Yuletide feasting; I relish the planning and organizing of the Solstice
season. I see no reason why I shouldn’t enjoy this season as much, if not more
that the Christians do – whether secular or practicing. And of course as
Christmas did actually kidnap our festival, I make no apologies at any of my
anticipation and enjoyment of this time of year.
We have been active since the harvests, gathering
blackberries, elderberries and other various hedgerow goodies. Making jams,
cordials and jellies. Sloes have been steeped in sugar and brandy, and chillies
stripped of their skins and submerged in olive oil for several weeks.
Ingredients have been collected to make fudge, cinnamon candies, sugared
chestnuts and candied peel. Wines brewed and fruits submerged in jars with a
variety of alcoholic beverages and each one newly stickered and tied with a
ribbon ready for stockings.
Next week we are making the handmade Solstice cards and last
night we hand printed the large rolls of wall lining paper for our own wrapping
paper. And the 21 matchboxes I have found over the last few months will be
decorated and filled with a small chocolate for my daughters Solstice advent
style calendar. We still have a pudding and a cake- with the same ritual
stirring and wish making – wonderful spell opportunities. And the gingerbread
is being cut and decorated into biscuits to hang in star, moon and Goddess
shapes on the Solstice tree.
We will go into the local woodlands and find berried holly,
ivy and search out the elusive mistletoe to hang around the mantelpiece.
Cutting strips of paper we make paper chains and paper decorations for the
living room. A ring of willow I made in the summer has dried out and will be
decorated with the pinecones we dipped in glitter, with ribbons and more holly
to hang on the front door.
My daughter will enjoy the Christmas parties and concerts at
school – even at 5 she knows that the Christian festival is their version of
celebrating the light returning at the darkest point of winter. She accepts it
and doesn’t seem to have any of the problems of understanding it that her
friend’s parents do. We will go to the local Panto when the school holidays
begin and this year our festivities begin the day before with my coven’s family
getting together for a circle. We sing pagan solstice carols, light the Yule
candle (I don’t have a fireplace any more!) and hand out clove oranges to
represent the Sun returning. On the day itself, my older grown up children
return with their families to have presents under the tree, sit round the table
and eat roast goose and toast the Solstice with some of the potent wine made
from our foraging trips.
And on the 25th December? My daughter and I will take a
flask of soup, a bag of birdseed and stale bread and have a hearty walk in the
woods and by the river to feed the ducks. When we get home we will sit together
watching DVDs and videos after a light lunch and the satisfied feeling that we
have celebrated the real meaning of this season – the cycles of life and the
balance of light and darkness.
May your solstice or whatever you celebrate be whatever you
wish it to be.
Blessings
Rachel
Meán Geimhridh, Celtic Midwinter (Celtic, Ancient Welsh,
Neo-druidism)
Meán Geimhridh (Irish tr: "midwinter") or
Grianstad an Gheimhridh (Irish tr: "winter solstice') is a name sometimes
used for hypothetical midwinter rituals or celebrations of the Proto-Celtic
tribes, Celts, 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 (Pre-Celtic or possibly Proto-Celtic 3,200 BC), a tomb in Ireland,
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 19th to
the 23rd 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. Today, among Neo-druids, Alban Arthan
(Welsh tr. "light of winter" but derived from Welsh poem, Light of
Arthur) is celebrated on the winter solstice with a ritualistic festival, and
gift giving to the needy.
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