Yesterday, December 21st, marked the Winter Solstice - the shortest day and longest night of the year for people living in the northern hemisphere. From now through summer we'll receive minutes more sunlight each day: life-giving energy for crops, animals and people. For our ancestors living beyond 10,000 years ago up until the present day, the celebrations of Winter Solstice have been all about "The (Re)birth of the Sun."
We have archeological proof that, among others, the northern Chinese, ancient Iranians, Neolithic Europeans, the ancient Egyptians, Abyssinians, Syrians, Jews, Greeks, and Romans, the Maya, Inca, Pueblo and Hopi Indians all celebrated the winter solstice, and the vast majority of our Christmas customs are derived from these pre-Christian civilizations.
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We burn a Yule log because the ancient Norse had a jul bonfire tradition of lighting the longest night so the sun could find its way. We hang wreaths because at one time they symbolized the wheel of the year. It's no accident that our Christmas trees are fir: in northern climes, the evergreen tree represented triumph over the 'death' of winter. Ornaments are stand-ins for the apples Northern European pagans tied to trees to remind themselves that the life giving Spring and Summer would return. The colors of red and green predate written history: at one time living sacrifices were made and red symbolizes the blood on the snow, while green is once again the color of immortality. Even Santa Claus is a reinvention of older deities who brought the gift of light back to us on December 22nd.
While in the U.S. the advent of Christianity has overlaid the solstice's ancient origins, we still associate the story of that birth with the bringing of (spiritual) light. And the truth is, along with most of the symbols we use this time of year that predate Christianity or have been incorporated within it, even the cross, which at one time symbolized the four elements of earth, fire, wind and water, with the fifth element, the human spirit, tied upon it, predates the idea of the Christ child. Thus the Christian story joins a thousand stories telling the same tale again and again. It's the return of light, still a meaningful metaphor for photosynthetic life as well as spiritual development.
For me, born in a northern clime and heir to this portion of humanity's memories, Christmas/Solstice has become a time for meditation on the human journey. I look back with a weird, familiar glance at the billions who preceded me and bequeathed rich, beautiful symbols to mark my own passing through succeeding winters. After a time of youthful rebellion against all tradition, I guess I just joined the human parade.
In that sense, I'm never lonely at Christmas, never sad, never remotely depressed. Instead, I'm surrounded by the welcome ghosts of Christmases/Solstices past, and the visions of future generations who will celebrate in their turn. We are all part of the passing parade, handing off what we've found worthwhile to the children who follow us.
May those children smell the fragrance of mint, see wreaths of holly, grasp hints of cinnamon, enjoy fantasies of candlelight, have visions of sugarplum fairies, receive gifts of love, and sing carols with loving families this year so they can pass down their memories to their children's children. I ask no greater Christmas gift (though Peace on Earth could trump that.)
Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice and many Festivals of Light to you and yours!