The winter solstice occurs on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023, and it marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. This day has the fewest hours of sunlight in the entire year
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Irish Gaelic has four different terms for the transition of afternoon to nightfall
Yule is the Wiccan Sabbat celebrated at the Winter Solstice. It is a fire festival, celebrating the rebirth
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What are the four fire festivals?
Valiente identified the four "Greater Sabbats", or fire festivals, by the names Candlemas, May Eve, Lammas, and Hallowe'en, though she also identified their Irish counterparts as Imbolc, Beltane, Lughnassadh, and Samhain.Wheel of the Year - Wikipedia
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What Does Holly Symbolize?
The Holly tree is one of the most beloved, respected trees in Celtic mythology. It is said that whilst the Oak was the controller of the light half of the year, the Holly tree controlled the dark, winter months. For centuries this magical tree has been represented by a Holly wreath which was worn as a crown by Celtic chieftains for good luck.
Angmar
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History
Yule is an indigenous winter festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples. The earliest references to it are in the form of month names, where the Yule-tide period lasts somewhere around two months, falling along the end of the modern calendar year between what is now mid-November and early January.Yule had previously been celebrated for three nights from midwinter night.Scholars have connected the month event and Yule period to the Wild Hunt (a ghostly procession in the winter sky)
Modern paganism
As contemporary pagan religions differ in both origin and practice, these representations of Yule can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some Heathens, for example, celebrate in a way as close as possible to how they believe ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals "assembled from different sources."[20] Heathen celebrations of Yule can also include sharing a meal and gift giving.
In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god,[21] who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for this sabbat varies by practitioner. Some have private ceremonies at home,[22] while others do so with their covens.
Angmar
The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. Like other traditions associated with Yule (such as the Yule boar), the custom may ultimately derive from Germanic paganism.
On the day of winter solstice, many Native American communities will hold religious ceremonies or community events. The winter solstice is the day of the year when the Northern Hemisphere has the fewest hours of sunlight and the Southern Hemisphere has the most.
(The earliest sunsets of the year occur in late November
and early December.
In the Lower 48 states, the earliest sunsets happen before 4 p.m.
The latest sunrises of the winter occur after the winter solstice.
Dec. 21 is the shortest day of the year and first of winter.
The earliest sunsets in the US are northern Maine at about 3:56 pm. Online Map shows between 3:30-4pm est
latest sunrise is almost 8am est)
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"Be Kind and Courteous and remember that you ARE.We're all in this together to create a welcoming environment. Let's treat everyone with respect. Healthy debates are natural, but kindness is required.”
The pagan celebration of the winter solstice is known as Yule, and it’s one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. It simultaneously celebrates the shortest day of the year, midwinter, the return of the Sun, and a festival of rebirth. This year, it occurs from December 21, 2022, to January 1, 2023.
The holidays as we know them can be bad for us and the planet. Here are some ideas to make your winter celebrations joyful
I’d like to suggest that we celebrate the winter solstice instead. Now there is something you can tell children that is real, exciting and a lesson in how the world turns. How about, instead of telling children: “And then an overweight man comes down the chimney we don’t have”, we whisper to them about the following extraordinary mystery: “This is the longest night of the year, when the Earth’s pole reaches maximum tilt away from the sun. We call this midwinter and people used to say that tomorrow is the rebirth of the sun.”
Isabel Losada is the author of The Joyful Environmentalist: How to Practise without Preaching.
