Winter Solstice
December 21
The Winter Solstice
Rest and Release at the Winter Solstice
The sun pauses for the winter solstice and reminds us to rest and release. Allow yourself to move slower, to pull back and reassess what you really need and want in your life.
Earth Cycle and Workings
Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year when the Earth is furthest from the Sun. In the northern hemisphere it occurs on December 21st (21st - 23rd) and sits opposite of Summer Solstice in the calendar. The sun appears to stand still at this time, and then in the following days as it begins to move again the light begins increasing restoring hope of the sun’s return. The word solstice comes from the Latin “sol” for sun, and “sistere” for standing still.
The earth has turned cold and the plants have died for the winter. The world is at rest and you should be too. This is a time to trim excess, store up your energy, and look forward to the coming light.
How the World Celebrates
Throughout history and cultures, we as humans choose to mark time and important events with celebrations. They are moments for us to pause from our daily activities and take time to reflect on the larger world. While there is no universal thread or experience that we all share, it is meaningful to understand how others celebrate so we can learn truths that we have in common. Learning lessons from all, while curating our personal celebrations from our own experiences and ancestors.
Yule & Midwinter Traditions - European
Yule is a holiday with Germanic and Norse origins celebrated throughout Scandinavia. The early Norse celebrations honored the god Odin and marked the return of the sun, celebrating its triumph over the darkness. Traditions spread to Anglo Saxon and Celtic regions and Yule and similar traditions were celebrated in the British Isles and other places as well. The name Yule has many possible origins, from derivations of the Norse god, Odin, to an Old French version of the word, jolly, or from other Old English terms for winter holidays.
Midwinter is a holiday-period centered around the winter solstice and is sometimes used synonymously with Yule. The terms Midwinter and Midsummer were used to refer to the two solstices reflecting how the Germanic peoples broke their year into two seasons with the solstices at the mid-point of each season.
In Ireland, Midwinter was celebrated as Mean Geimhreadh (midwinter) where they honored the sun and return of light. Some gathered at religious locations like Newgrange to watch the movement of the sun. The Druidic Celts of Wales celebrated midwinter as Alban Arthan (the light of winter) and honored the return of Mabon to his mother Modron. King Arthur, another symbol of the sun, is also often celebrated.
We don’t know much about how these celebrations were observed in ancient times, but over centuries celebrations for Jól, Jul, Yule, Midwinter, Mean Geimhreadh, Alban Arthan, and eventually Christmas were merged and traditions spread and took on new meanings and expressions and still influence the way we celebrate Christmas and versions of these holidays today. Many of the symbols and traditions of these early holidays are now associated with Christmas like evergreens, mistletoe, bells, holly and the colors of the season.
Today Yule is celebrated by many modern pagans. The holidays Yule and Midwinter have become tied with Christmas in many areas of Europe and the United States. You will find their names in our carols, and their symbols throughout our holidays.
Midwinter has become a day of feasting and celebration in Antarctica after British explorer, Robert Falcon Scott and his crew began the tradition while on expedition in 1902 to celebrate the coming return of light. People still celebrate by gathering together, feasting, and giving gifts.
Saturnalia - Roman
Saturnalia was an ancient Roman festival honoring the god, Saturn held each year on December 17. The holiday was established well before the 1st century BCE when it was then expanded to a 7-day festival. Eventually the celebration was adapted and renamed Brumalia (of the winter solstice) and became a celebration of the return of the sun. It was later followed again by another adaptation of the holiday with Dies Natalis Invicti (the birth of the unconquerable sun) celebrated on December 25, which was later chosen by the Catholic church to celebrate Jesus’ birth.
The roots of Saturnalia hold the inspiration for many of the favorite Yule and Christmas celebrations and traditions that we still practice today. People celebrated Saturnalia with feasting, decorating their homes with candles and wreaths, giving gifts, playing games, decorating trees with metal pieces, loosened morals, and general merry-making.
Christmas - Christian
Christmas is a Christian holiday honoring the arrival and birth of the god Jesus (seen as the light of the world). Although it is not believed to be his actual birthday, religious leaders chose to place the holiday on December 25th to align with the Roman celebrations for Dies Natalis Invicti (the birth of the unconquerable sun).
As Christianity spread throughout Europe, Christmas (the mass of Christ) became associated with Yule, Midwinter, and other winter traditions. People also began to celebrate regionally with combinations of imported Christian traditions blended with ancient ones creating many of the Christmas traditions we know today. Traditions include attending religious services, gathering with friends and family, feasting, singing carols, decorating homes, and giving gifts. Since the spread of Christianity throughout the world (through conversion of some and force of others), new traditions and ways to celebrate the holiday have popped up.
In Mexico, people make Christmas piñatas and celebrate Posadas with children reenacting Mary and Joseph seeking shelter. Austrian and German children know to watch out for Krampus, believed to be the evil counterpart to St. Nicholas who punishes bad children. Kentucky Fried Chicken is the traditional Christmas meal in Japan who now see Colonel Sanders as a version of Santa Claus. An Icelandic tradition has people gift each other books on Christmas Eve. Finally, Venezuelans have an especially fun Christmas tradition, beginning in the 1950s they started roller-skating to midnight mass counteracting all of the roads closed for the holiday.
One of the most recognizable and enduring symbols and traditions of Christmas across the world is Santa Claus. He comes with many names, but his earliest roots come from the 4th century CE and a bishop in modern-day Turkey who wrote legends of Sinterklaas (St. Nicholas) and how he took gifts around to the poor. This character was combined with other figures like Père Noël from France, or Father Christmas from England who was seen as a large man wearing green or red robes and bringing peace, good cheer and feasting at Christmas. It’s believed that St. Nicholas was brought to the United States by the Dutch with his name being shortened to Sancte Claus in a poem. The images we associate with Santa Claus today (with the red suit and rosy cheeks) are likely a result of Coca Cola advertising campaigns by Dutch-American illustrator, Haddon Sundblom, who helped universalize our impressions of the figure.
Possibly one of the oldest Christmas traditions comes from Palestine where Christians celebrate with the Procession of the Patriarchs on December 24th, a ritual that has been continued since the Ottoman Empire. Each year the patriarch (the primary religious leader) processes through the streets of Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity, the oldest church in the Holy Land which is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. Because of the apartheid there, Israeli soldiers escort the patriarch on the route to the church. Although it is typically a festive time, since the escalation against Gaza last year the procession happens in silence without the bands and groups of people typically present in the past.
Santa Claus, by Haddon Sundblom
St. Lucia’s Day – Sicily & Scandinavia
St. Lucia’s Day, or The Feast of Saint Lucy commemorates the martyrdom of Christian saint, Lucia of Syracuse (Sicily) during the 4th century CE. Legends say Lucia (meaning light) brought food to Christians in hiding and wore a candle-lit wreath on her head to light the way. (She is also known for surviving a host of gruesome experiences including plucking out her eyes, being stabbed in the throat, sentenced to prostitution, and an attempt to be burned alive). Swedish legend adds to her lore believing that after Lucia’s death a ship carried her to the shores of Sweden, where she brought food and clothing to the people during a time of desperate famine.
In both Scandinavia and Sicily, people celebrate with religious services, processions, dressing a young girl as Lucia, singing, feasting, and gathering together. In Sicily some towns have a ritual to remember the miracle of the fire that licked and did not burn Lucia, and on the the eve of the festival it is customary to light large bonfires (bamparìziu), and more daring young people jump onto the flames without suffering burns.
Festival of Beaivi - Sami peoples
In parts of Scandinavia and Russia the indigenous Sami peoples celebrate the winter solstice as the Festival of Beaivi. Beaivi is their sun goddess who together with her daughter, the goddess of healing, are charged with bringing the plants back to life after the death of winter. A white reindeer with red ribbons tied to it is sacrificed to her during the winter solstice to provide sustenance for her journey to invoke re-birth.
Yaldā Night - Persian, Iran
Yaldā Night (meaning rebirth) is an ancient Persian festival in Iran and many surrounding countries. The holiday dates back to 500 BCE and celebrates the winter solstice, and is believed to be adopted from an older Babylonian holiday. The night honors the change of seasons and return of the sun god, Mithras. Celebrations include gathering together to sing songs, tell stories, and eat and drink. Favorite foods are nuts, stews with fruit and meat together, and many fruits like persimmon, watermelon, and pomegranate, to eat or make drinks with. Tradition say that eating watermelon on Yaldā Night prevented illness throughout the winter.
Chanukah – Jewish diaspora
Chanukah (also Hanukkah, or the Festival or Lights) is an ancient Jewish festival dating back to the 2nd century BCE. It honors when the Maccabean Jewish people were able regain control of their temple from the Syrian Greeks who controlled the area. When the Maccabees took refuge in the temple they only had enough oil to last one day but the jar burned light for 8 nights creating the miracle of the oil. To celebrate, people gather with family, read scriptures, light candles on the menorah, and play games with dreidels. It is traditional to give gelt (money or chocolate-money) to children during Chanukah, and since the 1950s in the United States many people also give gifts on the eight nights as well. Food is very important and on Chanukah, it is traditional to feast on latkes (fried potato cakes), challah (braided bread), sufganiyot (jelly donuts), and beef brisket.
Dongzhi Festival – East Asia
The Dongzhi Festival (meaning winter’s arrival) is a traditional Chinese winter solstice festival and has been celebrated since the Zhou dynasty (1045-256 BCE) and has expanded to other nearby east-Asian countries. The holiday honors the yin and yang balance of the year. Dongzhi is a day to worshipping the heavens, thanking and asking for good harvests and health for the coming year. People make food in honor of their ancestors, and traditionally make rice wine and roasted meats on this day. They celebrate by eating together. Dōngzhìtuán (winter solstice dumplings) and rice balls (sometimes colorfully dyed) are popular. The Nines of Winter is a popular folk song for Dongzhi that lays out the coming periods of the winter season.
The Nines of Winter lyrics:
During the first and second nine days, it's too cold to put your hands in the air
During the third and fourth nine days, you can walk on ice
During the fifth and sixth nine days, willows on the banks start to sprout
During the seventh nine days ice will dissolve
During the eighth nine days, wild geese fly back north
During the last nine days, farmers' oxen start to work in the fields
Sanghamitta Day – Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka and other areas, Theravada Buddhists celebrate Sanghamitta Day on the full moon in December. The holiday honors Sanghamitta, the daughter of the emperor of India, who brought Buddhist teachings and the famed Bodhi tree to Sri Lanka. People celebrate by visiting temples, cleaning their homes, processing through the streets, lighting candles, and offerings of food at the monasteries.
Celebration to Horus – ancient Egypt
4th century Roman texts tell us of an Egyptian festival at the winter solstice honoring Horus, who is the child of Isis and the god of sun and sky. Although there is little information about the holiday, many believe Horus’ birth (and sun’s arrival in the world) was celebrated at either the winter solstice, or a few days later on the equivalent of December 25th. The solstices were very important to the ancient Egyptians and many tombs or other structures we’re designed to align the light on these important days.
Kwanzaa – African-American
Kwanzaa (meaning first) is an African-American holiday that occurs between December 26th and January 1 each year. It is steeped in traditions from across the African continent and was created in 1966 by Maulana Karenga, an Africana studies professor at California State, who hoped to give people an alternative to Christmas that celebrated their own culture and history. Kwanzaa honors Nguzo Saba, the seven principles of African Heritage – unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. There are also seven symbols associated with Kwanzaa, crops (harvest and collective labor), a mat (foundation and tradition), candle holder (roots in continental Africa), seven candles (the seven principles), corn (children and the future), the unity cup (practice of unity), and gifts (love and commitment).
People celebrate by lighting a seven candle-holder called a Kinara, wearing colorful African clothing, honoring ancestors, and sharing in meals and community. On December 31st communities join together for Karamu, a feast featuring many foods including jollof rice, collards, jerk chicken, and other traditional recipes from African, Caribbean, and Black American culture.
Soyal – Hopi peoples
Soyal is a celebration of the winter solstice by the Hopi indigenous peoples of modern-day northeast Arizona. This celebration is considered a sacred rite to welcome the sun’s return and ask for a prosperous and healthy coming year. The Hopi create Pahos (prayer sticks of feathers and pinyon needles) to welcome the arrival of the Soyal Katsina (spirit guides) who help bring rain, health, and harvests. The Sun Ceremony is held in Kivas (sacred buildings) and welcomes and blesses the new year. Images of the Plumed Serpent are carried through to welcome the corn’s future return. Each family has offerings of corn placed on the altar and prayers for the return of the sun and rebirth of life on earth.
Solstice Architecture
Looking through history we see the solstices and equinoxes celebrated in our architecture, creating calendars and measuring the seasons. The care and purpose that it took for these to be built is incredible, and it’s clear this tracking of time and seasons is something fundamentally important to us as humans. Here are a few of the structures around the world that were constructed specifically with the winter solstice in mind.
Stonehenge - England
Stonehenge is a megalithic structure in southern England built between 3100-1500 BCE. The circular stone formation is constructed with massive stone pillars brought from multiple locations even over a hundred miles away. It was likely used for religious and ceremonial purposes, and as a time-keeping method. Stonehenge has points aligned with both the winter and summer solstice and is considered by NASA to be one of the five oldest observatories in the world.
The British Isles have many other neolithic structures and calendars with astrological alignment including Newgrange in Ireland (3200 BCE) which contains tombs, earthworks, standing stones, and has an alignment that illuminates a passage during the winter solstice. Off the shores of northern Scotland, the Orkney Islands has Maeshowe (2800 BCE), a cairn (tomb) near the Neolithic village Skara Brae. During the weeks surrounding the winter solstice the midwinter sun lights the passageway through to the back wall of the tomb.
Photo Credit: Beijing Times
Shi Qi Kong Qiao (Seventeen Arch Bridge) – China
Shi Qi Kong Qiao (the Seventeen Arch Bridge) in Beijing, China was built in 1750 during the Qing dynasty. It was created to connect the Summer Palace to the temple located on an island across the lake and it was designed with 17 arches so the family’s lucky number, nine, could be the center arch. The bridge was constructed so the sunset of the winter solstice aligns with the center arch of the bridge, considered by some a reminder of the connection and balance between architecture and nature in the work of Chinese designers and architects.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons
Pueblo Bonito - Chaco Canyon, New Mexico
Pueblo Bonito (beautiful town) was constructed between 850-1150 CE by the Pueblo indigenous peoples of Chaco Canyon in modern-day New Mexico. The structure was created as a “great house”, a town with over 600 rooms, covering 3 acres in a D-shaped formation that could house as many as 800 people. Pueblo Bonito was constructed to maximize solar heating and contains a window that light shines through during the 8 weeks leading up to the winter solstice. Some believe this alignment may have been for practical purposes, helping prepare and heat for the winter months, others see it as part of a calendar system.
Photo Credit: FarHorizons.com
Karahan Tepe - Turkey
In Turkey, Karahan Tepe is an ancient site dating between 9000-11000 BCE and is one of the earliest known human villages. The ancient buildings were found in 1997 and cover 24 acres consistng of homes, sculptures, work areas, and a temple named the Pillar Shrine. In 2021 archaeologists noted a winter solstice alignment in the Pillar Shrine when the sunrise broke and began illuminating a sculpted face on the wall. This is believed to be the earliest astrologically aligned site to be found and shows our long history and fascination with tracking time and cosmic activities.
Photo Credit: BBC Brasil
Parque Arqueológico do Solstício - Brazil
The Parque Arqueológico do Solstício (Solstice Archaeological Park) is located in northern Brazil and was built by indigenous Amazonian peoples between 1-1000 CE. It is a megalithic circle nearly 100 feet in diameter. Archaeologists believe it may have been built as an observatory and have noted that on the winter solstice the sun aligns in a way that makes the stone’s shadows disappear.
Karnak Temple - Egypt
The Karnak Temple in Luxor, Egypt covers over 200 acres and was built over 4,000 years ago overseen by many pharaohs as construction is estimated to have taken 1500 years. It was built in honor of the sun god, Amun-Ra and believed to be where the god resided with his family. The temple is aligned so that the light from the winter solstice sunrise illuminates a statue of the god in the shrine. The winter solstice was important to ancient Egyptians as it marked not only the return of the sun, but also the beginning of planting and germination season.
Solstice Deities
Throughout history and cultures, we as humans choose to mark time and important events with celebrations. They are moments for us to pause from our daily activities and take time to reflect on the larger world. While there is no universal thread or experience that we all share, it is meaningful to understand how others celebrate so we can learn truths that we have in common. Learning lessons from all, while curating our personal celebrations from our own experiences and ancestors.
Agni - Hindu
Agni is the Hindu god of fire, the sun, and lightning. He is honored on the winter solstice as he grows within his mother and is reborn. Agni is also responsible for using lightning to bring thunderstorms and rain to the region promoting growth and agriculture.
Beaivi - Sami
Beaivi is the Sami goddess of the sun, spring, and fertility. On the winter solstice a decorated white reindeer is sacrificed in her honor to give her nourishment to start the process of bringing the sun back and helping everything to start to grow.
Befana - Italian Catholic
In Italian Catholic folklore, Befana in an old witch-like woman who misses out on seeing the Christ-child at his birth and spends the coming years flying on a broomstick bringing gifts to all of the good children on the eve of Epiphany (January 5th). She is still searching for the baby Jesus and leaves treats for good children, and coal, and garlic for the naughty ones. She also has a pagan origin perhaps stemming from Strenia, a goddess of the New Year.
Dionysus/Bacchus – Greek/Roman
Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and merriment (and Bacchus, his Roman counterpart) were celebrated at this time of year, when the wine would be ready for drinking. December 25th is traditionally Dionysius’ birthday, and some see a connection between him and the Christian Jesus who also performed miracles with wine. Bacchus was celebrated alongside Saturn at Saturnalia while Dionysus had a similar holiday in Greece. They both were honored at versions of the later holiday, Brumalia.
Jesus & Mary - Christian
Jesus, the son of god was believed to be born to a human woman, Mary. His birth is celebrated on December 25th likely following celebrations to Dionysus and the rebirth of the sun.
Holly King & Oak King - Celtic
The Holly and Oak Kings are Celtic personifications of the seasons. The two kings spend the year battling with the Holly King ruling the winter, death, and darkness, and the Oak King the summer, light, and growth. Another personification for the Oak King is the Green Man. At the winter solstice the fight finally takes a turn and the Holly King is defeated bringing the light back to the earth.
Horus and Amun-Ra - Egyptian
The Egyptian gods Horus and Amun-Ra are distinct but connected. Horus, who is reborn on the winter solstice, is the god of the sky and war. Amun-Ra represents Aumn, the air god with Ra, the god of the sun. At times, the two gods were combined to a single deity, Ra-Horakhty (Ra, Horus of the Horizons).
Mithras - Persian
Mithras is the Persian god of the sun, justice, and war and was also revered by the Romans. He is honored at Yaldā Night when he returns with the sun to change the seasons and bring life back to the land. Mithras, along with other gods, is belived to have been born on December 25th, and was celebrated at the Roman holiday, Dies Natalis Invicti (the birth of the unconquerable sun).
Modron & Mabon - Welsh
Modron and Mabon are the Welsh mother-goddess and son. They are celebrated at Midwinter as Mabon, who had been kidnapped, is returned to Modron and reborn in the solstice light.
Odin - Norse
Odin is the Norse father-god, who is celebrated at Yule and the winter solstice as he would ride through the night sky on his eight-legged horse, Sleipnir. He would visit homes and leave treats for children who had left their shoes by the hearth to receive them.
Saint Lucia - Christian
Lucia (light) of Syracuse became a Sicilian Christian saint who is honored at the winter solstice for bringing light during dark times to hiding Christians in Rome, and then after her death brought food and clothing to starving people in Sweden making her popular in both Italy and Scandinavia.
Santa Claus - Christian
Santa Claus, a key figure in Christmas celebrations, began as a Christian saint, Nicholas from Turkey in the 4th century. His legends spread to the Catholic church in Rome, and on to other parts of Europe where his stories were combined with other similar figures like Père Noël from France, Father Christmas from England, or Odin from Scandinavia. He is known for flying through the sky on Christmas Eve leaving gifts for all of the good children, and coal for those who are not.
Saturn - Roman
Saturn, the Roman god of time, rebirth, and agriculture, was celebrated in December at Saturnalia. He was honored for the rebirth of the sun, a sign of abundance and growth to come.
Spider Grandmother - Hopi
The Spider Grandmother is a Hopi earth goddess who with Tawa, the sun god, gave birth to earth and people and taught them to weave and survive the harsh winters. She continues to protect by guiding people through the winters.
Associations
Through the passing of time and traditions we begin to associate different colors, foods, and symbols with particular holidays. The meaning of these different things come from what we observe about each one and how we have interacted with it over generations. These associations have been built through time in our food, customs & the stories we tell our children, they give us physical vessels to carry on tradition.
Color Associations
Red – passion, prosperity, love, & vigor, represents the Holly King
Green – rebirth, renewal, growth, & abundance, represents the Oak King and the Green Man
White – hope, purity, & new light
Gold – symbolizes the sun, prosperity, abundance & radiant energy
Silver – symbolizes the moon, grace, hope, & reflection
Flower Assoications
Cuetlaxochitl (Poinsettia) – Aztec flower meaning embers, birth, & purity
Evergreens & Pinecones – hope, eternal life, fertility & renewal
Holly – peace, endurance, good will, & everlasting life
Ivy – life, faithfulness, loyalty, & devotion
Mistletoe – fertility, love, peace & protection
Animal Associations
Bear – wisdom, courage, protection, & strength
Boar – balance, bravery, strength, & courage
Deer – regeneration, harmony, & rebirth
Snow Goose – changing seasons, messenger, protection & love
Squirrel – resourcefulness, adaptability, luck, & playfulness
Reindeer/Stag – transitions, communication, & intuition
Stone & Gem Assoications
Clear Quartz – clarity, amplification, protection & beacon of light
Emerald – rebirth, intuition, connection, & wisdom
Garnet – balance, commitment, health, & letting go
Ruby – love, passion, protection, & vitality
Snowflake Obsidian – transformation, balance, & protection
Experiencing the Solstice through Food
Food nourishes our soul and carries meaning and history. I love that the significance and message of different foods often comes from what it does, how it makes us feel, and the ways it was used in our history. Every culture and home has their own food traditions for holidays and seasons. These are usually based on what is local and fresh around us, and what we grew up with. Food is an important way we bring meaning and history into our celebrations.
Herb Associations
Cinnamon – prosperity, positivity, intuition, & protection
Cloves – luck, friendship, wards off evil & gossip
Ginger – wealth, good fortune, fire, & energetic power
Nutmeg – prosperity, luck, & creates openness
Peppermint – happiness, cleansing, vision, & protection
Sage – purification, wisdom, healing, & intuition
Star Anise – divination, astral travel, & protection
Edible Plant Assoications
Apples – fertility, beauty, wisdom & wholeness
Chestnuts – spiritual connection, abundance, & balance
Citrus Fruits – abundance, luck, happiness, & warding negativity
Pears – wealth, immortality, femininity, & abundance
Pine Nuts – prosperity, inspiration, & renewal
Root Vegetables – nourishment & abundance
Traditional Foods for Winter Solstice
Gingerbread – gingerbread is a very old recipe going back to the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Gingerbread men started as a Saturnalia tradition where they would make the cookies in place of human sacrifices. Gingerbread houses became popular in 16th century Germany and were closely tied to the story of Hansel and Gretel.
Turkey – turkey was traditional at Christmas for the elite after royalty like Henry the VIII served it, but became popular with the masses in the 19th century after its mention in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.
Wassail – wassail (good health), is a warm, spiced apple drink, sometimes with alcohol. People would share the drink, celebrating and singing as they walked to neighboring houses.
Watermelon – watermelon is popular at Yaldā Night in Iran and believed to prevent illness in the coming year.
Dōngzhìtuán – winter solstice dumplings made of rice and colorfully dyed are popular in China and east-Asia.
Stews – stews and braised meats are eaten during Kwanzaa, many times alongside jollof rice.
KFC – in Japan, it has become popular to order Kentucky Fried Chicken for Christmas dinner.
Winter Solstice Recipes
Wassail
Wassail is a hot spiced cider drink with people would make before taking it door to door celebrating with their neighbors. It typically has apple cider, spices like cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Many people also add oranges, or alcohol like brandy or bourbon. I’ve given you the base of what I usually use, but feel free to add your own additions!
Ingredients:
Apple Cider
Cinnamon Stick
Nutmeg
Cloves
Ginger
Star Anise
Instructions:
Put your cider in a small pot and add one or two cinnamon sticks.
In a tea bag or tea strainer add the remaining spices. Let the spices brew until the cider is heated, if you want more flavor from the spices leave for additional time.
Roast Beef
I love roast beef and this is a super easy way to make it that went viral on Tiktok a while back. Adjust the seasonings to your taste and give it a try.
Ingredients:
Beef Roast (I used a 3lb chuck roast)
Garlic
Parsley
Salt & Pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 500°.
Mince garlic and parsley (I used about 2 heads of garlic and a large handful of parsley) and put aside for a minute. You can also use dried spices if you prefer.
Dry your beef roast with paper towels as best you can and then tie around the middle with butcher’s string a few times to keep intact.
Roll the roast in salt and pepper to coat and then cover with the garlic mixture.
Place on a roasting rack in a pan and put in the oven. Cook at 500° for 5 minutes per pound (so I put mine in for 15 minutes). Once the time is up, turn off the heat but keep the oven door closed for the next 1.5 hours.
After 2 hours, take the roast out and let rest for 20 minutes. (The internal temperature should be at least 145°. Slice and serve with horseradish sauce!
Horseradish Sauce
I love this horseradish sauce alongside the roast beef. It’s the perfect cool and spicy compliment to the hot roast beef.
Ingredients:
1 c. sour cream
1/8 c prepared horseradish
1 T Worcestershire sauce
6 large cloves of garlic
Salt & Pepper
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder
¼ nutmeg
1½ t cinnamon
½ c sugar
2 large eggs
1 t vanilla
½ c plain Greek yogurt
Instructions:
Whisk ingredients together. Cover and let sit in fridge and let flavors intensify. Serve cold alongside the roast beef.
Apple-Apricot Spiced Cake
This is an adaptation of the Bon Appetit Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake. I absolutely love their version, but adapted it over time to include apricots, and changed the apples a bit. Both are fabulous versions.
Ingredients:
1 c walnuts
10 T butter, room temp
2 Granny Smith apples
1 c. dried apricots
½ c (packed) brown sugar
1 c flour
1 t salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Toast the walnuts on a baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Chop apples and apricots into small chunks. Heat a 10” cast iron skillet to medium and add 2T butter until melted. Add the apples and let cook slightly until browned, add apricots for last few minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
Add ¼ c brown sugar and 1 T water to the skillet over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and starting to bubble. Turn off heat and let cool in the skillet.
In a food processor pulse the walnuts, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon until nuts are finely ground.
Combine sugar, remaining brown sugar, 8T butter with the walnut mixture and then add in the yogurt. Fold in apples and apricots and pour everything into the skillet.
Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes and then flip onto a plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Rosemary Gin Spritz
This is one of my favorite holiday drinks! It’s herby, with a splash of red and green and is the perfect cocktail for a holiday party.
Ingredients:
2 oz gin
1 T lemon juice
1 T rosemary simple syrup
1 c. water
1 c. sugar
Rosemary sprigs
1 T pomegranate seeds
club soda
Instructions:
Start by making the rosemary simple syrup. In a small pot combine 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar, heat to a boil and stir to completely dissolve sugar. Once the mixture comes to a boil turn the heat off, put the rosemary sprigs inside and cover until it is completely cooled.
To make the cocktail: add gin, lemon juice, and rosemary simple syrup into a glass. Add ice and the pomegranate seeds and top off with club soda. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary if you prefer.
The Actions of Celebrating
Activities, crafts, and rituals are the ways we physically connect and carry on traditions from the past. It is through these physical manifestations that we learn to connect with our ancestors and the meaning of a holiday. Look for ways to acknowledge your history and traditions, while creating some of your own.
Traditional Activities, Crafts, and Rituals
Burn the Yule Log
The Yule Log is a very old tradition where a large log or stump would be put at the center and feed the Yule fire for the coming 12 nights. While burning, wine is poured on the fire to ward of evil spirits and people would throw in little twigs symbolizing the things from the past year they are ready to banish. In the 19th century the French turned the Yule Log into a cake, sometimes known as a Bûche de Noël. Our family celebrates the Yule Log by writing on it all of the things we are hoping for in the new year and then burning it to release those wishes into the ether.
Decorating with Evergreens
One of the most universal traditions across Europe (and elsewhere) for the winter holidays is decorating with evergreens. The Romans used evergreens and decorated trees for Saturnalia. Ancient Egyptians brought in palms around the winter solstice to symbolize the rebirth of Ra, the sun god. Norse peoples hung mistletoe in honor of Balder, the god of light and Druids in decorated with evergreens as a sign of everlasting life, something Christians later took on as a symbol of Christ. We all seem to resonate and get hope from seeing growth and life existing in the dead of winter.
Making Gingerbread
The oldest known recipe for gingerbread is over 5,000 years old from ancient Greece, and there is evidence that gingerbread was used for ceremonial purposes for both the Egyptians and the Greeks. It spread through Italy and was popular at Saturnalia celebrations where they made human-shaped cookies out of it as a nod to earlier human sacrifices at the events. Ginger (and many of the other spices associated with it) were brought to central Europe through trade during the 10th century and gingerbread became popular as a holiday food to impress your guests. Gingerbread making became an art and around the 16th century, bakers started making gingerbread houses which were then used in Grimm’s fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, and popularized even more, making them a Christmas tradition.
Small Ways to Celebrate
Indoor Activities
Light candles and find ways to bring in light
Bake a Bûche de Noël
Make a wreath
Bake gingerbread cookies
Make wassail and invite a friend to share it
Outdoor Activities
Get outside to greet the sunrise
Sing carols at a friend’s house
Go for a walk and seek out green in the winter
Have a bonfire
Bring food or clothes to those who need them
12 Wishes Ritual
I first learned about this old pagan 12 Wishes ritual from Vanessa Hurst (@vanessaandheriphone) and have been doing it for a few years and really enjoying both the process of writing, and watching things come into reality each year.
Create a list of 12 wishes for the coming year. Put them each on a slip of paper, fold them up and store in a jar.
Beginning on the winter solstice (21st of December) pull a slip out and burn it each day, giving it up to the universe to make the wish come true. Burn one each of the 12 days through the 31st.
There will be one slip left at the end – that is the wish you are responsible to make come true.
I like to write my wishes down and save them to look at a year later and consider what has happened. It has been a lovely way to both look forward as well as reflect.
Winter Solstice Tarot Spread
A tarot spread to refocus yourself for the winter. What is holding you back and needs to be let down, what is coming in?
Rest – where in your life should you be resting for now
Release – what do you need to release and let go of?
Look Forward – something to hope for - what light is in the future?
Meditations
The winter solstice marks the first return of light, the small hope that the sun, warmth, and growth will return, but this is a reminder, not a call to action. The coming weeks of darkness remind us that, like the plants, we still need rest and recouperation before we are ready for rebirth and growth.
Cozy up, find ways to pull back and keep warm. Nourish yourself and those close to you. Soon enough it will be time for action, but not now. Now is the time for rest, for healing, and for dreaming about what comes next.
Winter Solstice Playlist
A solstice playlist with old and new winter favorites to brighten the darkest days of winter with merriment and joy.
To listen, scan the Spotify code in the first image, or follow this link.
