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Mysterious Skies ............ 
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Haunted Holidays and other interesting tidbits |
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Winter has a way of bringing people closer together .. be it the chill of winter's frosty air, or the seasonal holiday atmosphere that become awakened in the heart center, many cultures and religions take claim for winter's joy and celebrate it through traditional holidays. Numerous celebrations over the years have been attributed to this time of year. Saturnalia, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Yule, Festival of Lights (Chanukkah), Kwanzaa, Diwali just to name a few. In many respects, the winter celebration coincides with the conclusion to the harvest period when daylight was scant and foodstuffs were abundant. Some holidays were based on superstition , such as "First Foot" in Scotland or Pongal in India. "First Foot" relates to being the first person to step over the threshhold of a neighbor after midnight to offer them good luck for the coming new year. It is believed that a gift of food or drink will bring good luck to the homeowner. The homeowner shares the gifts of food and drink with his guests, thereby insuring the good luck of all in the coming year. In other words, it is a joyous party where comraderie and fellowship solidify the common bonds between friends and neighbors. "Saturnalia" is a winter celebration stemming from old Roman times where for one week, all inhibitions were shed and revelry was the mood of the period among the celebrants. During Saturnalia, the Temple of the god Saturn was celebrated and such celebration extended for a full week, rather than one day. It was a time to eat, drink and be merry and this included countrymen and their slaves. All participated and enjoyed the merriment.
Winter Solstice is celebrated in December in the northeren hemisphere and in June in the southern hemisphere. It is a time of celebration that also coincides with the terminus of harvest when all harvested foods were put up and it was then time to relax. Days were short and most celebrations carried on well into the night lit by candles, torches or fireballs made from tar and paper. The shortest day of the year, the actual day of the winter solstice, was viewed as a turning point because after that date, the days gradually became longer and the sun shine became more evident with the passing of each day.. This was indeed cause for celebration to cultures who endured so many hardships throughout the year. Many believed that this time of year signifies rebirth, having to do with the decrease of the sun's presence gradually growing and a new year being reborn. Much of winter solstice celebrations had to do with improvement of mood due to the decrease of serotonin levels which often resulted in winter depression and 'cabin fever' which we widely recognize even in today's modern world during the winter. So .. the fix was to party ! 
One of the most popular festivities is midnight mass on Christmas Eve which actually has its roots in pagan history, although many may dispute it. The mass is a celebration of Christ's birth, but it is also an act of high ritual and marks the beginning of the weeklong celebration leading to New Year's day in modern times or to the Epiphany, the twelfth day after Christmas. Generally, the Epiphany represents Christ's baptism, but there are some cultures who view the day as the celebration of Christ's circumscision, become whole and blessed in the eyes of the Creator.
Santa Claus is also known as Kris Kringle, St. Nicholas and Father Christmas in some cultures. He is the embodiment of a mythical man who gave gifts to the poor which evolved into parents giving gifts to their children and other loved ones in Santa's name.. Today we have created an entire legend revolving around Santa, his wife, Mrs. Claus, his worker elves who live and work all year round in the toy shop at the North Pole. It is a beautiful fantasy for little children to believe in and also keeps them on their toes to be good little boys and girls all year long so Santa will visit and leave lots of toys and presents. In Denmark, Santa is called Sinterklaas, from which the North American name Santa Claus is derived. Sinterklaas is a Dutch contraction of the name St. Nicholas. Sinterklaas has a different meaning than Santa Claus, however. Sinterklaas is a tall fellow dressed in a red bishop's dress, wear a mitre (bishop's cap), rides a horse and carries a book with all the children's names in it and keeps track of who has been good or naughty. Sinterklaas' name is believed to be derived from Saint Nicholas and traditionally the feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of this saint. who was believed to be the protector of children. Sinterklaas has a helper named "Black Pete" who's color refers to his face being covered in soot from climbing down the chimney's to deliver gifts for Sinterklaas. So from the existence of Black Pete, we can then see the correlation between Santa Claus and his elves, the little helpers who work in the toy shop making gifts all year long for the children! Over the years, children have left their shoes filled with hay or a carrot for Sintrerklaas' horse near to the fireplace and chimney, or door which were replaced with candy or other treat by Sinterklaas. In North America, the tradition is to leave cookies and milk for Santa and his elves.
Many of the winter holidays have their roots in sacrifices to the gods. The Swedish kings would sacrifice a male slave every ninth year at the Temple of Uppsala. Japan celebrates the Feast of Amaterasu or sun goddess where Amaterasu comes out of her winter cave fooled by the celebrations going on outside. When she sees her reflection in a mirror, she is said to believe that the other gods have returned and so she emerges and brings back the sunlight! Beiwe is celebrated by the indigenous people of Finland, Norway and Sweden. She is the sun goddess of fertility who is said to travel through the sky on the skeleton of a reindeer. Sacrifice of a female animal is made to Beiwe and its meat is threaded onto sticks with ribbons for her feasting. Dongzhi is a traditional celebration of the East Asian people and emanates from the yin/yang philosophy of balance of the seasons. After Dongzhi, the days become longer and the sun shine is stronger which is believed to increase positive energy flow. Dongzhi represents a time for familial celebration and feasting. Hogmanay is a New Year's Eve celebration in Scotland where the tradition of "First Foot" began back in the middle ages. Yuletide gifts are exchanged which are said to offer good luck for the coming year. Junkanoo is an incredible masquerade parade, similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans, only it is celebrated at the end of December in the Bahamas. Along the lines of ancient Roman Saturnalia, Junkanoo follows the tradition of inverting the heirarchy for the day, where the lower caste enjoy the benefits of popularity. Brumalia was known in Ancient Greece and Roman times as the Festival of the Wild Women where a man and later a bull representing the harvest god was torn to shreds and eaten by the frenzied women. Wren Day was celebrated in Ireland and Wales where people would dress up in old clothing stuffed with straw and carry a dead wren from house to house singing songs, drinking and generally making merry! Kwaanza is a Black American holiday celebrated for seven days between Christmas and New Year which honors Pan-African roots. Kwaanza is celebrated by lighting of candles, gift giving and feasting. Kwaanza means 'first fruits' in Swahili. It is a celebration of family, community and Black American/African culture that is popularly observed in the United States today. Chanukah or Festival of Lights is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the first temple was desecrated. It is believed that a woman named Hannah and her seven sons were tortured and murdered by Antiochus for refusing to eat pork and bow down to a statue, which actions were against Jewish Law. Chanukah (sometimes spelled 'Hannukah') commenorates the triump of Judaisim over the Hellenistic civilization under Antiochus IV. Hannukah is represented by the miracle of the container of oil, where it was said that only one day's worth of consecrated olive oil remained in the temple, yet the oil burned for a period of Eight days, time enough to press and prepare fresh oil.. |
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More History On Winter Holidays.... Yule is a winter celebrations with both neopagan and christian ties. In pre-christian times, Yule was considered part of the Winter Solstice celebration that ran for the entire month of December. In ancient times, Yule was celebrated by a large banguet, a time for feasting, with ritual slaughtering of a boar after a laying of hands and taking of unbreakable oaths. Today, Yule is most celebrated by the lighting of the "Yule" log in the fireplace and the fancifull decorating of a fir tree, also know as the "Christmas Tree," although the traditional Yule Celebration is still honored and celebrated by Wiccans worldwide. Christmas Trees - Also known as Tannenbaum or the Yule Tree, the decorating of a tree has long been held as a most popular tradition associated with the winter holidays. Great care would be given to finding a conifer tree - spruce, fir or pine - and brightly trim it with home-made garlands of cranberries and popcorn. Today we may use an artificial tree, especially with fire hazards presented by a drying live tree and also for ecological reasons. But, history tells of fresh cut trees being decorated with lit candles, sugar cookies and paper flowers. Back in the Thirrteenth Century, it was popular to hang the tree upside down which represented a triangular symbol for fertility. This tradition caught on once again a few years ago to give more room under the tree for presents!
Christmas Stockings - hanging stockings by the fireplace began as a tradition of hanging the stockings to dry after a long day of work outside. On Christmas Eve, it was believed that St. Nicholas, Father Christmas or Santa would fill these stockings with small treats and gifts. Christmas Villages - many families feature a miniature winter village under their trees with ice skaters on a pond or river made from a mirrored surface and a locomotive encircling the village. This tradition was made famous by the Pennsylvania Dutch. Nativity scenes with a creche and figurines also grace the skirting under the tree to honor the birth of Jesus. Diwali is celebrated as a religious holiday by Hindu, Sikh and Jainist sects. It is a festival of lights which symbolizes the victory of good over evil.
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