Our BetterMost Community > The Holiday Forum
Celebrating the Winter Solstice
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 20, 2013, 01:25:57 pm ---Out of pure relief. Relief that we have the worst part behind us. Days are getting longer again! This is a very joyous thought in the middle of dark days with shitty weather.
--- End quote ---
Sure enough, but it still seems to me their are other ways to "celebrate" than the Saturnalia and consuming in feasting food supplies you might need because it's still a long time till the next harvest.
And of course on this side of the Atlantic, a lot of shitty weather, if not the shittiest, is yet to come. :( But I realize that has no bearing on customs that origiated in Europe.
But I shall celebrate tomorrow night none the less, with a feast of fried ham and a baked potato, by watching Auntie Mame on Turner Classics, and then by going out and getting drunk--though not so drunk that I miss the service of Advent lessons and carols at my church Sunday morning. :)
Penthesilea:
--- Quote from: Jeff Wrangler on December 20, 2013, 02:48:51 pm ---Sure enough, but it still seems to me their are other ways to "celebrate" than the Saturnalia and consuming in feasting food supplies you might need because it's still a long time till the next harvest.
--- End quote ---
Saturnalia - never heard that one before. Thanks to LEO, my online dictionary.
their - I know you will bite yourself in the :-X for this. ;)
Well, my reply was solely in regard to my feelings. I didn't mean the broader (ancient) traditions.
--- Quote ---And of course on this side of the Atlantic, a lot of shitty weather, if not the shittiest, is yet to come. :( But I realize that has no bearing on customs that origiated in Europe.
--- End quote ---
Regarding the weather, it's the same here. Coldest months with the most snow are January and February. So as you rightfully said, the worst was still before the ancient kelts, or whoever came up with celebrating winter solstice. And the longer the winter lasted, the less provisions they had.
However, I think our ancestors were just as happy to know the sun would be back their way as I am today, if not more.
--- Quote ---But I shall celebrate tomorrow night none the less, with a feast of fried ham and a baked potato, by watching Auntie Mame on Turner Classics, and then by going out and getting drunk--though not so drunk that I miss the service of Advent lessons and carols at my church Sunday morning. :)
--- End quote ---
Cheers to your feast! :-*
Jeff Wrangler:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 20, 2013, 03:20:18 pm ---
Saturnalia - never heard that one before.
--- End quote ---
Well, I guess those ancient Romans knew how to party. ;D
--- Quote ---However, I think our ancestors were just as happy to know the sun would be back their way as I am today, if not more.
--- End quote ---
When all you had was a campfire in your cave, I would guess more. ;D
--- Quote ---Cheers to your feast! :-*
--- End quote ---
Thanks!
Speaking of celebrating, today is the day Evangelical Lutheran Church in America celebrates the life of Katharina von Bora. 8)
Penthesilea:
Credit for coining the catchy name 'Longerdays' for Winter Solstice goes
to our very own Serious Crayons! :D
Happy Longerdays, everyone!
:)
serious crayons:
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 21, 2013, 10:52:35 am ---Credit for coining the catchy name 'Longerdays' for Winter Solstice goes
to our very own Serious Crayons! :D
Happy Longerdays, everyone!
:)
--- End quote ---
Happy Longerdays to you all!
In regard to the question of why celebrate on the shortest (i.e., most depressing) day of the year, I think it's a combination of what Penth and others have said: It's expressing happiness about the days getting longer (both in ancient times and now), even though much of the cold has yet to come. And it's also a sort of "screw you, winter" -- people gather inside, by the fire, with lots of reassuring lights and food, exchanging gifts. I don't know if the gift tradition dates back to the Celts, but all the lights and Yule log and tree symbology suggest a defiant but affectionate atmosphere of light and warmth. They were celebrating not the bleakness and fear of the outdoors in winter, but their own ability to transcend it.
Nature must have held a terrifying power back then, when a bad hail storm in August might literally mean starvation in January. My biggest fears are things like getting my car stuck or being uncomfortable walking from door to parking lot. Is it any wonder humans hoped for/created/found deities who would help them, or that there are more doubters now? Every year, I wish fervently that the earth would decide not to turn on its axis, yet it always happens. But know for certain it will turn back to warmth -- did they? Sure, they'd studied the patterns of seasons, obviously, but without a larger concept of the solar system and the earth's place in it, mightn't they suspect there was room for capriciousness?
--- Quote from: Penthesilea on December 20, 2013, 01:31:20 pm ---
Yes, yes and yes. My overseas-twin. ;) :)
--- End quote ---
:-*
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