Today is the winter solstice (in the northern hemisphere), a time that has been celebrated for 5000 years. It really gives you pause to think that all the way back to our neolithic ancestors, people celebrated the return of the sun and the start of a new year. Forget ethic, cultural and religious differences, and light a candle or a fire to celebrate the real reason for the season. May everyone have a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), December 21, 2001

Answers

"the real reason for the season"...? Uh-oh,now ya done it, Katherine! :)

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), December 21, 2001.

Yep, I always look forward to this day in the fall/winter months, now the days start getting longer again, more daylight in the evening :- )!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), December 21, 2001.

Still, she's right, you know. The early Christian church linked the celebration of Christ's birth to the far older solstice celebration in a calculated effort to acquire converts. The Winter Solstice is the reason we celebrate at this time of year---the beginning of the end of the dark, sunless days, and the renewal of spring.

Happy Solstice, everyone!

-- Julia (charmer24@juno.com), December 21, 2001.

Here at "Wintersong" Farm, this is the official start of our favorite season. This is the day we start our holiday celebrating. If it's not done and ready for winter and the holidays by today, it's not getting done this year! We work hard all year on this farm and these first 10 days of winter are our only real vacation. Today is the day we always cut our Christmas tree and bring it inside to decorate. We may be doing this late by other people's standards, but it's always fresh for Christmas. So far, NO snow in Central Wisconsin, so I guess tonight we will do the winter solstice "snowdance" on the deck and see what happens......

-- Rose Marie Wild (wintersongfarm@yahoo.com), December 21, 2001.

Thank you for the "safe, healthy and prosperous new year.... and the same to you and yours. BUT, The "Real" reason for the season? The "Real" reason for celebration, at least the next one, is CHRISTmas, the birth of Christ. Why do people lump the holidays together..."the season". Do you celebrate every day during this period? Do you have off work a week or two(if you work)? Christmas is Christmas, New Year's is New Year's and if you celebrate "Solstice" then I guess that is today.

-- Mike (smfine@yahoo.com), December 21, 2001.

I had heard that the early Christians linked the timing of their celebration to the pagan solstice celebrations in order to "hide" what they were really celebrating. With all the other festivities going on, their celebrations would be less apt to stand out. Many early Christians and arrested and killed for following their religion. It's been speculated that February is a more accurate time for Christmas. "When shepherds watched their flocks by night" is said to be a reference to lambing season, which starts in February.

It's fascinating to see the root of our modern celebrations and how they've developed over the centuries. Things like the Christmas tree, the yule log, holly, etc. are all steeped with meanings we've long since forgot. Whatever the timing or the history of our rituals, it's nice to have at least one day of the year that represents people being nice to each other.

-Chelsea

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), December 21, 2001.

We have an excellent book "The Winter Solistic: The Sacred Traditions of Christmas". I have learned so much from this book about the holiday season. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to add more traditions to their celebration. It is also a very good reference for discovering the original meanings of things like the yule log, Christmas tree, what was celebrated each day of the 12 days of Christmas, etc.

-- Bren (wayoutfarm@skybest.com), December 21, 2001.

To me, winter solstice can mean only one thing...SUMMER'S COMING!!!

-- (rwhitworth@sprint.ca), December 21, 2001.

Our friends always have a big bonfire and we all cook hot dogs and hot chocolate into the evening. Burning old furniture and wood. A fun time for all...children and adults play football and we all visit into the night. A wonderful time !! Merry Christmas !!

-- Helena (windyacs@npacc.net), December 21, 2001.

Thanks so much for pointing that out! We were going to have a fire in our newly built fire ring, but open-air fires are banned right now. I think celebrating the Earth is a great way to overcome religious differences. Many christian holidays have tons of pagan traditions, Christams and Easter being the obvious ones. In fact, Easter is named after Eostre, the saxon goddess of fertility.

-- Elizabeth (lividia@birdfoot.com), December 21, 2001.

Its a gloomy day with the smallest amount of sun. Horray..Lets have a party -:(

-- Gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), December 21, 2001.

How can one forget their heritage, ethnicity or culture, it makes you who and what you are. Forget your religion? If your faith is so easily dropped by the wayside , then your hipocracy is showing, not to mention your shallowness and lack of commitment to what you claim to believe in. If one were to dig a little into what you wrote( and it only takes a little)the real message oozes to the surface. Seems to me that you got it backwards... celebrating the creation rather than the CREATOR, but the dirt kissers and tree copulators have never been known for getting things right. By the way the term to be used shoul be paleolithic, not neolithic. Along with everything else dribbled here your time frame reference is incorrect. I know. History is my career

-- Fishdawg (gold@rcs.k12.va.us), December 21, 2001.

JESUS is the reason for the season! He made the sun, the changes of the seasons and everyone on this forum. He came to earth as man so that we might be saved. I hope you are. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!

-- ugly (here@home.com), December 21, 2001.

I KNEW Katherine's post would bring Fishdawg and his ilk out of hiding. "Tree copulators?" Now, THERE's an interesting mental image! Happy Solstice to All, and Merry CHIRISTmas, too!

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), December 21, 2001.

yup, typical behavior by the christian extremists on this b-board. this is the first pagan posting in months and the in-your-face christians just HAVE to put their two cents in.

all you pagans are gonna burn in hell don't ya know! the christians are gonna save ya!

-- Prize Patrol (prizepatrol@publishersclearinghouse.com), December 21, 2001.

Happy Saturnalia! Party hearty!

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), December 21, 2001.

OOOOOO.......dirt kissin and tree-copulatin?! Wow! Thanks for givin us some good ideas for our Solstice party activities!!

-- Earthmama (earthmama48@yahoo.com), December 21, 2001.

I'm with you, Annie -- YAY! This is dark as it will get, now the days will be getting longer. I'll try to remember that as the days will continue to get COLDER for several months before they start to get warmer again!

WHATEVER your religion, how about a little Peace on Earth and Goodwill to ALL? Can you leave the fussing and feuding out of it, please!?!

-- Joy F {Southern Wisconsin} (CatFlunky@excite.com), December 21, 2001.

While the folks down south enjoy the Solstice, those of us farther north tend to view it with both joy and some trepidation. You see, being closer to the pole, and at the end of the whiplash so to speak, we tend to feel what we call the Solstice Jerk more readily. This occurs when the earth stops its northern migration and returns to the southern route.

-- David A. (mncscott@ak.net), December 21, 2001.

heheheheh And a fine Solstice to ye Katherine, And a Merry Christmas to ye that lean that way. But just as important May ALL that lurk and post here have a safe and happy time this December. And should you travel "SAFE JOURNEY BE YOURS"

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), December 21, 2001.

Happy Winter Solstice!!!!

WooHoo!!! tomorrow is 1 minute more daylight!!!

Merry Meet, Merry Part, Merry Meet again!

-- LurkyLu (lurkylu@yahoo.com), December 21, 2001.

Ok, all the pagans, dirt-kissers and tree copulators head to our house tonight for the annual solstice celebration, remember, clothing is OPTIONAL for the dance around the oak tree, although shoes are highly recommended, the temperature will be in the teens ;-)!!!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), December 21, 2001.

Folks,

*Whatever* you're celebrating in the coming days may you have the joy of it and a happy new year!

.........Alan.

-- Alan Hagan (athagan@atlantic.net), December 21, 2001.

Oh my.... I hesitate to join the fray, but we had a joyously wonderful Solstice today. As a child this day meant nothing, now it means more to me than Christmas. The kids and I went to a Solstice party with other Pagan homeschooling friends, later took a walk on this lovely first day of Winter. We left offerings for the fairies in Fairy Cove, underneath a lovely circle of maples in our woods. We reconstructed the house of moss, sticks, ferns, and leaves readying them for their long winter, offering wishes with milk, and fresh bright red rosehips. We had a candlelit fondue dinner.... a lovely fire in the stove.

Cozy up, everybody.. winter is here.... : )My fear is winter will be too short! I am jsut gearing up for all the winter activities, with crafts and sewing and ......surely the garden and earth will be calling and pulling me back before long!

blessings to you and yours, Meagan

-- meagan (fusons@ados.com), December 21, 2001.

We "acknowledge" many different religions and dates of interest in our house as I am trying above all to teach my children tolerance. Anyway we much enjoyed our solstice. Hubby found this little greeting which we both get a smile out of and I will pass it on :)

Please accept with no obligation, implied or implicit, our best wishes for an environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or secular traditions at all; and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2002, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures, and without regard to the race, creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith, choice of computer platform, or sexual preference of the wishes.

By accepting this greeting, you are accepting these terms. This greeting is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It is freely transferable with no alteration to the original greeting. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others, and is void where prohibited by law, and is revocable at the sole discretion of the wisher. This wish is warranted to perform as expected within the usual application of good tidings for a period of one year, or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever comes first, and warranty is limited to replacement of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the wisher.

Oh, what the heck: Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year

So there you go. Have a great week everyone

-- Terri in NS (terri@tallships.ca), December 22, 2001.

I knew I was treading on soft ground when I posted yesterday, but I'm so gratified by most all your responses. I knew there was a reason I stick with forum. Thank you. Just a note for fishdawg, I meant to say neolithic, not paleolithic because the early solstice festivals were celebrated by those who practiced agriculture, were more or less settled, and had the ability to calculate and build the tombs and other structures that let the sun in only on the solstice.

-- Katherine in KY (KyKatherine@Yahoo.com), December 22, 2001.

I'm with fishdawg. Are you fully persuaded in your own mind about your beliefs! Or are you persuaded by any philosophy that comes along?? How come people are so offended by fishdawg's response?? The blessings of this earth is from our Creator, is the tree you dance around & worship your god? I love God's creation, I love my animals, but I don't put my animals or plants above God. In any holiday read the history of it. Don't take the things you hear as fact without research. Look up bonfire in your dictionary's!!! We only have campfire at our house, I'm not into burning bones!!!

-- Suzanne (weir@frontiernet.net), December 22, 2001.

Look up bonfire in your dictionary's!!! We only have campfire at our house, I'm not into burning bones!!!

-- Suzanne

There are two definitions listed in my old Webster's New World Dictionary of The American Language, "Bon*fire n. (ME. banfir, bone fire, fire for buring corpses), an outdoor fire."

I believe the first definition is outdated, and the second is the current application of the word.

To *ALL* have a Happy and Joyous Holiday season.

Stacy in NY---->where we do have bonfires.

PS Can one copulate with a tree? Most probably, Ahh...a point to ponder, it would definitly be uncomfortable, and very, very hard to explain if caught in the act. *grin*

-- Stacy (KincoraFarm@aol.com), December 22, 2001.

I'm a Christian (as a matter of fact, I'm leading the worship for our congregation tomorrow, 12/23). I also celebrate the solstice! Sheesh, anyone who claims the name of homesteader or gardener or farmer should be delighted at the return of longer days!!!!

And btw, since Christ is considered the Light of the World by Christians, it seems like as good a time as any to celebrate His birth (although, being a shepherd myself, I think February is a much more compelling time!)

Peace on Earth to all of you!

-- sheepish (WA) (the_original_sheepish@Hotmail.com), December 22, 2001.