See
our
Rituals of Life Incense powders for the
fragrance you may need for your celebration.
Religious people worldwide
observe seasonal days of celebration during the
month of December. Most are religious holy days, and
are linked in some way to the winter solstice in the
Northern Hemisphere. On this day, due to the earth's
tilt on its axis, the daytime hours are at there
shortest in the Northern hemisphere, and night time
is at a longest. (In the southern hemisphere, the
summer solstice is celebrated in December, when the
night time is at it's shortest and the daytime is at
it's longest. This article is written for those in
the Northern hemisphere.
The Winter Solstice occurs
eat the precise time when the earth's axial tilt is
farthest away from the sun at its maximum of 23°
26'. Though the Winter Solstice lasts an instant in
time, the term is also known as Midwinter to
refer to the day on which it occurs.
In pre-historic times, winter was
a very difficult time for native people in the
northern hemisphere. The growing season had ended
and the tribe had to live off of what was stored and
the animals they could catch. Survival was harder as
the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each day.
After the winter solstice, they would have reason to
celebrate as they saw the sun rising earlier and the
days would become longer. The concept of birth and
or death/rebirth became associated with the winter
solstice.
DRUIDISM
Druids of the Celtic performed
the functions of modern day priests, teachers,
ambassadors, astronomers, genealogists,
philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists,
poets and judges. Druids led all public rituals,
which were normally held within fenced groves of
sacred trees. The solstice is the time of the death
of the old sun and the birth of the dark-half of the
year. It was called "Alban Arthuan by the ancient
Druids. It is the end of month of the Elder Tree and
the start of the month of the Birch. The three days
before Yule is a magical time. This is the time of
the Serpent Days or transformation...The Elder and
Birch stand at the entrance to Annwn or Celtic
underworld where all life was formed. Like several
other myths they guard the entrance to the
underworld. This is the time the Sun God journey's
thru the underworld to learn the secrets of death
and life. And bring out those souls to be
reincarnated." A modern-day Druid, Amergin
Aryson, has composed a Druidic ritual for the Winter
Solstice.
Yule (Wiccan)
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
and Norsk paganism, elements of the celebration
itself are of modern origin.
See
our
Rituals of Life Incense powders for the
fragrance you may need for your celebration.
Christian
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 Christian Deity
God Incarnate or Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The birth is observed on
December 25, which was the Roman winter
solstice upon establishment of the Julian Calendar.
Christian churches recognized folk elements of the
festival in various cultures within the past several
hundred years, allowing much of the folklore and
traditions of local pagan festivals to be
appropriated. 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 as the meaning behind the
holiday. 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.
See
our
Rituals of Life Incense powders for the
fragrance you may need for your celebration.
