Imagine if all of the countries and peoples of the world today could believe in one common theme - that the days get shorter, and then, just when you can't imagine it, they start to lengthen again. Renewal of the light. Here are some of the ancient solstice holidays celebrated at one time, all around the world.
Saami, indigenous people of Finland, Sweden and Norway, worship Beiwe, the
sun-goddess of fertility and sanity. She travels through the sky in a structure
made of reindeer bones with her daughter, Beiwe-Neia, to herald back the
greenery on which the reindeer feed. On the winter solstice, her worshipers
sacrifice white female animals, and thread the meat onto sticks which they bend
into rings and tie with bright ribbons. They also cover their doorposts with
butter so Beiwe can eat it and begin her journey once again.
Inti Raymi or Festival of the Sun was a religious ceremony of the Inca Empire
in honor of the sun god Inti. It also marked the winter solstice and a new year
in the Andes of the Southern Hemisphere. One ceremony performed by the Inca priests
was the tying of the sun. In Machu Picchu there is still a large column of
stone called an Intihuatana, meaning "hitching post of the sun" or
literally for tying the sun. The ceremony to tie the sun to the stone was to
prevent the sun from escaping. The Spanish conquest, never finding Machu
Picchu, destroyed all the other intihuatana, extinguishing the sun tying
practice. The Catholic Church managed to suppress all Inti festivals and
ceremonies by 1572.
Korochun or Kračún was a Slavic holiday similar to Halloween as a day when the
Black God and other evil spirits were most potent. It was celebrated by Slavs
on the longest night of the year. On this night, Hors, symbolising the old sun,
becomes smaller as the days become shorter in the Northern Hemisphere, and dies
on December 22nd, the December solstice. He is said to be defeated by the dark
and evil powers of the Black God. In honour of Hors, the Slavs danced a ritual
chain-dance which was called the horo. Traditional chain-dancing in Bulgaria is
still called horo. In Russia and Ukraine, it is known as khorovod. On December
23rd Hors is resurrected and becomes the new sun, Koleda.
Happens on December 13, what is supposed to be the longest night of the year. A
young girl or woman is chosen to portray Lucia wearing a white robe and a red
sash representing blood. She wears a crown of wreath with candles and hands out
treats to children. She is the one who brings the sun back and chases away
winter. The chosen Lucia goes to elderly homes and hospitals very often,
singing songs and glowing with candles. Very often Lucia is held at a church
where many woman and men dress in white and sing. However it is only Lucia who
wears the crown while others hold candles. The boys are dressed as 'Star boys'
and wear pointed hats.
Maruaroa o Takurua is seen by the New Zealand Maori as the middle of the winter
season. It follows directly after the rise of Matariki (Pleiades) which marked
the beginning of the New Year and was said to be when the Sun turned from his
northern journey with his winter-bride Takurua (the star Sirius) and began his
journey back to his Summer-bride Hineraumati.
century Russia, the eastern Slavs worshiped the winter mother goddess,
Rozhnitsa, offering bloodless sacrifices like honey, bread and cheese. Bright
colored winter embroideries depicting the antlered goddess were made to honor
the Feast of Rozhanitsa in late December. And white, deer-shaped cookies were
given as lucky gifts.
is the winter solstice ceremony of the Zuni and the Hopitu Shinumu, "The
Peaceful Ones," also known as the Hopi. It is held on December 21, the
shortest day of the year. The main purpose of the ritual is to ceremonially
bring the sun back from its long winter slumber. It also marks the beginning of
another cycle of the Wheel of the Year, and is a time for purification.
ancient Latvia, Ziemassvētki, meaning winter festival, was celebrated on
December 21 as one of the two most important holidays, the other being Jāņi.
Ziemassvētki celebrated the birth of Dievs, the highest god of Latvian
mythology. The two weeks before Ziemassvetki are called Veļu laiks, the
"season of ghosts." During the festival, candles were lit for Dieviņš
and a fire kept burning until the end, when its extinguishing signaled an end
to the unhappiness of the previous year. During the ensuing feast, a space at
the table was reserved for Ghosts, who was said to arrive on a sleigh. During
the feast, carolers (Budeļi) went door to door singing songs and eating from many
different houses. The holiday was later adapted by Christians in the middle