Editor, Times-Union: Winter officially begins this year in northern Indiana with the Solstice on Dec. 21 at 6:03 p.m. EST. The Winter Solstice occurs when the North Pole is tilted 23.5 degrees away from the sun. This is the longest night of the year; meaning that despite the cold winter, the days get progressively longer after the Winter Solstice until the Summer Solstice in 2015. Actually, the Winter Solstice is a century’s old, ongoing pagan and secular mid-winter celebration, which was so wildly popular that the church could not stop it. Many scholars agree that apparently, the church figured, “If you can’t stop them, join them!” and placed the celebration of Jesus’ birth on December 25th, hoping, over time, the origins of the original mid-winter celebration would be forgotten. Whichever way, the Winter Solstice is celebrated by many people around the world, either as a pagan (secular) tradition celebrating the beginning of the return of the sun, and darkness turning into light, or as a derivative religious ceremony. So let me explain. In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty. Lasting about a week, Saturnalia was characterized by feasting, debauchery and “gift-giving.” Also, in pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun god and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log. Yule is the time of greatest darkness and the longest night of the year. The Winter Solstice had been associated with the birth of a “Divine King”; the Sun, long before the rise of Christianity. Since the Sun is considered to represent the Male Divinity in many Pagan Traditions, this time is celebrated as the “return of the Sun God” where “He” is reborn of the Goddess. Moreover, 4,000 years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to celebrate the daily rebirth of Horus - the god of the Sun. As their culture flourished and spread throughout Mesopotamia other civilizations decided to get in on the sun-welcoming action. Each year, this cycle of birth, death and rebirth took place, and they began to realize that every year after a period of cold and darkness, the Sun did indeed return. However, though with Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity, many of these customs were later absorbed into Christmas celebrations, therefore today, many people in Western-based cultures refer to this holiday as Christmas, nevertheless --most of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with Christmas are actually linked to Winter Solstice celebrations of ancient Pagan cultures. While Christian mythology is interwoven with contemporary observances of this holiday time, its Pagan nature and roots are still strong and apparent. Throughout history, humans have observed this seasonal milestone and created spiritual and cultural traditions to celebrate the rebirth of sunlight after the darkest period of the year. Many observe the Winter Solstice while participating in modern holidays, even though not always realizing the connection. Bennie Hively Warsaw, via email
