Let me start by stating that I am not Pagan, but I thought this would be an excellent place to ask the following question. What are some of the ways you celebrate the Winter Solstice? I have never celebrated it and am looking for some ideas. I'm tired of "Christmas"!
Then why not go ask the Jews if you can celebrate their holiday without believing. Of course there is Kwanzaa and Ramadan as well, you dont even have to believe in it, because all they are really are Christmas alternatives after all. But if you want to celebrate the Solstice, then go by a tree, decorate it, put gifts under it and tell your children that Santa is bringing some gifts, because everything that isnt Jesus in Christmas is European pagan, so you are already celebrating it. You could have a party and burn a Yule log. Last year for Yule, my wife and I had a party and a renewal ceremony in front of our tribe. It was nice. Burned a Yule log, drank whisky, danced and sang. We also have an artists sneaky santa. Everyone in the tribe makes something, like flutes or drums or wine or carvings, all of the arts that we all craft, and we open them and steal them from each other.
LOL very good point Sounds like you had a great time Heron. To clarify here ... You are going to fling yourself into celebrating something you have no idea about (and incidently 12 days to learn) out of apathy for something else, and with no true meaningful affiliation to those beliefs? Well I guess if you feel like doing that then google 'winter solstice' or 'yule' you'll no doubt be snowed under with info. Really though if your going to do something as important as a ritual then put your soul into it, do the research, or really why bother. Otherwise it will end up being as lacklustre as the average christmas. Really I've no issues with people becoming pagan, finding celebration in nature for whatever reason (do have a friend otherwise non pagan but a keen amature astronomer who is moved by the solstices), or even just going through the motions of christmas. Hey whatever gets you through the winter. It just really gets to me that something I hold very dear and put a lot of time and effort into studying is hijacked as some trivial amusement. It happens way too often, and by people who should definetly know better (seeing as many are older than me and/or have written books on it). Anyway, in answer to original question ... I just do a little ritual on my own to welcome back the sun. Have a yule log too, chocolate though. Much as I love small scale pyromania my parent's aren't so keen. Otherwise everything else all the regular christmas stuff with my friends and family. Which as Heron pointed out was all original pagan. Have done that stuff all my life but it was never quite as satisfying as it is now that I've invested the effort to understand and connect with it.
Just to add that the pagan Romans had a big feast of Saturnalia, from 17th - 23rd december if I remember rightly. No doubt some of the Christian stuff comes from that - probably having Christmas at this time of year at all. Other things - yes, from european paganism. Holly, Miseltoe, red candles and more - all these things belong to yule as much as Christmas, so you could incorporate them into your yule celebrations.
Im sorry but they belong to Yule more than Christmas. If i had a family heirloom, say a sword that my great-great-great-great grandfather used during the Jacobite rebellion, and it had been in my family for 350 years, and it was stolen. Ok the thief likes it, so he keeps it and it gets passed down to his kids and their kids and then theirs after that. Oneday, my great grandchildren find out where it is, and go to get it back. Which family has more claim over it? As to the date, yes there was Satrunalia in Rome, Yule in the Northern parts, but also there was the Mithric cults in Rome, of the Persian god Mithra. He was born on December 25 to a virgin mother through immaculate conception according to his myths.
In my opinion, it is altogether impossible to celebrate a holiday without comprehending its meaning. Each of the pagan sabbats has a certain feeling about it, a deeper meaning as manifested by the time of the year in which it occurs. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, a time when light is almost altogether lost from the world. It is a time when She is withdrawn into herself, when the world is slow and mournful in spirit. The day represents contemplation, and drawing into oneself for reflection. It is the ultimate day of rest. But it is also filled with hope, as although the light is minimal, the days only get longer from there. So, you can celebrate all the rituals you want (the yule log, the tree, etc) but unless you understand the meaning behind them, they will be empty and just as unsatisfying (if not more) than Christmas. What I would suggest is just do what feels right to you, and the rest of the time you should spend doing something to reflect and be meditative. Then, as you become more mindful of the significance of this time of year, you can begin to integrate your own rituals. For example, for Imbolc one of my friends celebrates the imminent return of light by buying all the candles she will need for the entire year on that day. That way, whenever she needs a candle that year she is aware of where that light comes from. Rituals are pointless without spirit.
I agree - I was only using a form of words there... I also know about Mithra - but it's a fact that the cult of Mithra or Mithras was a later introduction into Roman religion. The roots of Saturnalia go back to the early days of the city, and it's original gods. In the end, it's the solstice isn't it? Thats the thing in all this. No wonder all these diverse cultures and peoples have had a festival at this time of the year. The end of decline the rebirth of light - lets just hope for that this coming solstice, and celebrate along with whatever gods we believe in. Blessings.
Well good bill, well said. But i wasnt relating Mithra with Saternalia, just referencing the Mithric cults imfluence on Christian tradition. and Raven, i agree whole heartedly, well said on your part as well.
WR, I could not have said it better. I don't feel the same connection to Yule as some do but enjoy sprucing up my altar area. Then I just ignore the whole commercialized buy everything now/repent on jesus' birthday business of the xtian holiday season. This year I think I'll push my horse riding buddies into doing a trip around the city to check out people's decorated homes. Much cooler than driving the truck me thinks and we can get drunk too Saturnalia w/o trying plus on horses! Great stuff!
Hi, everyone, and thanks for replying. Please accept my apology, it isn't my intention to trivialize anyone's beliefs. I am terribly sorry. I have spent a few weekends researching the Solstice and ways the ancient people marked it. The spirit of quietness and reflectiveness that goes along with the Solstice is what draws me to it. There is only so much you can get from books, though. I wanted to talk to people. I beleive that is the way you grow. If I was to just stick with what I know I would never learn anything. I was honestly asking a question in more of a spirit of learning than one of hi-jaking your beliefs. I can't seem to apologize enough.... Words fail me.
Try this. This year, don't rush yourself trying to fit your celebrations into some preconvieved notion of what YHule is, or should be. On the day of solstice, get out into nature, if possible. Try to get so far out you can't see or hear another human, or any of their creations. Don't get lost, but let yourself wander a bit, following the trails present in nature. Sit for a while, and just let yourself feel. Think about, and remember anything you hear, see, smell, taste, think, etc. Let your soul be comfortable in nature. When you come back, take some time to reflect on your trip. Write it down. Over the next eleven months, learn about your ancestry. What people's do you descend from? Pick one or two, and research them. At the library, or online, not in the New Age section of Barnes and Noble. One culture may call to you more than another.. If it does, learn about it. Learn about customs and social values, punishments and trade items. Try to get a feel for how these people live. Now try to imagine what these people would have done and felt in today's world, had their culture not been obliterated. Try to figure how theirtraditions may have evolved. Along the way, you'll probably find some folks who have done the same, who can help you. Next year, you'll most likely have a much more fulfilling and precious Solstice celebration. At the very least, you will understand why some of us get testy so easily. Good Luck. Oh, yeah. A good resource for general info on many religions is Beliefnet. It's a place to start, at least. It's a website run by Christians, but with discussion forums for many religions, where folks from those religions and others interact and talk about issues. Lots of valuable discussions already archived. Generally pretty well moderated, too.
No need to apologize: I personally didn't feel insulted or trivialized at all--when I first became acquainted with teh religion, I wanted to jump in headfirst as well. You just have to learn that you can't do that. I felt honored to actually be able to share something with someone who was interested in the belief. No worries. I didn't get a bad impression of you at all, and I doubt anyone here is angry at you. May good fortune be with you on your journey--never forget to stop and look around...and within.
some of the things i have done in the past, either on my own or with a little help from pagan friends! Celebrating the Yule season is fun, and easy! Gather mistletoe on solstice. I found it was best done in a downtown locale at evening rush hour. With any luck it will be freezing cold again this year, and maybe even raining! Re-enact the Osiris myth from Egyptian mythology. The rebirth aspect is equally seasonal, and usually non-denominational for the most part! Take kids to see Santa. What can be more pagan a ritual than offering a child to Zeus? Sing christmas carols. Many of the oldest worship songs of the pre-christian europeans were used for early carols. Drink some spirits, the alchemy of the change from fruit or grain to liqour is a microcosm of the seasonal myth. Christmas and Yule are inseperable, no matter which religion one is, and they have so much in common I dont see why folks get so uptight about the semantics. When it comes down to it, all religions stem from the same source.
As a previous poster said no need to feel sorry. We should never be afraid of our ignorance, of what we don't know. It's only really when we acknowledge that we don't know something that we can try to find out. You're right too that you can only get so much from books. I hope from this thread you've at least gained some insight into the spirit in which some of us celebrate the solstice. It's really quite free and easy. Use your intuition and imagination.
My first post in Pagan in two years, and I am set straight? No wonder I dont post here! And if you dont see the comparison between Zeus and Santa, Im not gonna explain it. Too many pagans cop attitudes about their beliefs already, and are quick to "correct" others. Celebrating the holidays ISNT something that one needs to research, one just needs to feel it! If research and exacting definitions were the whole of holidays, none of them would be any fun at all.
That argument sounded too fluffy. To celebrate a season, or celestial happening is one thing. Celebrate it how you want. But if you celebrate YULE, a specifically northern European Holiday, research it. IF you celebrate Saturnalia, then research it, if you celebrate Christmas, or Hannuka or Ramadan or Kwanzaa, research them. You cant just make shit up. Santa comes from Germanic lore, and yes if you are wrong, you get corrected. Whats wrong with that? It would be better to say, OH thanks, i didnt know that. And if you have some knowledge of a link between Zeus and Santa, please share, and correct me in return.
It's not easy to see why we should equate reindeer etc with Olympian Zeus. The only route I can see is this: Zeus = Jupiter = Jove = Jovial = Ho ho ho = Santa.
I KNOW! Zeus has a beard, Santa has a beard!!!! They must be the same person! Or at least thats how the fluff bunnies brain works.
Are you guys trying to run off pagans and those with interest in it? You have given the poor kid grief for wanting to be a part of it, and now are trying to pick at me. Do i have to go into the fact that Zeus is the father, and we see santa as Father Christmas? Do you need me to hold yer hand thru the fact that santa comes and christians celebrate a birth? Do you need me to point out that after his trip santa is done till next year, a parallel to the death of the old king? Dont forget his relationships with the Stag, his control of the weather, his magickal abilities. Santa and Zeus are both married. Santa and Zeus are both judges. this reaffirms for me that pagans can be the most petty of people, its not about research, good folks, its about beliefs and being part of the cycles.
