Greek Winter Solstice Celebration in Honor of Poseidon. Solstice (from the Latin sol 'sun') celebrations honor the sun.
At the summer solstice in late June, there is no dearth of sun, so celebrants just enjoy the extra hours of daylight, but by the winter solstice in late December, the sun is getting weaker and weaker every day. Although it doesn't take long to realize the sun will return to its former glory all on its own, so there's really no need to worry, it takes the edge off the cold and dark to help the sun along with a bit of sympathetic magic and a few rituals. Winter solstice celebrations often include two activities related to the failing sun: producing light and enjoying the cover the darkness provides....Thus, it is common for winter solstice celebrations to include candle lighting, bonfire creation, and drunken debauchery. In Greek mythology, the sea god Poseidon is one of the most lascivious of the gods, producing more offspring than other noteworthily randy gods. Winter Solstice Celebrations for Poseidon Haloea. Winter solstice. Winter solstice in Northern Hemisphere over Asia.
Winter solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which for the Northern Hemisphere occurs in December and which for the Southern Hemisphere occurs in June. For the Northern Hemisphere, the moment of winter solstice is when the sun's elevation with respect to the North Pole is at its most negative value since the previous December. Christmas and the Winter Solstice. In ‘Roma e il natale solare nella tradizione nordico-aria’ (La Difesa della razza, 1940), Evola writes: Very few suspect that the holidays [i.e., Catholic holy days] of today, in the century of skyscrapers, radio, great movements of the masses, are celebrated and continue … a remote tradition, bringing us back to the times when, almost at the dawn of humanity, the rising motion of the first Aryan civilisation began; a tradition, in which, moreover, the great voice of those men is expressed rather than a particular belief.A fact unknown to most must be first of all remembered, viz., that in its origins the date of Christmas and that of the beginning of the new year coincided, this date not being arbitrary, but connected to a precise cosmic event, namely, the Winter Solstice.
The Winter Solstice falls in fact on December 25, which is the date of Christmas, subsequently known, but which in its origins had an essentially solar significance. Winter Solstice. Saturnalia - Celebrate the Saturnalia. "For how many years shall this festival abide!
Never shall age destroy so holy a day! While the hills of Latium remain and father Tiber, while thy Rome stands and the Capitol thou hast restored to the world, it shall continue. " - Saturnalia Conspicuous Consumption in Saturnalia as in Christmas Around Christmas it's often difficult to separate commerce from religion. I want to do something different this year. The Increasing Period of Saturnalia Celebration This Saturnalia problem may sound familiar. The Saturnalia was originally celebrated in Ancient Rome for only a day, but it was so popular it soon it lasted a week, despite Augustus' efforts to reduce it to three days, and Caligula's, to five. The meaning and origins of The Greatest Blessing of Yule. Heathen Kinship Blessings Origin and Meaning of Yule The celebration of Yule in Scandinavia predates the Christian Christmas holiday by thousands of years but you will notice a lot of the same symbolism.
Here we will touch on the history of Yule and the meaning of some of the symbols that are still used today. The origins of these symbols of Yule are just powerful for us today as they have been to our ancestors for thousands of years. Winter Solstice, the time of the year when the days get longer and the sun begins to return was truly a cause for celebration among our ancestors in Scandinavia. Most Christmas traditions are rooted deep in ancient Yule rituals, many coming from the Vikings. At Midwinter, or Solstice, the Vikings honored their Asa Gods with religious rituals and feasting. During the festivities they burned a giant Sunwheel, which was put on fire and rolled down a hill to entice the Sun to return. Pagan and Witchcraft Holidays. The Babylonian Connection to Christmas. History of the Christmas Wreath. Christmas wreaths are one of the most beloved Christmas decorations adorning front doors of homes and mantles today.
But where did the idea for the Christmas wreath originate? What is the history of the Christmas wreath and why do we find them to be such an integral part of our Christmas decorating on an annual basis? If we look back to the ancient Celts of Europe, Christmas was celebrated in those times as something known as the Winter Solstice.