The Pagan Heart
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December 2004 Issue
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Winter Solstice: A Brief History of Tradition
By Rhiannon NosTylluan
A single snowflake falls from the darkening skies, then another. Soon, the fields are covered with a blanket of glistening silver. Days are growing shorter the nights are growing longer, cold begins to settle into your bones. Before you a lone stag crosses the untrodden sea of white while a quiet fall of snow cloaks your shoulders. As you head towards home darkness nips at your heels until you see the warm inviting glow of home just over the ridge; the Winter Solstice is upon you... Also known as Yule, it is the time of the year when we celebrate the turning point on the wheel of the year. The sun symbolically dies and is reborn and begins to grow stronger. Without balance, without light and dark things could not grow. There would be no night to sleep or dream and rest. Babies grow in the darkness of their mothers and seeds grow in the darkness of the earth. In ancient cultures this time of year was considered to be the most dangerous. Early people of the land lived in a hostile environment. Food stores from the summer and fall harvests were running low, many of the animals they hunted for food were hibernating. The land was barren and men and women and children would die from illness and starvation. Many diverse cultures had solstice traditions they practiced to honor and bless the land in hopes to bring life to the earth once again. Greeks celebrated the Festival of Kronos, to the Romans it was known as Saturnalia. In Norse tradtitions the Valkyrie searched for souls to take to Valhalla during Yule. Norwegians would abstain from hunting for twelve days to let the earth rest and give energy to the sun to hastened is appearance. Egyptians celebrated the birth of Horus, son of Isis" and "In the third century C.E. the Roman Emperor Aurelian combined many different sosltice celebrations of various gods - including Apollo, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Horus, Osiris and Perseus - into one festival known as the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" and celebrated on December twenty-fifth to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. In the third century C.E. the Roman Emperor Aurelian combined many different sosltice celebrations of various gods including Apollo, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Horus, Osiris and Perseus into one festival known as "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun" celebrated on December twenty-fifth. According to the Roman calendar the twenty-fifth was the Winter Solstice, the darkest day of the year. Many traditions and symbols from ancient Winter Solstice celebrations have trickled their way through time to be reinvented and altered to fit the needs of the modern pagan. " and "From selecting the perfect Yule tree, to making special decorations to honor the Great Mother and the Sun God, to sprinkling gold and silver glitter in front of the fireplace and telling the wee ones that it's a little magick left by Santa, these are bits and pieces of traditions passed through the centuries. From lighting candles to burning a Yule log to huge bonfires, now is the time to reconnect with those traditions passed through time as well as create new solstice rituals and traditions that your family will remember fondly in the years to come. One of the most prevelant traditions that has remained through the centuries is that of bringing evergreens into the home.. Evergreens and fir trees were sacred to early peoples including the Celts, Germans and Greeks. Originally pagans would go into the woods to take offerings to the evergreens as they signified the life force prevelent in the deepest time of winter with its hope of renewed life. Trees would be decorated with objects that represented fruits, nuts berries and even flowers symbolized the return of summers bountiful harvests. Hanging an evergreen wreath crafted from holly ivy and of course evergreens. The circular form of the wreath represents the wheel of the year and the completion of a life cycle. Another beloved tradition that has traveled the centuries is that of Santa Claus. This folk figure of today has multicultural roots in a variety of pagan traditions. He embodies characteristics that include those of the Holly King, Celtic god of the dying year; Tomte, a Norse spirit known for giving children gifts during this time of year; Thor, a Norse sky god who is pulled through the sky on a chariot drawn by goats and a variety of others. Pagans today can reclaim this Godform proudly by decorating the home with Santa images that represent his pagan heritage. The skies are black now as your frozen hands fumble to open the heavy oak door. You look back towards the fields you have crossed and faintly see a set of footprints in the snow which is otherwise untrodden. As you open the heavy door you are welcomed by the warmth of the hearth with a roaring flame and the yule tree aglow with the promise of new life.
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