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Welcome the Returning Sun: Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World

Image by Celticgarden of Pixabay

This article was first published on #FolkloreThursday.com on 19th December 2019, titled, Top 5 Winter Solstice Celebrations Around the World ,by zteve t evans and was edited and revised 14 March 2024 by zteve t evans.

The Winter Solstice

The celebration of the winter solstice is a centuries-old tradition still practised worldwide in various forms. Individual human cultures often mixed magic with religion to acknowledge and celebrate this momentous astronomical event. Here, we briefly look at five of these festivities from around the globe before discussing why they were so crucial to our ancestors and concluding with what science has to say today.

Winter Solstice at Stonehenge

Sunrise between the stones at Stonehenge on the Winter Solstice in the mid 1980s – Mark Grant, CC BY 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons

One of the most famous celebrations today is held at Stonehenge in England, where many people gather from far and wide to participate. In addition to celebrating the return of the Sun and the rebirth of vegetation, many people feel they are connecting with their ancestors and participating in an astronomical event that has existed for time immemorial. This occasion attracts many different groups of pagans, Wicca followers, Druids, Christians, and non-religious people to gather together and express their gratitude to the natural forces of the universe.

Yalda Night 

Fruits used in yalda by Mohammadmosalman, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

For many Iranians and people living in central Asia, “Yalda Night” is when family and friends come together to eat and drink. They stay awake all night and traditionally eat nuts, watermelons and pomegranates. Eating watermelons on Yalda night is believed to be especially beneficial for health and well-being and in warding off disease. For entertainment, the poems of Divan-e Hafez and other poetry are read. There is a belief in the Khorasan region that eating pomegranates, carrots, and green olives protects against scorpion stings and the bites of insects while eating garlic on Yalda night protects against joint pain. In some parts of Iran, it is customary for a young, engaged man to send presents and a gift of an arrangement of seven kinds of edible fruit to his fiancé. In some areas, the girl and her family send gifts in return to her young man.

Yule and the Feast of Juul

Before the arrival of Christianity, Yule, or the Feast of Juul, was a festival lasting twelve days in celebration of the rebirth of the Sun. In its early days, Germanic people celebrated it during the Winter Solstice by lighting fires that symbolised the Sun. Many present-day traditions originate from Yule, such as the Yule log, which was carefully chosen and taken into the home with great reverence. The broadest end was placed in the fire hearth, with the rest protruding into the room. Tradition dictated the log must be lit by someone with clean hands using the carefully preserved remains of the previous year’s log. As the new log burnt, it was slowly pushed into the fire over the Twelve Days of Christmas. Anything that remained would be carefully kept to kindle the following year’s Yule log. The ashes were scattered across fields as fertiliser; some may have been retained as a charm or medicinal use. Yule is still celebrated in various ways by different groups of modern pagans.

The Dongzhi Festival 

In China and parts of East Asia, the Dongzhi Festival joins the astronomical event of the Winter Solstice, which rebalances the energies of yin and yang in nature. The yin qualities of cold, dark days are gradually replaced by warmer, lighter days of yang energy. It is not the start of winter but marks the extreme point of winter. It originated in the Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD), and its traditions and customs varied from region to region. People visited each other, sharing specially prepared food, and prayed at the tombs of their ancestors and relatives. 

It was a cold time of the year, so warming foods were prepared and shared, which varied from area to area. People in northern parts of China cooked wonton, mutton and dumplings. In parts of southern China, people enjoy noodles and tangyuan as a festive treat. Tangyuan is a dish of glutinous rice balls, sometimes made in bright colours and served in a sweet or savoury syrup or soup. Eating tangyuan is a family activity for many Chinese people in China and worldwide. The round dishes and rice balls symbolise the unity and togetherness of the family circle.

Inti Raymi of Peru

The Inti Rayma is a Winter Solstice festival celebrated in Peru in June instead of December. The solstices are reversed in the Southern Hemisphere to those of the North. It was initially an Inca celebration with sacrifices of animals and possibly children honouring the Sun God, but the Spanish conquerors banned it. In the Inca religion, the Sun God was the most revered of their gods. In the Quechuan language, Inti means “Sun,” and Raymi means “celebration”, so Inti Raymi is the celebration of the Sun God. In Inca tradition, Inti Raymi was created by Pachatutec, the first Inca to celebrate the winter solstice, the first day of their New Year in the Inca calendar.

Although the winter solstice begins around the 21 June, the Incas believed it stayed in the same place, finally rising on the 24 June. Because of this, the Inti Raymi will occur in the exact location in Cusco on 24 June. The leading participant in the ceremony was the Sapa Inca, who ruled the kingdom of Cusco and later the Inca Empire. The nobility and the Inca army joined him in the festival. The participants had to go through three days of purification. During this period, they fasted and were only allowed to eat white maise and certain herbs. The participants painted their faces yellow and wore deer heads, and throughout the rituals, there was dance and music.  

On 24 June, the Sapa Inca took to a stage to drink a maise-based beverage called chicha de jora to publicly honour the Sun God. In the Coricancha, the Temple of the Sun, the Sapa Inca sat with mummies of his dead ancestors before kindling a fire using a concave mirror to reflect the rays of the Sun. With the ceremony over, the Sapa Inca returned to his palace. The Inti Rayma was revived in the 20th century without the sacrifices and is celebrated today. 

What is the Winter Solstice?

The winter solstice is a twice-yearly astronomical event of great significance for the dwellers of planet Earth. The word “solstice” is derived from Latin meaning “sun stands still” because the Sun appears to pause before reversing its direction (1). When the winter solstice occurs in the Northern Hemisphere, the summer solstice occurs in the Southern Hemisphere and vice versa. 

The Importance of the Winter Solstice

The ancients observed that the days became progressively shorter and cooler after the summer solstice. Around the time of the autumn equinox, vegetation turned brown and died as daylight diminished while darkness increased until the winter solstice. The December Solstice marks the beginning of astronomical winter, and the days gradually become longer and brighter (3). Conversely, the next three months are generally the coldest of the year because the earth and water have cooled. The returning Sun gradually reheats the earth and water, bringing warmer weather and more light, stimulating plants to renew their leaves. Herbivorous animals depend on plants for food, and plant renewal is essential for maintaining the food chain that humans rely upon. The regularity of the winter solstice helped the ancients plan necessary tasks throughout the year, such as sowing crops, breeding animals, preparing and storing food and provisions, brewing wine and beer and many other tasks to give them the best chance of surviving the cold, hard days after the solstice.   

Science and the Sun

Earth – Image by NOAA Satellites, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Our ancestors lacked modern technology and scientific knowledge. They knew nothing of how the warming and cooling of the oceans affect weather patterns around the world or of photosynthesis and how plants renewed their leaves, but they did know some things. According to NASA, probably the foremost scientific organisation on the planet, 

“Nothing is more important to us on earth than the Sun. Without the Sun’s heat and light, the earth would be a lifeless ball of ice-coated rock. The Sun warms our seas, stirs our atmosphere, generates our weather patterns, and gives energy to the growing green plants that provide the food and oxygen for life on earth.” (4)

The ancients knew the Sun’s importance to the earth and consequently to their lives and knew it without modern science. In modern times, the winter solstice is a time for us to thank our ancestors and their ancient wisdom and, of course, the Sun and the Earth for sustaining us.

© zteve t evans

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Indonesian Folktales: The Soul in the Wild Mountain Rice

Presented here is a retelling of folktale from Indonesia called The Soul in the Mountain Rice, from Indonesian Legends and Folktales, told by Adele de Leeuw.

The Goddess, Tisna Wati

In the abode in the sky where the gods lived there was once a most charming and beautiful young goddess named Tisna Wati.  Although she lived in this divine place she was not really very happy there. She would often look down to the Earth and watch all the people busily going about their everyday tasks.  It fascinated her to see what all the mortals were doing; how they lived, how they worked and all of the many different things they did together. It was the “togetherness” she really liked because she was often alone and she would sigh and say, “I wish I could be like a mortal on Earth and do things with others instead of being all alone!”

Her father would often leave her alone while he went and battled with demons of the air and giants and she would be sad and lonely yearning to go with him.  When he returned she would show her displeasure by sulking and pouting but it made no difference.

Marriage

One day his father returned after battling a particularly nasty giant and found her in an exceptional surly and unpleasant frame of mind.  He grew angry with her and said, “I have had enough of your sulking and bad humor and wish I could send you down to earth to live among the mortals.  However, I cannot do this because you have drunk of the water of life and are therefore immortal. It is a shame, but I have thought of something else for you.  You will marry one of the gods and your husband will teach you how to improve your demeanor.”

“Marriage!”she cried, “I know just who I want for a husband, there!”  she cried happily.

“What?,” cried her father, “Who can that be?  Not one of those vile demons of the air. I forbid it!  Not one of those awful giants! I will not allow it!”

The Young Man

“No father, look he is there!” she said, pointing down to earth where a handsome young man was hard at work ploughing a rice field on the hillside.

“But that is the son of a man,”  growled her father furiously.  “He is but a mortal and you are the daughter of a god, I will not agree to this, you can never marry him!”

“I will marry him, or no one else!” shouted Tisna Wati,  “He will be my husband and I will be his wife, no one else will do, if I am to leave here!”

“Daughter, I tell you I will never let you marry a mortal man.  I will turn you into a wild rice stalk first. Understand and accept that I will choose your husband for you. He will be a son of one of the other gods and that is the end of the matter.  Be quiet and accept it!” growled her father angrily.

When Tisna Wati  saw his rage she grew afraid that her father would inseed turn her into a rice stalk as happened to the beautiful wife of Vishnu, Dewi Sri who had disobeyed her husband, leaving her deathless spirit to inhabit the fields of rice.

Tisna Wati was adamant that she would never allow herself to be turned into a rice stalk and she definitely would not marry one of the sons of the gods.  Her heart was set on marrying the handsome young man she had seen ploughing on the hillside and now for her no one else would do.

Without another word her father stormed off to find his wayward daughter a husband. Suddenly, word came to him that the demons of the air and the giants were threatening the Heaven of the gods once again.  Therefore he had to put off finding a husband for his daughter to fight them, but he shouted back at her, “I will return with your husband, be ready!”

Tisna Wati Goes to Earth

“So it shall be father,” she said meekly, “so it shall be!”  as if accepting her fate.  As soon as he had gone she leapt  on the wings of the wind and rode it safely down to earth where it kindly set her close to the hillside where the handsome young man was ploughing.

Tisna Wati was very excited and said to herself, “Now I see him close up and he looks better than I ever imagined!” and sat herself down to watch him and wait for him to notice her.

She watched as he ploughed, but he being intent on his work he did not notice her until he came to the end of the furrow and had to turn to begin another row.  Then he saw her and thought she was the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen and went over to talk to her.

“May I ask what you are looking for?” he said.

“Ha! I am looking for my husband.” she answered laughing.

The young man was surprised at her answer but her laughter made him laugh.  They laughed and they laughed because they were so happy. As they laughed together they fell deeply in love and they laughed and they laughed and they laughed. Their laughter rang out from the Earth up to Heaven where her father was fighting demons and giants and he broke off from the battle to listen.  Realizing it was his daughter’s voice he looked across to Earth and saw her sitting with the young man and the both of them laughing happily together.  Their joyful laughter rang out across the heavens drowning out the noise of battle and he erupted into rage and flew from the battle down to earth to where his daughter and the young man sat laughing together.

“Come with me immediately!” he commanded, “You are going home.”

Despite her father’s rage Tisna Wati had other ideas.  She was in love with the young man and wanted to stay with him and her love was stronger than her fear of her father’s wrath.

“No, father, I will not go back with you.  I am in love and would rather become a mortal and stay with my beloved,” she firmly replied.

The Soul in the Wild Mountain  Rice

“So be it you shall stay, but not as a daughter of a god, or as a mortal.  You shall become a rice stalk and your soul shall become one with the wild rice!” cried her father.   The young man looked on in shock and horror as Tisna Wati changed into a slender stalk of wild rice that bent gracefully towards him.

Her father saw this and he was filled with sorrow for what he had done.   “I could have let them be together, but now it is to late.  I cannot change her back and she must now remain a rice stalk for ever and her soul will enter the wild rice.  I will change him into a rice stalk too,” and after he did this he saw how the two stalks bent towards each other as lovers do.  He watched for a while and then shaking his head, flew back to the Heaven of the gods.

Ever since then the soul of Tisna Wati has been in the wild mountain rice, but where the soul of the young man went no one knows.  Some say that when the breeze passes through the wild mountain rice stalks their laughter can still be heard by those who are in love.

What do you think?

© 01/08/2018 zteve t evans

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Copyright August 1st, 2018 zteve t evans

Greek Mythology: Gaia’s Revenge

Gaia – AI Image – zteve t evans

Gaia, the Earth Mother

In Greek mythology, Gaia  appeared out of Chaos and was the primal Mother Goddess who gave birth to the Earth and the universe.  According to some sources she was seen as the personification of the Earth and the mother of all.

Ouranos, the God of the Skies

Ouranos was the personification of the sky or the heavens in Greek mythology and is also known by his Latinized name of Uranus. He was also known as Father Sky.  Sources differ but  Hesiod in his work Theogony says that Gaia was his mother while other sources say his father was Aether.

Gaia gave birth to Ouranos who became the sky crowned with stars and of equal splendor to her and made so as to fully cover her. She then created the mountains and the sea. After the universe had been formed the next task was to populate it.

The Birth of the Titans

Ouranos was not only her son but her husband too. Gaia united with Ouranos to give birth to the twelve Titans, six male and six female and the first race upon the earth. Their sons names were Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus and Cronus, and their daughters names were Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Phoebe and Tethys.

The Birth of the Cyclops

Ouranos and Gaia then produced the Cyclops, who were named Brontes, Steropes and Arges. These were giants with one eye in their foreheads and who possessed incredible strength.

The Birth of Briareus, Cottus and Gyes

Their next offspring were three monsters who each had one hundred powerful arms and fifty heads. They were known as the Hecatonchires, or the Centimanes, and their names were Briareus, Cottus and Gyes.

Ouranos regarded his children with horror and revulsion and was also thought to be fearful of their strength, and possibly usurping him. As soon as they were born he imprisoned them in  the earth, which was inside Gaia who was the Earth goddess.

Gaia’s Revenge

Victory, Janus, Chronos, and Gaea – by Giulio Romano – Public Domain

Gaia was distraught at this, and feeling great sorrow for her children and great pain for herself planned vengeance against Ouranos. From her bosom she manifested a sharp sickle and asked her children to join in with a plan she had made to set them free and wreak vengeance. The plan was to castrate Ouranos when he visited her at night. Only Cronus agreed to help her and she gave him the sickle.

Aphrodite Born From the Sea – AI Image – zteve t evans

When evening fell Ouranos returned to rejoin Gaia. While Ouranos was asleep, Cronus and Gaia mutilated him, cutting off his genitals and throwing them in the sea. From the blood that seeped from the terrible wound onto the earth sprang the Furies, the Giants and the ash-tree nymphs. From what was thrown into the sea the goddess of love and desire, known as Aphrodite, was born.

Cronus Becomes King of the Gods

With Ouranos now impotent and the sky separated from the earth, Cronus liberated his fellow Titans, but not the Cyclops and Hecatonchires, and became king of the gods. Later he too was to be deposed by his son Zeus, who became the chief god of the Greek Pantheon.

© zteve t evans 25/03/2015

References and Attributions

Copyright 25/03/2015 zteve t evans