Solstice
Winter is here again oh Lord,
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longer
Greetings gentlefolk, the Wheel of the Year continues to turn and we have once again reached one of the eight spokes of this Wheel, the Winter Solstice. So to one and all have a merry Yule, a festive Alban Arthuan and a happy Mean Geimrhridh.
This is the solstice where the longest night of the year is celebrated. It is officially the mid winter cycle. Darkness now prevails, but will soon give way to light.
Alban Arthuan ("The Light of Arthur"),this feast took place on December 21 and marked the longest, darkest night of the year. Alban Arthuan was a festival of peace and a celebration of waxing solar light. Many honored the forthcoming Sun child by burning an oaken Yule log, and honored the Goddess in her many Mother aspects.
The Father God was also honored in various forms: as Santa Claus, the Old Sky God, Father Time, and the Holly King. Alban Arthuan is one of the ancient Druidic fire festivals. Taking place on December 21st through 22nd (due to the method the Druids used to measure one day), Alban Arthuan coincides with the Winter Solstice. Translated, it means "The Light of Arthur," in reference to the Arthurian legend that states King Arthur was born on the Winter Solstice
This is the time when light wins its battle over darkness. The days become longer, the nights shorter. The sleeping seeds begin to feel the first rays of light during this cold season. In ancient days, huge bonfires were lit in the fields and the trees were toasted with cider.
Alban Arthuan is also known as Yule, derived from the Anglo-Saxon "Yula," or "Wheel of the Year", for now the wheel of the year has reached a turning point, with the longest night of the year. This is the seedpoint of the solar year, mid-winter, time of greatest darkness when we seek within ourselves to comprehend our true nature. In virtually all Pagan religions, this is the night the Great Mother Goddess gives birth to the baby Sun God, because from this day forward, the days begin to lengthen, light is waxing.
In 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 Dionysus was torn to pieces and eaten by a gang of women on this day. Later in the ritual, Dionysus would be reborn as a baby.
Sent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I've been runnin' down this dusty road
And to our friends in the Anti-podes on this the Summer Solstice have a happy Litha, a merry Feill-Sheathain and a festive Alban Heruin/Alban Hefin. For you this is the day of Jack-in-the-Green.
The summer solstice, or Alban Heruin, was the longest day of the year. Observed on the 21st of June, it was the time when the Sun reached its zenith and cast three rays to light the world. Alban Heruin, or "The Light of the Shore," is also referred to as Litha or Midsummer's Day. It was traditionally celebrated out in the forest with picnics, games, and a large bonfire.
This is the time of the rose blossom and thorn, of fragrance and blood. Now is the longest day, where light prevails over darkness, but it is also the beginning of the decline back into the dark half of the year.
On this longest day of the year, light and life are abundant. At mid-summer, the Sun God has reached the moment of his greatest strength. Seated on his greenwood throne, he is also lord of the forests, and his face is seen in church architecture peering from countless foliate masks. The Christian religion converted this day of Jack-in-the-Green to the Feast of St. John the Baptist, often portraying him in rustic attire, sometimes with horns and cloven feet (like the Greek god Pan)!
Winter is here again oh Lord,
Haven't been home in a year or more
I hope she holds on a little longerSent a letter on a long summer day
Made of silver, not of clay
I've been runnin' down this dusty roadWheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'I've been trying to make it home
Got to make it before too long
I can't take this very much longer
I'm stranded in the sleet and rain
Don't think I'm ever gonna make it home again
The mornin' sun is risin'
It's kissing the dayWheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
I don't know where I'll be tomorrow
Wheel in the sky keeps on turnin'
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Twilight's Historical Ponderings
Scarborough Fair
Equinoxes
Celts
Samhain/Beltane