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The Winter Solstice, historically known as Midwinter, occurs around December
21 or 22 each year in the Northern hemisphere, and June 21 or 22 in the Southern
Hemisphere. It is on the shortest day or longest night of the year, marking the
astronomical beginning of winter. Worldwide, interpretation of the event varies
from culture to culture, but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving
festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures celebrate or
celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice; examples of these include
Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Pongal and many other festivals of
light.
Date
UTC Date and Time of
Solstice year Solstice
June Solstice
Dec
day time day time
2007 21 18:06 22 06:08
2008 20 23:59 21 12:04
2009 21 05:45 21 17:47
2010 21 11:28 21 23:38
2011 21 17:16 22 05:30
2012 20 23:09 21 11:11
2013 21 05:04 21 17:11
2014 21 10:51 21 23:03
The astronomical event of the Winter solstice, occurring sometime between
December 20 and 23 each year in the northern hemisphere, and between June 20 and
23 in the Southern Hemisphere, is the shortest day and the longest night of the
year, marking the beginning of winter when the sun is at its greatest distance
from the equatorial plane. The name Winter Solstice means Sun set still in
winter.
In Celtic countries such as Ireland the winter solstice is traditionally
considered as midwinter, the winter season beginning November 1 on All Hallows
or Samhain. Winter ends and spring begins on Imbolc or Candlemas, which is
February 1 or 2. This system of seasons is based on the length of days
exclusively. The three-month period of the shortest days and weakest solar
radiation occurs during November, December and January in the Northern
Hemisphere (May-July in the Southern).
Many Midwinter festivals have occurred according to lunar calendars and so,
often took place on H?ku night (Hawaiian), the night of the full moon closest to
the winter solstice. And many solar calendar Midwinter celebrations still centre
upon December 25th in the north, which was the winter solstice upon the
establishment of the Julian calendar.
The difference between the Julian 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 21st. In the Gregorian calendar the solstice moves around a bit
but in the long term it moves only about one day in 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 solstice almost always within the same day every year.
History
The solstice itself has remained a special moment of the annual cycle of the
year since neolithic times. The winter solstice was 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. The midwinter festival was the last
feast celebration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so
they would not 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 Paralleled Traditions
Symbolic
Often 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 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 for
that matter, 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,
getting insufficient light in the short winter days increases the secretion of
melatonin in the body, off balancing the circadian rhythm with longer sleep.
Studies have proven that 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 lul and relieve
winter blues by shortening the 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.:
Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu emerging from a cave.
Amaterasu celebration, Requiem of the Dead (7th century Japan)
Amaterasu
In late seventh century Japan, festivities were held to celebrate the
reemergence of Amaterasu or Amateras (Hindu), 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.
Beiwe Festival (Sámi of Northern Fennoscandia)
See also: Beiwe
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.
Choimus, Chaomos (Kalash of Pakistan)
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, Natalis Domini (4th century Rome, 11th century England, Christian)
Folktale of Father Christmas riding a yule goat. Christmas
Christmas or Christ's Mass is one of 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 25th, what was
the winter solstice upon establishment of the Julian Calendar in 45 BC. Banned
by the Catholic Church in its infancy as a pagan, or non-Christian, 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 usually 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.
Deygān (Zorastrian)
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. While the
next day, the first day of the month Dey known as khoram rooz or khore rooz (the
day of sun) belongs to Ahura Mazda, the Lord of Wisdom. 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 Daygan Festival
dedicated to Ahura Mazda, and Mithra on the first day of the month Dey.
DōngZhì Festival (East Asia, Vietnam, and Buddhist)
Families eat pink and white tangyuan, symbolizing family unity and prosperity.
Dōngzhì Festival
The Winter Solstice Festival or The Extreme of Winter (Chinese and Japanese: 冬至;
Korean: ??; Vietnamese: ??ng chí) (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; i.e., 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 (Dogon of Mali)
Goru is the 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".
Hogmanay (Scotland)
Hogmanay
The New Years Eve celebration of Scotland is called Hogmanay. The name derives
from the old Scotch 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 25th). In 1600 with the Scottish application of the January 1st New year
and the churches persistent abolition 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.
Hertha ritual (Germania)
Early Germans considered the Norse goddess, Hertha or Bertha, the goddess of
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".
Inti Raymi (Inca, Peru)
Inti Raimi Inti Raymi
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 is 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, Jonkonnu, John Canoe (West Africa, Bahamas, Jamaica, 19th-century
North Carolina)
Junkanoo
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, seeing in both a ritualized inversion of the established social
hierarchy that provides, simultaneously, a temporary suspension and powerful
reaffirmation of that hierarchy. Wassailing performed this inversion along the
axis of social class, whereas the 19th-century American version of John Canoe
performed it along the axis of race. Both John Canoe and wassailing bear strong
resemblance to the social inversion rituals that marked the ancient Roman
celebration of Saturnalia.
Karachun (Ancient Western Slavic)
Karachun
Karachun, Korochun or Kra?ún was a Slavic holiday similar to Halloween as a day
when the Black God and other evil spirits are most potent. It was celebrated by
Slavs on the longest night of the year. On this night, Hors, symbolising old
sun, becomes smaller as the days become shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and
dies on December 22nd, the December solstice. It is said to be defeated by the
dark and evil powers of the Black God. In honour of the god, Hors, 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 is known as khorovod.
On December 23rd Hors is resurrected and becomes the new sun, Koleda. Modern
scholars tend to associate this holiday with the ancestor worship. On this day,
Western Slavs burned fires at cemeteries to keep their loved ones warm, they
organized dinings in the honor of the dead so as they would not suffer from
hunger. They also lit wooden logs at local crossroads.
Koleda, Коляда, Sviatki, Dazh Boh (Ancient Eastern Slavic and Sarmatian)
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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.
Maenad depicted in red-figure cup, ca. 480 BCE, Louvre
Len?a, Brumalia (Ancient and Hellenistic Greece, Roman Kingdom)
Main articles: Lenaia and Brumalia
In Mycenaean Greece, the exclusively female midwinter ritual, Lenaea or Lenaia,
was the Festival of the Wild Women. In the forest, A man or bull representing
the harvest god, Dionysus, was torn to pieces and eaten by Maenads. Later in the
ritual, a baby, representing Dionysus reborn, was presented. By Classical
Greece, 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. 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 may have
evolved into Brumalia which was 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."
Lucia, Feast of St. Lucy (Ancient Swedish, Scandinavian Lutheran, Eastern
Orthodox)
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, did not cary out their chores, the
female demon, the Lussi or Lucia die dunkle would come to punish them.
Makara Sankranti (India and Nepal, Hindu)
Makara Sankranti
Makara Sankranti, celebrated at the beginning of Uttarayanais, is the only Hindu
festival which is based on the Solar calendar rather than the Lunar calendar. In
Assam it is called Magh Bihu (the First day of Magh), in Punjab, Lohri and in
Maharshtra it is called Tilgul, but the place where it is celebrated with much
pomp is Andhra Pradesh, where the festival is celebrated for 3 days and is more
of a cultural festival unlike 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
any 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 bhelaghar,
house like structures, and separate large bhelaghar are built by the community
as a whole. Twine of sorts are tied around fruit trees. Out of tradition, 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 the mid
winter, the food prepared for this festival are such that they keep the body
warm and give high energy. Laddu of til made with Jaggery (Gur)is specialty of
the festival.
Mean Geimrech, Wren day, Alban Arthan (Celtic, Ancient Welsh, Neodruidic)
Main articles: Wren day and Alban Arthan
Mean Geimrech (Irish tr: Midwinter) is a name sometimes used for hypothetical
Midwinter rituals or celebrations of the Proto-Celtic Neolithic 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 Whales 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, after the mid 19th 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.
"Midwinter blót" (at Uppsala Temple), by Carl Larsson (1915)
Midvinterblót (Swedish folk religion)
Blót
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 goei, 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 CE, due to missionary persistence.
Modranicht, Modresnach (Anglo-Saxon, Germanic)
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 calender, it has moved around quite a bit in the year. By 730 CE, It was
thought by Bebe to be observed by the Anglicans on the winter solstice. After
the reemergence of Christmas in Britton it was recognized by many as one of the
12 Days of Christmas.
Osiris Death / Horus Birth / Isis Festival (Ancient Egypt)
Over four thousand years ago, Egyptians celebrated the rebirth of the sun at
this time of the year. They set the length of the festival at 12 days, to
reflect the 12 divisions in their sun calendar. They decorated with greenery,
using palms with 12 shoots as a symbol of the completed year, since a palm was
thought to put forth a shoot each month. In ancient Egyptian mythology, the
deity of death Osiris was killed and was entombed but reborn as Horus, the sun
god, to his wife Isis. In the annual winter solstice ceremony, this event was
ritually reenacted by priests. At his moment of death, the priests brought out
an image of an infant, indicating his immediate rebirth as Horus.
Rozhanitsa Feast (12th century Eastern Slavic Russian)
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.
?abe Cele, ???? , Yaldā (2nd millenium BCE Persian, Iranian)
Yalda
Derived from the Zorastrian Deygān festival, Shab-e Cheleh is celebrated on the
eve of the first day of winter in the Persian calendar, which is calibrated to
always fall on the solstice. "Shab e Cheleh" is 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. During the early Roman empire many
Syric Christians fled from persecution into the Sassanid Empire of Persia,
introducing the term Yaldā, meaning birth, causing Shab-e Yaldā to became
synonymous with Shab-e Cheleh.
Decorated Sri Maha Bodhi Tree in Sri Lanka
Sanghamitta Day (Buddhist)
Sanghamitta is in honor of the Buddhist nun who brought a branch of the Bodhi
tree to SriLanka where it has flourished for over 2,000 years.
Saturnalia, Festival of Chronos (Ancient Greek, Roman Republic)
Saturnalia
Originally Celebrated by the Ancient Greeks as the Festival of Kronos,
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 was not worn, but rather the synthesis, i.e. 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
Kallikantzaros 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.
Possible Christ as Sol Invictus riding in his chariot. Third century mosaic in
Pope Julii's tomb.
Sol Invictus Festival (3rd century Roman Empire)
Sol Invictus
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 adopt
much of the recognition previously given to a sun god, there by, including
Christ into the tradition. This was later condemned by the early Catholic Church
for its pagan practices and for associating the Christ with the other sun gods.
Soyal (Zuni and Hopi of North America)
Soyal
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
21st, 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.
Wayeb (Maya)
Wayeb' or Uayeb, referencing the unlucky god N, were actually five nameless days
leading up to the end of the Haab, the solar Mayan calendar. It was thought to
be a dangerous time in which there were no divisions between the mortal and
immortal worlds, and deitys were free to cause disaster if they willed it. To
ward off the spirits, the Maya had a variety of customes 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 Mayan 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. Haab'
observations are still held by Maya communities in the highlands of Guatemala.
Yule, Jul, Jól, Joul, Joulu, J?ulud, Géol, Geul (Viking Age, Northern Europe)
Icelandic manuscript depicting Odin who slayed the frost giant, Ymir. Yule
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 H?kon of Norway signed into law that Jul was to be celebrated 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, and for others as a cultural winter celebration.
Jul (Germanic Neopaganism)
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 is not really
reconstruction as these traditions never died out - they have 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.
Yule (Wiccan)
Yule
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.
Yule, Jul, Jól, Joulu (secular, Northern European and Germanic culture)
Yule or Yuletide is also currently a celebrated secular alternative to
"Christmas", commonly occurring on the winter solstice or December 24th and
25th, in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere it is often
celebrated on the winter solstice or some time through early July. The earliest
recorded Australian midwinter bonfire was lit in Moonta, the night leading into
June 24, 1862, by Cornish immigrants carrying on the European Midsummer
tradition. The midwinter bonfire holiday also began in Burra soon after.
Currently, Yulefest is observed by various Australians, often starting on a
weekend in late June. The contemporary Scandinavian Jul, Julfest, Jól or Joulu
is primarily a cultural observance and does not distinguish between the Germanic
feast, the Christian Christmas, the secular Yule, the Neopagan Yule, or the
pre-Indo-European winter solstice celebration and is also occasionally used to
denote other holidays in December, e.g., "j?disk jul" or "judisk jul" (tr.
"Jewish Yule") for Hanukkah.
Zagmuk, Sacaea (Ancient Mesopotamia, Sumerian, Babylonian, Persian)
Zagmuk
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.
Ziemassvētki (Latvian)
Ziemassvētki
In ancient Latvia, Ziemassvētki, meaning winter festival, was celebrated on
December 24 as one of the two most important holidays, the other being Jā?i.
Ziemassvētki celebrated the birth of Dievs, the highest god of Latvian
mythology. The two weeks before Ziemassvetki are called Ve?u laiks, the "season
of ghosts." During the festival, candles were lit for Dievi?? 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 (Bude?i) 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.
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