The Pagan Heart
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November-December 2005 Issue
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Celtic Path - The Winter Solstice
By Anne S.
There are many solar themes associated with the winter solstice - from the rebirth of Osiris/Horus to Sol Invictus, Saturnalia, Yule, Lenaea, and so on. In most there is the idea of a sun god who has weakened through the first part of winter and with the night of the solstice, the wheel turns and the god begins to regain strength and power. Throughout the ages festivals at this time have often focused upon the use of sympathetic magic through fire and food as a way to help strengthen the god in his or her struggle to grow strong once more. Sympathetic magic is the use of what occurs in one place (the worshippers strengthened and enlivened through their feast and ceremony) to magically affect something elsewhere on a grander scale (the sun deity returned to power through that absorbed from the worshippers). Like these other festivals, modern Celtic Traditions are a form of sympathetic magic aimed to strengthen the sun god and help him return to us. The festivals often revolve around the Holly King and the Oak King. The aging Holly King, Lord of Winter, is defeated on this day by the vigourous Oak King in some paths - in others, his end is fortold through the birth of his sun - the Oak King. The lighting of the Yule Log is viewed as the most basic retelling of this tale - light, heat, and life brought forth in the darkness to consume the old year. The passing era of the Holly King is both celebrated and mourned - winter is not an easy time in life, but it is a necessary aspect of the cycle. And the coming of the Oak King, summer's life, is anticipated as a sign that life does indeed continue in its eternal rhythm. The two kings are both separate beings, brothers, and father/son - each grows to manhood to unite with the Great Goddess and create the new king - self reborn, son, brother. In this we see our own eternal cycle of rebirth from death. In keeping with this, the Celtic celebration of the Winter Solstice is a time to look back over the year and forward into the future. It is appropriate to honour the gods who see us through the harsh times while celebrating with family and friends. But these are no old traditions we enact. Evidence of the Celtic traditions shows that although the equinoxes and solstices had importance on an astronomical level, they were not high holy days - those were the cross-quarter festivals. This is recognised through the Wiccan and various ecclectic tradition of referring to the solstices/equinoxes as "minor" sabbats. It is the influence of the Christian celebration of Christams that seems likely to be responsible for the inflated importance of the Celtic festival. And the cross-over effect of other Pagan festivals such as Yule and Saturnalia, which have strongly influenced the Christian traditions as well. To me this revival of the old ways through the growth of new traditions is a sign of the cycle of life and death - we do not die to return to the same life but rather to a new one. Fresh paths unfold before us for exploration. The old ways died once and have been reborn in us and it is through our lives that they live again, fresh and new while still echoing of long-standing tradition and belief.
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Primary Article - November-December 2005: Saulegriza, the Lithuanian Solstice
Secondary Article - Kupoliu Svente - the Lithuanian Midsummer
Secondary Article - Midsumarsblot - the Asatru Summer Solstice Blot
Secondary Article - Ta Kat' Agrous Dionysia - The Rural Dionysia
Secondary Article - History's Eye: A Number of Winter Festivals
~ The Festival of Sokar & The Rebirth Celebration of Nehebkau
~ Yuletide
~ Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
~ Haloa & Lenaea
~ Victory Feast of Horus
Secondary Article - Holy Day: Yuletide in the Home of an Irish Saxon
Return to the Index of articles for Seasonal Festivals
