How to Observe the Winter Solstice
Prepare to Celebrate the Midwinter Season in December
Nov 10, 2009
The Winter Solstice has inspired religious and cultural celebrations for centuries. Modern households may celebrate winter holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and others around this time of year.
Some families choose to incorporate an observance of the actual solstice through celebration or a ceremony of sorts. It can be a non-religious event or can be a very spiritual observation of the participants’ making.
When is the Winter Solstice?
For folks living in the northern hemisphere the Winter Solstice is the shorter day and longest night of the year. This marks the time between the Summer Solstice, also called midsummer. Days have grown longer, in terms of loss of sunlight, since mid-June up to the Winter Solstice.
According to the Naval Meteorology and Oceanography Command the northern hemisphere will experience Winter Solstice on these dates (times are in Universal Time).
- 2008 – December 21st at 12:04
- 2009 – December 21st at 17:47
- 2010 – December 21st at 23:38
- 2011 – December 22nd at 05:30
- 2012 – December 21st at 11:11
- 2013 – December 21st at 17:11
- 2014 – December 21st at 23:03
Conducting a Ceremony or Ritual
Bring together friends, family members and loved ones for a religious, non-denominational, or multi-cultural celebration of the rebirth of the sun. Include themes that represent the household’s belief system or simply as a pagan celebration.
- Include a candles and sources of light to represent the rebirth of the sun or the return of longer days of sunshine.
- Honor the darker days by recognizing the balance of light and dark in everyday living.
- Remember losses or sorrows over the year but also celebrate the great moments and the hope that lies ahead.
- Recognize the darkness as a time of inner meditation and reflection.
At the conclusion of the ceremony or ritual the family could throw aromatic dried herbs or pieces of fatwood into a fireplace, fire pit. Or individuals could light a candle to represent the return to light.
Festivities for Winter Solstice
After coming together to recognize the event of Winter Solstice a holiday party may commence. In fact, the ceremony can be skipped in lieu of a toast to guests if the celebration is focused on festivities.
Guests can be served with seasonal dishes, using ingredients from local farms when available. Winter Solstice parties can take the place of multi-cultural celebrations that include all of the season's religious and secular holidays.
Gift Giving at Yule
In a time of gross materialism and consumer consumption the holidays can be a real turn-off to those concerned about the environment or the hype in gifting. Consider Winter Solstice gifts that are reasonable on the budget, reflect the giver and receiver's relationship and honor the values important to the giver. This might include handmade gifts of crafts and food items, and locally-made or sold items instead of poorly manufactured products from the far reaches of the planet.
Resources:
- Earth’s Seasons: Equinoxes, Solstices, Perihelion, and Aphelion, 2000-2020, U.S. Naval Meteorology and Oceanography website, accessed online November 2009.
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