Winter Solstice

The Wheel of the Year - Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, and Ostara Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the Kitchen

Wicca: A Year and a Day Beltane: Springtime Rituals, Lore and Celebration

Recipes for Winter Solstice

Yule log cake

A Solstice Poem

O, Solstice comes but twice a year
So celebrate, be of good cheer.
Bring on the feast, break out the beers!
To evil tidings block your ears.
Hang on to Hope and trample fear
For soon there comes a bright New Year!

Frann Leach

Winter Solstice or Midwinter celebrations take place in many cultures. These celebrations are much more widespread than the midsummer (Summer Solstice) celebrations. Celebrating at the time of the Winter solstice derives from ancient times and can be found in many cultures and across a number of religious beliefs and boundaries. Historically, the midwinter feast had added significance because it took place shortly before the "famine months" to come, when no food was available except what had been stored from the year's harvest.

Many modern pagans regard Christmas as merely a Christianisation of the original Winter Solstice feast. The traditional decoration of the "Yule log", which is joyfully brought into the house on this day, is a central part of the celebrations. This is a branch or a portion of a branch, which is decorated with holly, ivy, ribbons and so on and placed in the hearth. The Yule log from the previous year must be burnt and reduced to ashes by midnight on the previous night.

Astronomically the Winter solstice (or "shortest day") occurs on 21st or 22nd December each year in the Northern hemisphere and on 21st June or 22nd June in the South.

The nature and types of celebration across the world vary enormously but usually involve ceremonies relating to food and the Winter months which lie ahead, or to the lunar calendar. These range from the Chinese DongZhi ("The Extreme of Winter") to many variants of the old Norse Yule which are still celebrated, as well as the celebrations of modern pagans and others.