Solstice and Celebrations
At this time of year, does talk of a “homesteading lifestyle” stir colorful, festive scenes in your mind’s eye!? Yes—you are the sort who, any time you step outside, you feel a magnetic attraction to Nature. A Magic. But perhaps there’s a very special place in your heart for the Winter season? If so, you certainly come by this attraction honestly. Consider the generations of humankind that have lived and labored on the land? And celebrated the Solstice, the movement of the Sun across the Earthly skies. It is truly in our blood!
Perhaps your ancestors are Native Americans who celebrated “Grandfather Pine,” a traditional Cherokee ceremony that acknowledged the Winter Solstice. I have my own experience with this, as I have had the good fortune of apprenticing with a Cherokee Medicine Woman. Among other things, I learned to make a “prayer arrow” while contemplating the year that was passing away and the year to come. I decorated the arrow with symbols representing various important events of the past year—including the deaths of loved ones— and the hopes for the new year. Then, at the exact hour of the Solstice, I placed the arrow into a prayer mound of soil that I had constructed in my garden. I found it to be a very worthwhile self-reflective exercise.
Global “Homespun” Solstice Celebrations
All across our world there are celebrations of the Solstice. AI tells me, for instance, that in India, “the Solstice is the time of the year in the Hindu Vedic Astrology when the sun ends its southward movement (dakshinayana) and begins its movement north (uttaranayana).”
Hindus celebrate Pancha Ganapati, a five-day festival to the Hindu great angel Ganesha who is the Patron of Arts and Sciences, and the deity of Obstacles. It is a contemporary Hindu festival created by a 20th century guru, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, to allow Hindus to be part of this natural season of worship, celebration, gift-giving and special time with loved ones.”
Moreover, “The five days (December 21 to 25) focus on wrapping up the year, celebrating the present and joyfully welcoming the future. Each day has a sadhana, a spiritual practice, to be performed by each individual. Gifts are placed each day at the shrine to Ganesha and remain unopened till the evening of the last day.”
Origins of Christmas
I easily found an AI explanation of how Christmas came to be and many of us older folks found similar descriptions in our public-school history classes. I quote: “The origins of Christmas can be traced back to pagan and Roman cultures. The Romans celebrated two holidays in December: Saturnalia, a two-week festival honoring Saturn, the god of agriculture, and the birth of Mithra, the sun god, on December 25.”
“In the 4th century, the Christian church adopted December 25 as the birthday of Jesus Christ, possibly to weaken pagan traditions. The church chose this date because the Bible doesn’t specify Jesus’s birthdate, and because it was already a popular holiday.” (Thank you, AI.)
My Happy Christmas Celebrations: Homespun American
Despite the questions associated with the history of Christmas, I happily grew up celebrating Christmas in a very traditional, America circa 1950-60’s manner. I loved it!!! I was told the Santa Claus story as well as the Manger story. And on Christmas Eve at my family’s Presbyterian church, after the delightful candlelight service, Santa Claus descended from the balcony and handed out candy.
Admittedly, I was quite content to receive presents from under the tree, no matter the reason. But I was quite a spiritual little girl and remain so to this day. AND I dearly loved and learned from the stories surrounding the birth of Christ, Christmas Carols, the calls to service to the “One That is In All Things” and the exploration of the Great Mystery: “God is Love, and Those That Dwell in Love, Dwell in God in God and God in Them.”
The Christmas Tree
Returning to the story of my Christmas Eves –When my parents went out after church to a party with friends and relatives, my older sister “babysat” me and my other older sister (363 days older) while we turned down the lights and began to play a game we had invented. The Christmas Tree was the center of attraction as it stood twinkling with lights and glittering with tinsel!
We composed a cute little ditty with the lyrics: “Bad little children looking for Santa Claus”. And we sang our little ditty as we scooted back and forth across our living room, in front of the tree, pretending to be looking for Santa Claus. Then, one of us shouted out “Ho, Ho, Ho.” We screamed and hid behind the couch, or elsewhere. And then we pretended to watch Santa emerge from the fireplace and distribute presents under the tree.
After Santa completed his chore, he scooted back up the chimney, and we crept out from our hiding places and proceeded to carefully inspect the pile of presents that had been left under the tree earlier in the day by our parents and grandparents.
My sister and I did not “believe” any of this…it was just fun. My sister and I were not traumatized when we learned that Santa was not really, real!
Homesteading Lifestyle Continues With “The Tree”
NOW—you may ask:
What does this all have to do with the “homesteading lifestyle”?
Ah, But there is the Tree. There is the Holly and the Ivy. There is the Gift of Giving. There is the Celebration. There is the Life-Giving Sun, traveling across the Sky. And there is the Blessed Earth, Mother Nature and the Beautiful, Blessed Family of Humanity.
Celebrate! Its Winter!
