Author Topic: Celebrating the Winter Solstice  (Read 298816 times)

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #30 on: December 16, 2007, 10:03:37 am »
Maybe you fell off your broomstick in another life, Kerry!! Oh, well, fly on BetterMost then...I'm glad your found the book and I look forward to discussing it with you.

Songs for the Solstice are found here, as well as a discussion of The Mists of Avalon:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6864.0/all.html
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Kd5000

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #31 on: December 16, 2007, 10:47:24 pm »
The Ancient Romans used to have a large festival around the winter solstice called The Saturnalia. It was actually celebrated on December 17 which is tomorrow.  So it wasn't exactly on the date of the Winter Solstice.

I had a Saturnalia party theme as I was tired of the same old Christmas thing.  Instead of evergreen, I decorated the place with some laurel leaves, gilded a few wreaths, stuff like that. 

I had read previously that the early Christians had co-opted the Saturnalia for Christmas.  It now seems that idea is disputed per the article in wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia

So Happy Saturnalia! :)

Offline Kerry

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #32 on: December 17, 2007, 09:08:19 am »
Maybe you fell off your broomstick in another life, Kerry!! Oh, well, fly on BetterMost then...I'm glad your found the book and I look forward to discussing it with you.

Songs for the Solstice are found here, as well as a discussion of The Mists of Avalon:

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,6864.0/all.html


 :laugh: That has actually occurred to me, Lee!  ;)   :laugh:
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #33 on: December 18, 2007, 05:06:32 pm »
Here is what I learned from reading Gay Magick about the origins of the winter solstice celebration, and those who are more knowledgeable, please make corrections and additions.

The winter solstice celebration is called the Yule, an ancient word meaning wheel. It refers to the cycle of life, and the ancients explained it this way. On the winter solstice, the Goddess gives birth to the sun, and from then on until midsummer, the sun grows stronger each day. At midsummer, the sun becomes her lover and the forces of dark and light are at equal strength. Then, at the fall harvest, the sun is cut down or "reaped" and begins growing weaker as the dark, watery feminine elements grow stronger. The whole process is repeated in the cycle of the seasons each year. This story was co-opted by the Greeks in the story of Hades and Persephone and by the early Christians in the story of Jesus. When they adopted the story, the Christians made the feminine role in this cycle taboo.


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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #34 on: December 18, 2007, 07:46:32 pm »
What impresses me is that whether one celebrates Yule, or the birth of the Invincible Sun, or the birth of the Son/Sun of Righteousness, apparently the urge to celebrate at the time of year when darkness reaches its greatest extent and slowly the amount of daily light begins to grow is a very ancient impulse in human beings.

Thinking this makes me feel very connected to the very ancient, distant past, and the--what?--thousand generations of human beings whose DNA I bear?  :)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #35 on: December 20, 2007, 11:41:44 am »
Having some kind of rituals during the holidays goes a long way to alleviate the blues and stress that we all naturally suffer from at this time of year. The ancients knew that very well. Think how stressful and depressing it musta been facing the longest nite of the year without electric lights, and the coldest, most miserable weather without supermarkets! I hope we can discuss ideas for Yule rituals, as well as for Christmas and New Years so that we can build a shared Brokie culture that sustains us all thorugh this difficult period!!


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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #36 on: December 20, 2007, 11:44:48 am »
Think how stressful and depressing it musta been facing the longest nite of the year ... and the coldest, most miserable weather without supermarkets!

Not to mention without central heating. ...  ;)
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline serious crayons

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #37 on: December 20, 2007, 12:11:27 pm »
And it wouldn't have just been depressing or uncomfortable -- it would have been life-threatening. In years when harvests were sparse (or in pre-agricultural days, when they had to rely on foraged food), folks living in northern climates must have often faced very real worries about not surviving winter.  :-\



Offline Shakesthecoffecan

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #38 on: December 20, 2007, 12:16:22 pm »
What impresses me is that whether one celebrates Yule, or the birth of the Invincible Sun, or the birth of the Son/Sun of Righteousness, apparently the urge to celebrate at the time of year when darkness reaches its greatest extent and slowly the amount of daily light begins to grow is a very ancient impulse in human beings.

Thinking this makes me feel very connected to the very ancient, distant past, and the--what?--thousand generations of human beings whose DNA I bear?  :)

Amen Brother, I like the idea of celebrating the solstice with a bonfire, or a lot of light.  It is like we have sung to the furtherest point in the pendulem, and we all gotta hold on until it starts swinging back into the warm and the light.
"It was only you in my life, and it will always be only you, Jack, I swear."

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Re: Celebrating the Winter Solstice
« Reply #39 on: December 20, 2007, 04:16:25 pm »
Yes, friends, let's gather round the campfire on the Yule.

"chewing gum and duct tape"