Winter Solstice or Alban Arthur marks the beginning of winter and usually falls sometime between December 21st through the 22nd. This year it falls on the 21st.
There is very little evidence, if any that the Celts or Druids celebrated the Winter Solstice. However we know they were very in tune with nature's cycles and in spirit of that knowledge, many Druids celebrate the occasion! The Winter Solstice is essentially the day or moment when the days are at the very shortest and the nights, the longest. Adorning the house in lights and bringing in greenery are meant to represent continued hope through the literal and metaphorical darkest of times.
Ways to Celebrate:
Christmas and New Years: Most pagans do not celebrate Christmas in the traditional sense of what it represents being Christ's birth. However, many still see it as a time to come together with family that do celebrate, and buy modest or homemade gifts as a reminder of the love felt for them all year long. Of course, it's almost impossible to not celebrate the traditional New Year's with the rest of the world and it's incredible fun, so why not?! We can still recognize the Celtic New Year at Samhain and there is much happiness and meaning in celebrating both.
Create: Make something representative of the season! Make your own advent calendar, wreath or holiday craft!
Decorate: Decorate your home or space with seasonal symbols and colors of nature. Common decorations are reindeer, evergreen wreaths & boughs, oak tree, mistletoe, holly, ivy and colors green, white and red. Search for unique display items that have strong symbology for you. Set up your dresser or altar accordingly. Set up a Winter Solstice tree. I keep my decorations simple and nature based, using many natural or animal ornaments or items that have special meaning for me and my family. Decorate your house with candles or lights, keeping hope and joy alive during the darkest of seasons.
Connect: Connect with others. Prepare a Winter Solstice dinner. Listen to relaxing holiday music. Burn a yule log in the fire. Typically it's a yule log that has been gifted or is from one's own yard or land. Light candles. Some common dishes are roasted turkey, salmon, sweet veggies, gingerbread cookies and scones. Enjoy your family and friends. Cook something different you've never tried before or try a new wine! Go out to a restaurant you've never been too. Call up and meet friends or family you haven't seen in a while to encourage meaningful and new conversation. Being adventurous in the littlest of ways will help stave off the winter "blues"! Attend a pagan social event. Mark this season with something unique to make it feel like more of a special occasion.
Reflect: The winter and darker season is a good time to look inward to yourself, your closest family and friends for comfort. Reflect on your past year, the ups and downs. Think about the best and the worst parts. How can you improve from here? Did anything positive come out of a negative experience? If there was a death or other personal relationship loss, what steps can you take to continue moving forward? If there was a goal you didn't accomplish, what will help make it happen this coming year? Take this time to write in your journal.
Relax: Digress from the busy life of the holiday season. Take some time for yourself, even if only for an hour. When you take care of yourself even in the tiniest of ways, you are astoundingly more capable of helping and being there for others. Take a warm bath with candles. Get a massage. Do whatever you need to do to relax, process and move forward in a positive direction into the new year with as clean of an emotional slate as possible.
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