Ever noticed how sunsets around the 20th of December are more intense, more vibrant in colors and more blinding as they sink into the horizon? That’s because of winter solstice, marked as the shortest day and longest night of the year due to the tilt found in the Earth’s rotation around the Sun. After winter solstice, the days become longer again while nights become shorter though it may take a month or two to notice the difference.
History of Winter Solstice
The Neolithic period (as far back as 10,200 B.C.) is the earliest archaeological evidence of humans celebrating the winter solstice. Monuments from that time, some which are still around today such as Stonehenge in England and Newgrange in Ireland, align with the winter solstice sunrise and archaeologists theorize that these tomb-like structures may have served a sacred or religious purpose. Possibly Stone Age people held rituals to capture the sun on the year’s shortest day.
What’s especially interesting about this shift in light before wintertime is that cultures around the world have long held feasts and celebrated holidays marking this time of year. The Romans held a weeklong celebration in the days leading up to the shortest day of the year which featured many of the traditions we now relate with Christmas, such as hanging wreaths, candle lighting, feasting and the giving of gifts. Called Saturnalia, this week of celebrating was also a holiday to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture.
The Inca Empire paid tribute to the sun god Inti at a winter solstice celebration called Inti Raymi which is Quechua for “sun festival.” Fasting, the sacrificing of animals, including llamas, and offerings of chicha (a sacred beer made from fermented corn) at dawn on the solstice were all ways in which the Incas marked this sacred day. When Spain colonized Peru and regions around it during the 15th century, the festival was banned, but locals kept celebrating it in secret for many years until 1944, when it was successfully publicly revived and is still celebrated to this day.
In Japan, this special time of year is called Toji and it is a common practice to enjoy hot springs and bathing as folklore suggests that soaking in a yuzu bath on the winter solstice invited health and fortune for the new year. Yuzu is a fragrant citrus which ripens in autumn, and it is thought that the powerful aroma from this fruit could ward off bad luck and even exorcize evil spirits. It also contains about three times as much Vitamin C as that of a lemon, which helps boost immunity – making it the perfect complement to a hot bath during the coldest time of year!
Winter solstice celebrations can also be found in Scandinavian, Chinese, Iranian, Native American cultures and many more. Celebrating and acknowledging the coming of longer days and shorter nights seems to cross culture and religion, going back to ancient times. It seems to be a very human thing to welcome, celebrate and acknowledge the important role that adequate light plays in providing nourishment and food.
5 Ways to Celebrate Winter Solstice
Make Candles
Making candles is not as intimidating as it sounds. Melting the wax before pouring it into molds is the trickiest step, which often involves a double boiler. Once you’ve overcome that challenge, you can add personalized essentials oils, depending on the occasion or season, and create your own scented candles. For example, cinnamon, cloves and cardamon essential oils can be blended for a cozy, pumpkin spice aroma or for a more Christmas inspired scent, try blending fir or pine essential oils with fresh citrus aromas like orange or grapefruit. The making of your own candles can also be part of a building a Yule Altar, as described below.
Build a Yule Altar
Begin taking part in the winter solstice by building a Yule Altar. The purpose of the altar is to honor the return of the sun, so one of the most important items is a candle that symbolizes the sun’s flame. You can also decorate your altar with symbols of winter like pinecones or evergreen boughs of fir and cedar. Consider adding other items that remind you of the sun such as the Sun card from the Tarot Deck or gemstones which remind you of sunlight such as Citrine, Carnelian, or Pyrite. Yule is about bringing nature into the warmth of your home with berries, pinecones, or holly and candles are a must but remember to watch your altar carefully as the combination can be flammable.
Cleanse Your Space
Now that you’ve made your Yule candles, and lit them as part of your Yule Altar, the time is perfect for cleansing your space. Using a bundle of sage or yarrow, or a palo santo wand, gently burn these instruments until they smoke and use the smoke to clear the space where you are going to honor winter solstice. Reflect on the past year as you smell the cleansing smoke and gaze at your array of brightly lit candles. This can be a wonderful opportunity to let go of anything that no longer serves you and to set intentions for the coming year.
Burn a Yule Log
Burning a large log during winter solstice began as an ancient celebration amongst Norsemen of Scandinavia. They celebrated Yule for several days into the new year. In anticipation of the sun returning, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which became known as Yule logs. They would set one end of these logs on fire and everyone would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. Keep it safe in the your more modern neighborhood by considering a mini log for your hearth or perhaps a fire pit in your backyard, which can add some fun and light to these darker days.
Brew Some Winter Solstice Tea
When the mornings and evenings begin to bite with cold, brewing a warm cup of tea becomes a very enjoyable pastime. Drinking tea while enjoying a quiet moment in front of your Yule Altar or a brightly lit fire is a quiet, balancing activity during the busy holiday season. Winter Solstice Tea is the perfect blend to choose when you want to reach for a tea that will help support the immune system, keep you feeling calm while also warming your blood! Rosehips, Orange Peel and Hawthorn Berries provide a large dose of Vitamin C while Rooibos and Linden calm the mind and ease tension. Echinacea Purpurea Root and Chaga Mushroom continue to nourish and activate the immune system while simultaneously cleansing the blood.
These are some suggestions but there are lots of ways to honor winter’s coldness, dormancy and long nights as well as the promise winter solstice holds of lighter, warmer, more nourishing days ahead. However you choose to enjoy celebrating the shortest day of the year, don’t hesitate to embrace both the light and the darkness as they each have their time in our yearly cycles!