Everything about The Winter Solstice totally explained
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 some time between
December 20 and
December 23 each year in the
northern hemisphere, and between
June 20 and
June 23 in the
southern hemisphere, during either the
shortest day or the
longest night of the year, which isn't to be confused with the
darkest day or night or the day with the earliest sunset or latest sunrise. Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant, the term is also used to refer to the full 24-hour period.
Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving
holidays,
festivals, gatherings,
rituals or other
celebrations around that time.
The seasonal significance of the Winter Solstice is varied, since it's sometimes said to
astronomically mark either the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's
Winter. Winter is a
subjective term, so there's no
scientifically established beginning or middle of winter but the Winter Solstice itself is clearly defined within a second.
The word
solstice derives from
Latin sol (sun) and
sistere (to stand still),
Winter Solstice meaning
Sun standstill in winter.
Date
Calendrically, in most countries the time of the winter solstice is considered as midwinter. This is evident in calendars as far back as
Ancient Egypt, whose system of seasons was gauged according to the flooding of the Nile. For Celtic countries, such as
Ireland, the calendarical winter season has traditionally begun
November 1 on
All Hallows or
Samhain. Winter ends and spring begins on
Imbolc or
Candlemas, which is
February 1 or
2. This calendar system of seasons may be based on the length of days exclusively. Most
East Asian cultures define the seasons by
solar terms, with
Dong zhi at the winter solstice as the middle or "extreme" of winter. This system is based on the sun's tilt. Some midwinter festivals have occurred according to
lunar calendars and so took place on the night of
Hōku (
Hawaiian, the full moon closest to the winter solstice). And many European
solar calendar midwinter celebrations still centre upon the night of
December 24 leading into the
December 25 in the north, which was considered to be the winter solstice upon the establishment of the
Julian calendar. In Jewish culture,
Teḳufat Tevet, the day of the winter solstice, is historically known as the first day of the "stripping time" or winter season.
Persian cultures also recognize it as the beginning of winter.
Since
45 BCE, when the 25th was established in the
Julian calendar as the winter solstice of Europe, the difference between the calendar year (365.2500 days) and the
tropical year (365.2422 days) moved the day associated with the actual astronomical solstice forward approximately three days every four centuries until
1582 when
Pope Gregory XIII changed the calendar bringing the northern winter solstice to around
December 21. Yearly, in the
Gregorian calendar the solstice still moves around a bit, but in the longterm, only about one day per 3000 years.
The figures above show the differences between the Gregorian calendar (Figure 1: using 1 leap year per 4 years) and
Persian Jalāli calendar (Figure 2: using the 33-year arithmetic approximation) in reference to the actual yearly time of the winter solstice of the northern hemisphere, the
December solstice. The Y axis is "days error" and the X axis is Gregorian calendar years. Each point represents a single date on a given year. The error shifts by about 1/4 day per year, and is corrected by a leap year every 4th year regularly, and in the case of the Persian calendar also one 5 year leap period to complete a 33-year cycle, keeping the Persian winter solstice holiday on the same day every year.
History and cultural significance
Astronomical events, which during ancient times allowed for the scheduling of mating, sowing of crops and metering of winter reserves between harvests, show how various cultural mythologies and traditions have arisen. 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. On 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 doesn't move on the horizon. After such a time, the Sun begins its ascent into the northern sky and days grow longer. Thus the interpretation by many cultures of a sun reborn and a return to light. This return to light is again celebrated at the
vernal equinox, when the length of day equals that of night.
The solstice itself may have remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the year since
neolithic times. This is attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic and
Bronze Age archaeological sites like
Stonehenge in Britain and Brú na Bóinne (
New Grange) in Ireland. The primary axes of both of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned on a sight-line framing the winter solstice sunrise (New Grange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not assured to live through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months.
Starvation was common in winter between January to April, also known as
the famine months. In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast
celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were
slaughtered so they wouldn't have to be fed during the winter, so 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
eve.
Explanations for parallel traditions
Symbolic
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, in cultures using winter solstitially based cyclic calendars, the
year as reborn has been celebrated with regard to
life-death-rebirth deities or
new beginnings such as
Hogmanay's
redding, a
New Years cleaning tradition. Also
reversal is another usual theme as in
Saturnalia's slave and master reversals.
Migration and appropriation
Many outside traditions are often adopted by neighboring or invading cultures. 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 to speculations on the
origins of languages.
Therapeutic
Even in modern cultures these gatherings are still valued for emotional comfort, having something to look forward to at the darkest time of the year. This is especially the case for populations in the near
polar regions of the hemisphere.
The depressive
psychological effects of winter on individuals and
societies are for the most part tied to coldness, tiredness,
malaise, and inactivity. Winter
weather, plus being indoors causes negative
ion deficiency which decreases
serotonin levels resulting in
depression and tiredness.
Also, insufficient sunlight in the short winter days increases the secretion of
melatonin in the body, off balancing the
circadian rhythm with longer sleep. Exercise,
light therapy, increased negative
ion exposure (which can be attained from plants and well ventilated flames, burning wood or
beeswax) can reinvigorate the body from its seasonal lull and relieve
winter blues by decreasing melatonin secretions, increasing serotonin and temporarily creating a more even sleeping pattern.
Midwinter festivals and celebrations occurring on the longest night of the year, often calling for
evergreens, bright illumination, large ongoing fires, feasting, communion with close ones, and evening physical exertion by dancing and singing are examples of cultural winter therapies that have evolved as traditions since the
beginnings of civilization. Such traditions can stir the
wit, stave off malaise, reset the
internal clock and rekindle the human spirit.
Observances
The following is an alphabetical list of observances believed to be directly linked to the winter solstice. For other Winter observances see List of winter festivals.:
Amaterasu celebration, Requiem of the Dead (7th century Japan)
In late
seventh century Japan, festivities were held to celebrate the reemergence of
Amaterasu or
Amateras, the
sun goddess of
Japanese mythology, from her seclusion in a cave. Tricked by the other gods with a loud celebration, she peeks out to look and finds the image of herself in a mirror and is convinced by the other gods to return, bringing sunlight back to the universe.
Requiems for the dead were held and
Manzai and Shishimai were performed throughout the night, awaiting the sunrise. Aspects of this tradition have continued to this day on New Years.
The
Saami, indigenous people of
Finland,
Sweden and
Norway, worship
Beiwe, the sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. She travels through the sky in a structure made of reindeer bones with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to herald back the greenery on which the reindeer feed. On the winter solstice, her worshipers sacrifice white female animals, and with the meat, thread and sticks, bed into rings with ribbons. They also cover their doorposts with butter so Beiwe can eat it and begin her journey once again.
In the ancient traditions of the
Kalash people of
Pakistan, during winter solstice, a
demigod returns to collect prayers and deliver them to Dezao, the supreme being. "During this celebrations women and girls are purified by taking ritual baths. The men pour water over their heads while they hold up bread. Then the men and boys are purified with water and must not sit on chairs until evening when goat's blood is sprinkled on their faces. Following this purification, a great festival begins, with singing, dancing, bonfires, and feasting on goat tripe and other delicacies".
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, 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, Christians revitalized its recognition as an authentic Christian festival in various cultures within the past several hundred years, preserving much of the folklore and traditions of local pagan festivals. So today, the old festivals such as
Jul,
Коледа and
Karácsony, are still celebrated in many parts of Europe, but the
Christian Nativity is now often representational of the meaning. 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.
Deuorius Riuri (Gaul)
Deuorius Riuri was the annual
great divine winter feast, observed by the
Coligny Calendar. The lunisolar Coligney Midwinter returned to solar alignment every two and a half years.
The last day of the Persian month
Azar is the longest night of the year, when the forces of
Ahriman are assumed to be at the peak of their strength. The next day, the first day of the month
Dey, known as
khoram ruz or
khore ruz (the day of sun) belongs to God (
Ahura Mazda). Since the days are getting longer and the nights shorter, this day marks the victory of Sun over the darkness. The occasion was celebrated in the ancient Persian
Deygan Festival dedicated to Ahura Mazda, and
Mithra on the first day of the month
Dey.
The Winter Solstice Festival or
The Extreme of Winter (
Pinyin:
Dōng zhì), (
Rōmaji:
Tōji) is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Chinese and other East Asians during the
dongzhi solar term on or around
December 21 when sunshine is weakest and daylight shortest;
for example, on the first day of the dongzhi solar term.
The origins of this festival can be traced back to the
yin and yang philosophy of balance and
harmony in the cosmos. After this celebration, there will be days with longer daylight hours and therefore an increase in positive energy flowing in. The philosophical significance of this is
symbolized by the
I Ching hexagram fù (復, "Returning"). Traditionally, the Dongzhi Festival is also a time for the family to get together. One activity that occurs during these get togethers (especially in the southern parts of China and in
Chinese communities overseas) is the making and eating of
Tangyuan (湯圓, as pronounced in
Cantonese;
Mandarin Pinyin:
Tāng Yuán) or balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize reunion.
Goru is the (December) winter solstice ceremony of the
Pays Dogon of
Mali. It is the last harvest ritual and celebrates the arrival of humanity from the sky god,
Amma, via
Nommo inside the
Aduno Koro, or the "Ark of the World".
The
New Years Eve celebration of Scotland is called
Hogmanay. The name derives 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 1600, with the Scottish application of the
January 1st New year and the churches persistent suppression of the solstice celebrations, the holiday traditions moved to
December 31. The festival is still referred to as the
Yules by the
Scots of the
Shetland Islands who start the festival on December 18th and hold the last tradition (a
Troll chasing ritual) on January 18th. 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 (as the gifts, and often
Flies cemetery) are then given to the guests.
The
Inti Raymi or
Festival of the Sun was a religious ceremony of the
Inca Empire in honor of the sun god
Inti. It also marked the winter solstice and a new year in the
Andes of the
Southern Hemisphere. One ceremony performed by the Inca priests was the
tying of the sun. In
Machu Picchu there's still a large column of stone called an
Intihuatana, meaning "hitching post of the sun" or literally
for tying the sun. The ceremony to tie the sun to the stone was to prevent the sun from escaping. The
Spanish conquest, never finding Machu Picchu, destroyed all the other intihuatana, extinguishing the sun tying practice. The
Catholic Church managed to suppress all Inti festivals and ceremonies by
1572. Since
1944 a theatrical representation of the Inti Raymi has been taking place at
Sacsayhuamán (two km. from
Cusco) on
June 24 of each year, attracting thousands of local visitors and
tourists. The
Monte Alto culture may have also had a similar tradition.
Junkanoo, in the Bahamas,
Junkunno or
Jonkanoo, in Jamaica, is a fantastic masquerade, parade and street festival, believed to be of West African origin. It is traditionally performed through the streets towards the end of December, and involves participants dressed in a variety of fanciful
costumes, such as the
Cow Head, the
Hobby Horse, the
Wild Indian, and the
Devil. The parades are accompanied by bands usually consisting of
fifes,
drums, and
coconut graters used as scrapers, and Jonkanoo songs are also sung. A similar practice was once common in coastal North Carolina, where it was called
John Canoe,
John Koonah, or
John Kooner. John Canoe was likened to the
wassailing tradition of
medieval Britain. Both John Canoe and wassailing bear strong resemblance to the social inversion rituals that marked the ancient Roman celebration of
Saturnalia.
Karachun,
Korochun or
Kračún was a
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, symbolising the old sun, becomes smaller as the days become shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and dies on
December 22nd, the December solstice. He is said to be defeated by the dark and evil powers of the Black God. In honour 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's known as
khorovod. On
December 23rd 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 dinings in the honor of the dead so as they wouldn't suffer from hunger and lit wooden logs at local crossroads.
Koleda, Коляда, Sviatki, Dazh Boh (Ancient Eastern Slavic and Sarmatian)
In ancient Slavonic cultures, the festival of
Kaleda began at Winter Solstice and lasted for ten days. In Russia, this festival was later applied to
Christmas Eve but most of the practices were lost after the
Soviet Revolution. Each family made a fire in their hearth and invited their personal household Gods to join in the festivities. Children disguise themselves on evenings and nights and as
Koledari, visited houses and sang wishes of good luck, like
Shchedryk, to hosts. As a reward, they were given little gifts, a tradition called
Kolyadovanie, much like the old
wassailing or
mummers Tradition.
In the
Aegean civilizations, the exclusively female midwinter ritual,
Lenaea or
Lenaia, was the
Festival of the Wild Women. In the forest, a man or bull representing the god
Dionysus was torn to pieces and eaten by
Maenads. Later in the ritual a baby, representing Dionysus reborn, was presented. Lenaion, the first month of the Delian calendar, derived its name from the festival's name. By
classical times, the human sacrifice had been replaced by that of a goat, and the women's role had changed to that of funeral mourners and observers of the birth. Wine miracles were performed by the priests, in which priests would seal water or juice in a room overnight and the next day they'd have turned into wine. The miracle was said to have been performed by Dionysus and the
Lenaians. By the
5th century BCE the ritual had become a
Gamelion festival for theatrical competitions, often held in Athens in the Lenaion theater.
The festival influenced
Brumalia, an
ancient Roman solstice festival honoring
Bacchus, generally held for a month and ending
December 25. The festival included drinking and merriment. The name is derived from the Greek word
bruma, meaning "shortest day", though the festivities almost always occurred at night.
Lucia or
Lussi Night happened on
December 13, 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, didn't carry out their chores, the female
demon,
the Lussi or
Lucia die dunkle would come to punish them.
Makara Sankranti, celebrated at the beginning of
Uttarayana, is the only Hindu festival which is based on the celestial calendar rather than the lunar calendar. The
zodiac having drifted from the solar calendar has caused the festival to now occur in mid-January (see
precession of equinoxes). In
Tamil Nadu it's celebrated as the festival of
Pongal. The day before Pongal, the last day of the previous year, they celebrate
Bhogi. In
Assam it's called
Magh Bihu (the First day of Magh), in Punjab
Lohri and in Maharshtra it's called
Makar Sankranti and is celebrated by exchanging balls of sesame candy (
Til Gul) and requesting each other to be as sweet as the candy balls for the next year. It is called Makara Sankrant because the sun enters the zodiacal sign of Capricorn on 14th January (Makar meaning Capricorn). It is celebrated with much pomp in Andhra Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated for three days and is more of a cultural festival than an auspicious day as in other parts of India. In some parts of India, the festival is celebrated by taking dips in the
Ganga or another river and offering water to the Sun god. The dip is said to purify the self and bestow
punya. In many countries, families fly kites from their roofs all day and into the night. In
Assam on Bihu Eve or
Uruka families build house-like structures called
bhelaghar and separate large
bhelaghar are built by the community as a whole. Different sorts of twine are tied around fruit trees. Traditionally, fuel is stolen for the final ceremony, when all the
bhelaghar are burned. Their remains are then placed at the fruit trees. Special
puja is offered as a thanksgiving for good harvest. Since the festival is celebrated in midwinter, the foods prepared for this festival are such that they keep the body warm and give high energy.
Laddu of
til made with
jaggery is specialty of the festival.
Meán Geimhridh (Irish tr:
midwinter) or
Grianstad an Gheimhridh (Ir 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 BCE), 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.
» For an unknown period,
Lá an Dreoilín or
Wren day has been celebrated in Ireland, the
Isle of Man and
Wales on
December 26. Crowds of people, called
wrenboys, take 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.
» In
England, during the
18th century, there was a revival of interest in
Druids. Today, amongst
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.
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 was performed by
goði, or priests, at certain cult 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
1200, due to
missionary persistence.
The Night of Mothers or
Mothers' Night was an
Anglo-Saxon and
Germanic feast. It was believed that dreams on this night foretold events in the upcoming year. While it may originally have occurred the night before
Samhain according to a lunar calendar, it has moved around quite a bit in the year. By
730, It was thought by
Bede to be observed by the
Anglicans on the winter solstice. After the reemergence of Christmas in
Britain it was recognized by many as one of the
Twelve Days of Christmas.
Early
Germans (c.
500-
1000) considered the Norse goddess,
Hertha or
Bertha to be the goddess of light, domesticity and the home. They baked yeast cakes shaped like shoes, which were called
Hertha's slippers, and filled with gifts.
"During the Winter Solstice houses were decked with fir and evergreens to welcome her coming. When the family and serfs were gathered to dine, a great altar of flat stones was erected and here a fire of fir boughs was laid. 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.
In twelfth century
Russia, the eastern
Slavs worshiped the winter mother goddess, Rozhnitsa, offering bloodless sacrifices like 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. Some Russian women continued the observation of these traditions into the 20th century.
Derived from a pre-Zoroastrian festival,
Shabe Chelle is celebrated on the eve of the first day of winter in the
Persian calendar, which always falls on the solstice. Yalda is the most important non-new-year Iranian festival in modern-day Iran and it has been long celebrated in Iran by all ethnic/religious groups. According to Persian mythology,
Mithra was born at the end of this night after the long-expected defeat of darkness against light. "Shabe Chelle" is now an important social occasion, when family and friends get together for fun and merriment. Usually families gather at their elders' homes. Different kinds of dried fruits, nuts, seeds and fresh winter fruits are consumed. The presence of dried and fresh fruits is reminiscence of the ancient feasts to celebrate and pray to the deities to ensure the protection of the winter crops.
Watermelons,
persimmons and
pomegranates are traditional symbols of this celebration, all representing the sun. It used to be customary to stay awake Yalda night until sunrise eating, drinking, listening to stories and poems, but this is no longer very common as most people have things to do on the next day.
During the early Roman Empire many
Syrian Christians fled from persecution into the
Sassanid Empire of Persia, introducing the term
Yaldā, meaning
birth, causing
Shabe Yaldā to became synonymous with
Shabe Chelle.
Sanghamitta Day (Buddhist)
Sanghamitta is in honor of the
Buddhist nun who brought a branch of the
Bodhi tree to
Sri Lanka where it has flourished for over 2,000 years.
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
17 December, but expanded to a whole week, up to
23 December. A large and important public festival in Rome, it involved the conventional sacrifices, a couch set in front of the temple of
Saturn and the untying of the ropes that bound the statue of Saturn during the rest of the year. Besides the public
rites there were a series of holidays and customs celebrated privately. The celebrations included a school holiday, the making and giving of small presents (
saturnalia et sigillaricia) and a special market (
sigillaria). Gambling was allowed for all, even slaves during this period. The
toga wasn't worn, but rather the
synthesis, for example, colorful, informal "dinner clothes" and the
pileus (freedman's hat) was worn by everyone. Slaves were exempt from punishment, and treated their masters with disrespect. The slaves celebrated a banquet before, with, or served by the masters. Saturnalia became one of the most popular
Roman festivals which led to more tomfoolery, marked chiefly by having masters and slaves ostensibly switch places, temporarily reversing the social order. In Greek and
Cypriot folklore it was believed that children born during the festival were in danger of turning into
Kallikantzaroi which come out of the earth after the solstice to cause trouble for mortals. Some would leave
colanders on their doorsteps to distract them until the sun returned.
Şeva Zistanê (Kurdish)
The
Night of Winter (
Kurdish: Şeva Zistanê) is an unofficial holiday celebrated by communities throughout the
Kurdistan region in the Middle East. The night is considered one of the oldest holidays still observed by modern
Kurds and was celebrated by ancient tribes in the region as a holy day. The holiday falls every year on the winter solstice. Since the night is the longest in the year, ancient tribes believed that it was the night before a victory of light over darkness and signified a rebirth of the sun. The sun plays an important role in several ancient religions still practiced by some Kurds in addition to its importance in Zoroastrianism.
In modern times, communities in the
Kurdistan region still observe the night as a holiday. Many families prepare large feasts for their communities and the children play games and are given sweets in similar fashion to modern-day Halloween practices.
Sol Invictus ("the undefeated Sun") or, more fully,
Deus Sol Invictus ("the undefeated
sun god") was a religious title applied to at least three distinct divinities during the later
Roman Empire;
El Gabal,
Mithras, and
Sol.
A
festival of the birth of the Unconquered Sun (or
Dies Natalis Solis Invicti) was
celebrated when the duration of daylight first begins to increase after the winter solstice,
— the "rebirth" of the sun. The Sol Invictus festival ran from December 22 through December 25, which at that time was at the solstice. With the growing popularity of the Christian cults,
Jesus of
Nazareth came to be given much of the recognition previously given to a sun god, thereby including
Christ in the tradition. This was later condemned by the early Catholic Church for its
pagan practices and for associating the Christ with the sun gods.
Soyalangwul is the winter solstice ceremony of the
Zuni and the Hopitu Shinumu, "The Peaceful Ones," also known as the
Hopi Indians. It is held on
December 21, the shortest day of the year. The main purpose of the ritual is to ceremonially bring the sun back from its long winter slumber. It also marks the beginning of another cycle of the Wheel of the Year, and is a time for purification.
Pahos (prayer sticks) are made prior to the Soyal ceremony, to bless all the community, including their homes, animals, and plants. The
kivas (sacred underground ritual chambers) are ritually opened to mark the beginning of the Kachina season.
Teḳufat Ṭebet (Jewish)
Tekufah Tevet is one of four
Tekufot (
Hebrew:
תקופות), solstices and
equinoxes recognized by the
Talmudical writers. Teḳufat
Tevet, the winter solstice, the beginning of winter, or "'et ha-ḥoref" (stripping-time) was when
Jephthah sacrificed his daughter . A long standing superstition is that on any of the
Tekufot, water that was kept in vessels turned poisonous and must be thrown out. Some believed the poisoning could be prevented by placing iron in the water over the
Tekufot. This observation's solemnness is unlike the following holiday,
Hanukkah. This celebration carries much of the 'light' symbolism present in solstice-connected holidays and has become more prominent in western cultures as it has been influenced by Christmas traditions.
Wayeb' or
Uayeb, referencing the unlucky
god N, were actually five nameless days leading up to the end of the
Haab, the solar
Maya calendar. It was thought to be a dangerous time in which there were no divisions between the mortal and immortal worlds, and deities were free to cause disaster if they willed it. To ward off the spirits, the Maya had a variety of customs they practiced during this period. For example, people avoided leaving their houses or grooming their hair.
Calendar Round rituals would be held at the end of each 52 year round (coincidence of the three Maya calendars),
4 wayeb to
1 Imix 0 Pop, with all fires extinguished, old pots broken, and a new fire ceremony symbolizing a fresh start. The next Calendar Round will be on the winter solstice of 2012, beginning a new
baktun. Haab' observations are still held by Maya communities in the highlands of
Guatemala.
Originally the name
Giuli signified a 60 day 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 solstitial Midwinter festival that amalgamated the traditions of various midwinter celebrations across Europe, like
Mitwinternacht,
Modrasnach,
Midvinterblot, and the
Teutonic solstice celebration,
Feast of the Dead. A documented example of this is in
960, when King Håkon of
Norway signed into law that
Jul was to be celebrated on the night leading into December 25, to align it with the Christian celebrations. For some Norse sects,
Yule logs were lit to honor
Thor, the god of thunder. Feasting would continue until the log burned out, three or as many as twelve days. The indigenous lore of the
Icelandic
Jól continued beyond the
Middle Ages, but was condemned when the
Reformation arrived. The celebration continues today throughout
Northern Europe and elsewhere in name and traditions, for
Christians as representative of the
nativity of Jesus on the night of December 24th, and for others as a cultural winter celebration on the 24th or for some, the date of the solstice.
» In
Germanic Neopagan sects, Yule is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. Further attempts at reconstruction of surviving accounts of historical celebrations are often made, a hallmark being variations of the traditional. However it has been pointed out that this isn't really reconstruction as these traditions never died out - they've merely removed the Christian elements from the celebration and replaced the event at the solstice.
» 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.
» In
Wicca, a form of the holiday is observed as one of the eight solar holidays, or
Sabbat. In most Wiccan sects, this holiday is celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. Although the name
Yule has been appropriated from Germanic paganism, the celebration itself is of modern origin.
Adapting the Egyptian Osiris Celebrations, the
Babylonians held the annual renewal or new year celebration, the
Zagmuk Festival. It lasted 12 days overlapping the winter solstice or
vernal equinox in its center peak. It was a festival held in observation of the sun god
Marduk's battle over darkness. The Babylonians held both land and river
parades.
Sacaea, as
Berossus referred to it, had festivals characterized with a subversion of order leading up to the new year. Masters and slaves interchanged, a mock king was crowned and
masquerades clogged the streets. This has been a suggested precursor to the
Festival of Kronos,
Saturnalia and possibly
Purim.
In ancient
Latvia,
Ziemassvētki, meaning
winter festival, was celebrated on
December 24 as one of the two most important holidays, the other being
Jāņi. Ziemassvētki celebrated the birth of
Dievs, 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 (
Budeļi) 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.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Winter Solstice'.
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