Winter Solstice celebrations: a.k.a. Christmas, Saturnalia, Yule, the Long Night, etc.
Note:
For the first time, thanks to a clear sky and the efforts of many
individuals, the 2007 Winter Solstice illumination at the passage tomb at Newgrange in
Ireland was broadcast live on the Internet. The 60 minute broadcast has been
archived and is available at:
http://www.heritageireland.ie/ The passage and chamber at Newgrange was illuminated by the rising sun on
2007-DEC-21 between 08:57 and 09:15 GMT.
Overview:
Religious folk worldwide observe many seasonal days of celebration during the month of December. Most are religious holy days, and are linked
in some way to the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. On that day,
due to the earth's tilt on its axis, the daytime hours are at a minimum in the
Northern hemisphere, and night time is at a maximum. (In the southern
hemisphere, the summer solstice is celebrated in December, when the night time
is at a minimum and the daytime is at a maximum. We will assume that the reader
lives in the Northern hemisphere for the rest of this essay.)
People view other religions in various ways, and
thus treat the celebrations of other faiths differently:
Some people value the range of December celebrations, because
it is evidence of diversity of belief within our common humanity. They respect
both their own religious traditions and those of other faiths for their
ability to inspire people to lead more ethical lives. Religious diversity is
to them a positive influence.
Others reject the importance of all celebrations other than the holy day
recognized by their own religion. Some even reject their religion's holy
days which are seen to have Pagan origins (e.g. Easter and Christmas).
Some view other religions as being inspired by Satan. Thus the solstice
celebrations of other religions are rejected because they are seen to be Satanic in origin.
Origins of solstice celebration
The seasons of the year are caused by the 23.5� tilt of the earth's axis. Because the
earth is rotating like a top or gyroscope, it points in a fixed direction
continuously -- towards a point in space near the North Star. But the earth is
also revolving around the sun. During half of the year, the southern hemisphere
is more exposed to the sun than is the northern hemisphere. During the rest of
the year, the reverse is true. At noontime in the Northern Hemisphere the sun
appears high in the sky during summertime and low in the sky during winter. The
time of the year when the sun reaches its maximum elevation occurs on the day
with the greatest number of daylight hours. This is called the summer solstice, and is typically
on JUN-21 in the Northern Hemisphere -- the first day of summer. "Solstice" is derived
from two Latin words: "sol" meaning sun, and "sistere,"
to cause to stand still. The lowest elevation occurs about DEC-21
and is the winter solstice -- the first day of winter, when the night time hours
are maximum.
In pre-historic times, winter was a very difficult time for Aboriginal people
in the northern latitudes. The growing season had ended and the tribe had to live
off of stored food and whatever animals they could catch. The people would be
troubled as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each noon. They feared
that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and extreme cold.
After the winter solstice, they would have reason to celebrate as they saw the
sun rising and strengthening once more. Although many months of cold weather remained before
spring, they took heart that the return of the warm season was inevitable. The
concept of birth and or death/rebirth became associated with the winter
solstice. The Aboriginal people had no elaborate instruments to detect the
solstice. But they were able to notice a slight elevation of the sun's path
within a few days after the solstice -- perhaps by DEC-25. Celebrations were
often timed for about the 25th.
December celebrations in many faiths and locations - ancient and modern
ANCIENT BRAZIL: Brazilian archeologists have found an assembly of
127 granite blocks arranged equidistant from each other. They apparently
form an ancient astronomical observatory. One of the stones marked the
position of the sun at the time of the winter solstice and were probably
used in religious rituals. 20
ANCIENT EGYPT: The god-man/savior Osiris
died and was entombed on DEC-21. "At midnight, the priests emerged
from an inner shrine crying 'The Virgin has brought forth! The light is
waxing" and showing the image of a baby to the worshipers." 1
ANCIENT GREECE: The winter solstice ritual was called Lenaea, the Festival
of the Wild Women. In very ancient times, a man representing the harvest
god Dionysos was torn to pieces and eaten by a gang of women on this day. Later in the
ritual, Dionysos would be reborn as a baby. By classical times, the human
sacrifice had been replaced by the killing of a goat. The women's role
had changed to that of funeral mourners and observers of the birth.
ANCIENT ROME:Saturnalia began as a feast day for Saturn
on DEC-17 and of Ops (DEC-19). About 50 BCE, both were
later converted into two day celebrations. During the Empire, the festivals
were combined to cover a full week: DEC-17 to 23.
By the third century CE, there were many religions
and spiritual mysteries being followed within the Roman Empire. Many, if not
most, celebrated the birth of their god-man near the time of the solstice. Emperor Aurelian (270 to 275 CE)
blended a number of Pagan solstice celebrations of the nativity of
such god-men/saviors as Appolo, Attis, Baal, Dionysus, Helios, Hercules,
Horus, Mithra, Osiris, Perseus, and Theseus into a
single festival called the "Birthday of the Unconquered Sun"
on DEC-25. At the time, Mithraism and Christianity were fierce competitors. Aurelian
had even declared Mithraism the official religion of the Roman Empire in 274
CE. Christianity won out by becoming the new official religion in
the 4th century CE.
ATHEISTS: There has been a recent increase in solstice observances
by Atheists in the U.S. For example, The American Atheists and
local Atheist groups have organized celebrations for 2000-DEC,
including the Great North Texas Infidel Bash in Weatherford TX;
Winter Solstice bash in Roselle NJ; Winter
Solstice Parties in York PA, Boise ID, North Bethesda MD, and Des
Moines IA; Winter Solstice Gatherings in Phoenix AZ and Denver
CO: a Year End Awards and Review Dinner (YEAR) in San
Francisco, CA.
BUDDHISM: On DEC-8, or on the Sunday immediately preceding,
Buddhists celebrate Bodhi Day (a.k.a. Rohatsu). It
recalls the day in 596 BCE, when the Buddha
achieved enlightenment. He had left his family and possessions behind at the
age of 29, and sought the meaning of life -- particularly the reasons for
its hardships. He studied under many spiritual teachers without success.
Finally, he sat under a pipal tree and vowed that he would stay there until
he found what he was seeking. On the morning of the eighth day, he realized
that everyone suffers due to ignorance. But ignorance can be overcome
through the Eightfold Path that he advocated. This day is generally regarded as the birth day
of Buddhism. Being an Eastern tradition, Bodhi Day has none of the
associations with the solstice and seasonal changes found in other religious
observances at this time of year. However, it does signify the point in
time when the Buddha achieved enlightenment and escaped the endless
cycle of birth, death and rebirth through reincarnation -- themes that
are observed in other religions in December.
CHRISTIANITY: Any record of the date of birth of Yeshua
of Nazareth (later known as Jesus Christ) has been lost. There is
sufficient evidence in the Gospels to indicate that Yeshua was born
in the fall, but this seems to have been unknown to early Christians. By the beginning of the 4th century CE, there was intense
interest in choosing a day to celebrate Yeshua's birthday. The
western church leaders selected DEC-25 because this was already the date
recognized throughout the Roman Empire as the birthday of various Pagan
gods. 1,2 Since there was no central Christian authority
at the time, it took centuries before the tradition was universally
accepted:
Eastern churches began to celebrate Christmas after 375 CE.
The church in Jerusalem started in the 7th century.
Ireland started in the 5th century
Austria, England and Switzerland in the 8th
Slavic lands in the 9th and 10th centuries.
3
Many symbols and practices associated with Christmas are of Pagan origin:
holly, ivy, mistletoe, yule log, the giving of gifts, decorated evergreen
tree, magical reindeer, etc. Polydor Virgil, an early British Christian, said "Dancing,
masques, mummeries, stageplays, and other such Christmas disorders now in
use with Christians, were derived from these Roman Saturnalian and
Bacchanalian festivals; which should cause all pious Christians eternally to
abominate them." In Massachusetts,
Puritans unsuccessfully tried to ban Christmas entirely during the 17th century, because of its
heathenism. The English Parliament abolished Christmas in 1647. Some
contemporary Christian faith groups do not celebrate Christmas. Included
among these was the Worldwide Church of God
(before its recent conversion to Evangelical Christianity) and the Jehovah's
Witnesses.
DRUIDISM:Druids and Druidesses
formed the professional class in ancient Celtic society. They performed
the functions of modern day priests, teachers, ambassadors, astronomers,
genealogists, philosophers, musicians, theologians, scientists, poets
and judges. Druids led all public rituals, which were normally held within fenced
groves of sacred trees. The solstice is the time of the death of the old
sun and the birth of the dark-half of the year. It was called "Alban Arthuan by the ancient
Druids. It is the end of month of the Elder Tree and the start of the
month of the Birch. The three days before Yule is a magical time. This
is the time of the Serpent Days or transformation...The Elder and Birch
stand at the entrance to Annwn or Celtic underworld where all life was
formed. Like several other myths they guard the entrance to the
underworld. This is the time the Sun God journey's thru the underworld
to learn the secrets of death and life. And bring out those souls to be
reincarnated." 14 A modern-day Druid, Amergin
Aryson, has composed a Druidic ritual for the Winter Solstice.
15
INCA RELIGION: The ancient Incas celebrated a festival if
Inti Raymi at the time of the Winter Solstice. It celebrates "the
Festival of the Sun where the god of the Sun, Wiracocha, is honored."
16 Ceremonies were banned by the Roman
Catholic conquistadores in the 16th century as part of their forced
conversions of the Inca people to Christianity. A local group of Quecia
Indians in Cusco, Peru revived the festival about 1950. It is now a
major festival which begins in Cusco and proceeds to an ancient
amphitheater a few miles away.
IRAN:Shabe-Yalda (a.k.a. Shab-e Yaldaa) is celebrated
in Iran by followers of many religions. It originated in
Zoroastrianism, the state religion which
preceded Islam. The name refers to the birthday or rebirth of the sun.
People gather at home around a korsee -- a low square table -- all
night. They tell stories and read poetry. They eat watermelons,
pomegranates and a special dried fruit/nut mix. Bonfires are lit
outside. 17
ISLAM: During the period 1997 to 1999, the first day of the Islamic
lunar month of Ramadan occurred in December. The nominal dates were
1997-DEC-31, 1998-DEC-20 and 1999-DEC-9. The actual date for the start of
Ramadan depends upon the sighting of the crescent moon, and thus can be
delayed by a few days from the nominal date. This is the holiest period in
the Islamic year. It honors the lunar month in which the Qura'n was revealed
by God to humanity. "It is during this month that Muslims observe
the Fast of Ramadan. Lasting for the entire month, Muslims fast during the
daylight hours and in the evening eat small meals and visit with friends and
family. It is a time of worship and contemplation. A time to strengthen
family and community ties." 4
Because Ramadan is part of a lunar-based calendar, it starts about 11
days earlier each year. In the year 2000, the nominal date will be NOV-27.
Ramadan is thus not associated with the winter solstice as are other
religious celebrations. It is just by coincidence that it has occurred
during December in recent years.
JUDAISM: Jews celebrate an 8 day festival of
Hanukkah, (a.k.a. Feast of Lights, Festival of lights, Feast of
Dedication, Chanukah, Chanukkah, Hanukah). It recalls the war fought by
the Maccabees in the cause of religious freedom. Antiochus, the king of
Syria, conquered Judea in the 2nd century BCE. He
terminated worship in the
Temple and stole the sacred lamp, the menorah, from before the altar.
At the time of the solstice, they
rededicated the Temple to a Pagan deity. Judah
the Maccabee lead a band of rebels, and succeeding in retaking
Jerusalem. They restored the temple and lit the menorah. It was exactly
three years after the flame had been extinguished -- at the time of the
Pagan rite.
Although they had found only sufficient consecrated oil to last for 24
hours, the flames burned steadily for eight days. "Today's menorahs
have nine branches; the ninth branch is for the shamash, or servant light,
which is used to light the other eight candles. People eat potato latkes,
exchange gifts, and play dreidel games. And as they gaze at the light of the
menorah, they give thanks for the miracle in the Temple long ago." 5
Modern-day Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting one candle for each of the
eight days of the festival. Once a minor festival, it has been growing in
importance in recent years, perhaps because of the pressure of
Christmas.
NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY:
The Pueblo tribe observe both the summer and winter solstices.
Although the specific details of the rituals differ from pueblo to
pueblo, "the rites are built around the sun, the coming new year
and the rebirth of vegetation in the spring....Winter solstice rites
include...prayerstick making, retreats, altars, emesis and prayers for
increase."6
The Hopi tribe "is dedicated to giving aid and direction to
the sun which is ready to 'return' and give strength to budding life."
Their ceremony is called "Soyal." It lasts for 20 days and
includes "prayerstick making, purification, rituals and a
concluding rabbit hunt, feast and blessing..." 6
There are countless stone structures created by Natives in the
past to detect the solstices and equinoxes.
One was called Calendar One by its modern-day finder. It is in a natural
amphitheatre of about 20 acres in size in Vermont. From a stone
enclosure in the center of the bowl, one can see a number of vertical
rocks and natural features in the horizon which formed the edge of the bowl.
At the solstices and equinoxes, the sun rises and sets at notches
or peaks in the ridge which surrounded the calendar. 7
NEOPAGANISM: This is a group of religions which are attempted re-creations of ancient Pagan religions. Of these,
Wicca is the most
common; it is loosely based on ancient Celtic beliefs and practices.
Wiccans recognize eight seasonal days of celebration. Four are minor sabbats
and occur at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. The other are major
sabbats which happen approximately halfway between an equinox and solstice.
The winter solstice sabbat is often called Yule. It is a time for
introspection, and planning for the future. Wiccans may
celebrate the Sabbat on the evening before the time of the actual solstice, at sunrise on the morning of the
solstice, or at the exact time of the astronomical event.
Monotheistic religions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, tend to view
time as linear. It started with creation; the world as we know it will end
at some time in the future. Aboriginal and Neopagan religions see time as
circular and repetitive, with lunar (monthly) and solar (yearly) cycles.
Their "...rituals guarantee the continuity of nature's cycles, which traditional human societies depend on for their
sustenance." 8
NEOLITHIC EUROPE: Many remains of ancient stone structures can be found in
Europe dating back many millennia.
Some appear to have religious/astronomical purposes; others are burial
tombs. These structures were built before writing was developed. One can
only speculate on the significance of the winter solstice to the
builders. Two examples of passage tombs are:
At Newgrange, in Brugh-na-Boyne, County Meath, in eastern Ireland.
It is perhaps the most famous of the 250 passage tombs in Ireland. It covers an area
of one acre, and has an internal passage that is almost 60 feet (19 m)
long. The tomb has been dated at about 3,200 BCE; it is one of the oldest
structures in the world -- and the roof still doesn't leak after 5,200 years! Above the entrance way is a stone
"roof box" that allows the light from
the sun to penetrate to the back of the cairn at sunrise on and near the winter
solstice. The horizontal dimension of the box matches the width of the sun as
viewed from the back of the passage. In the years since the tomb was
constructed by Neolithic farmers, the Earth's tilt on its axis has
changed from about 24 to about 23�
degrees now. As a result, the sun rises about two solar diameters
farther south today. The monument is surrounded by a circle of standing
stones that were added later during the Bronze Age. 9
At Maeshowe, (Orkneys, Scotland). It is a chambered cairn built on
a leveled area with a surrounding bank and ditch. It has been carbon
dated at 2750 BCE. Inside the cairn is a stone
structure with a long entry tunnel. The structure is aligned so thatsunlight can shine along the entry passage into the interior of the
megalith, and illuminate the back of the
structure. This happens at sunrise at and near the winter solstice.
Starting in the late 1990's, live video and still images have been
broadcast to the world via the Internet. 10
VAMPYRES: We use the term "vampyres"
to refer to real individuals who have a need to ingest small quantities of
blood in order to maintain their strength. They are often confused with
those to which we refer as vampires --
imaginary beings who exist only in religious legends, creative fiction and
horror movies. Vampyres celebrate "the Long Night," a festival at the
Winter Solstice. Many groups of vampyres gather together at this time to
celebrate. "It is a festival of community where everyone relaxes and
socializes. It is also the traditional night to recognize new members of the
community or a coven, or to perform rites of passage." 18
Sponsored link:
The date and time of the winter solstice
The
exact date varies from year to year and may occur between the 20th and 23rd of
December.
Year
Winter solstice
in the Northern Hemisphere
(UT)
1999
DEC-22 @ 07:44
2000
DEC-21 @ 13:37
2001
DEC-21 @ 19:21
2002
DEC-22 @ 01:14
2003
DEC-22 @ 07:03
2004
DEC-21 @ 12:41
2005
DEC-21 @ 18:30
2006
DEC-22 @ 00:20
2007
DEC-22 @ 06:09
2008
DEC-21 @ 11:59
2009
DEC-21 @ 17:49
2010
DEC-21 @ 23:38
The above dates and times from 1999 to 2003 are as accurate as the astronomical calculations on
The Dome of the Sky web site. 11 The dates and times
for 2004 and afterwards were taken from Eric Weisstein's Treasure Trove of
Astronomy. 13 The latter are based on the
Scientific Astronomer computer program which typically gives times that
differ up to 15 minutes from the calculations of the U.S. Naval
Observatory. An online "Easy Date
Converter" calculates the dates and times of the equinoxes and solstices
within 20 seconds. 19 Times are in UT
(Universal Time). This used to be called Greenwich Mean Time or GMT. In North
America, you can find your local time by subtracting:
3 hours 30 minutes for Newfoundland time
4 hours for ATL
5 hours for EST
6 hours for CST
7 hours for MST
8 hours for PST
9 hours for ALA
10 hours for HAW
The winter solstice for 1999 was rather special. It involved the
coincidence of the solstice, full moon and lunar perigee on the same date.
(The moon's orbit around the earth is not circular; it is elliptical.
"Perigee" simply means the point in the moon's orbit where it is
closest to earth.) At this solstice, the moon was both full and at its
maximum size (about 14% larger that at its minimum size). The last time that
this happened was in 1866. The following full moon on 2000-JAN-21 was
also unusual - it was
eclipsed by the earth's shadow.
JPC Artworks has a selection of free solstice cards available in December
that you can Email to a friend. See:
http://www.jpc-artworks.com/
References used in the preparation of this essay:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above
essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
Charles Panati, "Sacred origins of profound things: The stories
behind the rites and rituals of the world's religions," Penguin
Arkana, (1996), Page 215 to 217.
B.G. Walker, "The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets,"
Harper & Row, (1983), Page 166 to 167.
Aerial Images of Newgrange and Knowth megalithic passage tombs
can be seen at:
http://www.knowth.com/
Ellen Jackson has a Winter Solstice web site
Winter
Solstice web site with essays,
quotes, a guest book, and excerpts from her book "The Winter
Solstice." According to a School Library Journal review: "This picture book
does a solid job of explaining various early peoples' attitudes
about the winter solstice and related rituals and traditions.
Included are the Celtics, Romans, and Native Americans (among
others)."
Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
Copyright � 1999 to 2007, by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 1999-DEC-3
Latest update: 2007-DEC-23
Author: B.A. Robinson
