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Friday, December 21, 2007

Winter Solstice

I had several plans for us today to celebrate Winter Solstice but Eva is sick again! (that's twice for both Samuel and Eva in a little over a week and a half). I am hoping to get us outside for a walk in the woods as soon as she is up for it. It is such a lovely time of year to be in the woods. There is a ton of moss and lichen everywhere and this time of year the evergreens really shine!

I am still hoping to make a soup- a lovely orange-y colored soup for the sun- and to light some candles. I also have some fireworks I set aside but we may have to wait for another day for those as well. And Samuel wanted to have a fire outside to roast marshmallows! Lots of fun planned for the longest night of the year. Darkness starts pretty early here. The official sunset today is 4:30 pm and that gives us 8 hours and 42 minutes and 3 seconds of daylight. Tomorrow there will be an added 1 second of daylight and the day after an added 5 seconds...
Dec 21, 2007 7:48 AM4:30 PM8h 42m 03s

I actually really like this time of year and although it can take a little time to adjust after day light savings time ends (don't get me started!), I find it to be a very calming time of year. I love the summer as well but it can be a little frenetic for me at times and no one in the house gets enough rest for months on end. Each time has a place, which I suppose is one of the points of the original solstice and equinox celebrations. I like to blur the lines of our Christmas celebration with the Solstice and remember the time of year and the traditions behind bringing trees and holly inside and hanging lights and giving warm gifts. It has given added meaning to me for the holiday season.

A fun little ditty (and we happen to have both holly and oak growing in our yard right now!)-
"The myth of the Holly King/Oak King probably originated from the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred. The Oak King (God of the Waxing Year) kills the Holly King (God of the Waning Year) at Yule (the Winter Solstice). The Oak King then reigns supreme until Litha (the Summer Solstice) when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King victorious. Examples of the Holly King's image can be seen in our modern Santa Claus. He dons a sprig of holly in his hat, wears red clothing, and drives a team of eight (total number of Solar Sabbats) reindeer, an animal sacred to the Celtic Gods (deer). Mistletoe and holly came into modern Christmas celebrations through the memorializing of this battle. The holly with berries are hung in honor of the Holly King and mistletoe in honor of the Oak King. Although the Holly King and Oak King are mortal enemies at the two Solstices - Yule and Litha - it should be remembered that they are actually two sides of one whole, and neither would exist without the other."

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