Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice Brew
2 Oranges(Peeled, not peeled, sliced, chunked or segmented…whatever you prefer!)1 Cinnamon Sticks(Omit if you don’t like or are allergic to cinnamon)1 Star Anise(Omit if you don’t li...
HOLDA, GODDESS OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE
Mother Holda, an ancient Germanic Goddess, has many surviving stories. She is connected in several ways to our contemporary concept of Santa Claus. She was a teacher, a spinner, a wise woman. She was ...
Solstice Bath Tea
Solstice Bath Tea is full of skin-nourishing herbs that also work wonders on soothing the nervous system. A lovely bath blend for folks of all ages right before bed! 1 part Chamomile (Matricaria chamo...
The Celtic Traditions of Winter Solstice
In Celtic tradition winter is ruled over by the Holly King, and the Oak King, or Green Man, rules over the summer. In medieval times the Holly King was represented by a boy who walked around the town ...
What Happened to Winter Solstice?
1. Early Christians had a soft spot for pagansIt’s a mistake to say that our modern Christmas traditions come directly from pre-Christian paganism, said Ronald Hutton, a historian at Bristol Uni...
Celebrating Winter Solstice
In Celtic tradition winter is ruled over by the Holly King, and the Oak King, or Green Man, rules over the summer. In medieval times the Holly King was represented by a boy who walked around the town ...
The Slavic holiday calendar
The Slavic holiday calendar began on 21st December, with a symbolic victory of light over darkness (the Winter Solstice). The Święto Godowe (Nuptial Holidays), also known as Zimowy Staniasłońc would e...
The Legend of the Holly King and the Oak King
In many Celtic-based traditions of neopaganism, there is the enduring legend of the battle between the Oak King and the Holly King. These two mighty rulers fight for supremacy as the Wheel of the Year...
Beware the Krampus!
If you live in Bavaria or some parts of Germany, you may be very familiar with the scary Christmas creature known as the Krampus. Let’s take a look at the Krampus–and just as importantly, the hu...
Ten Christmas Customs with Pagan Roots
During the winter solstice season, we hear all kinds of cool stuff about candy canes, Santa Claus, reindeer and other traditions. But did you know that many Christmas customs can trace their roots bac...
Deities of the Winter Solstice
While it may be mostly Pagans who celebrate the Yule holiday today, nearly all cultures and faiths have held some sort of winter solstice celebration or festival. Because of the theme of endless birth...
Yule Decorations
There are so many great ways you can decorate your home for the Yule season. Adapt store-bought Christmas decorations, or make your own Pagan-themed home decor for the season. Here’s how you can...
Christmas Tree
One of the first references to the fir tree in association with the Christmas tree comes from the Alsatian town of Strasbourg in 1604: “On Christmas, they put fir trees in the rooms in Strasbourg, the...
Mothers Night
The darkest night of the year was called mothers’ night, because now the sun god, lover of the goddess, is reborn in the lap of the Earth. With him, the light of life is renewed. It is the moment of q...
Soon Christmas Comes
Soon Christmas Comes Melody: Hans Helmut; Lyrics: Karola Wilke Soon Christmas comes Now Father Christmas is not far away Listen, the old man is knocking on the gate. With his white horse, he is waitin...
THE CHRISTMAS CALENDAR
The usual dates supplied for the traditional Christmas season start with November 11 and end on February 2. Here is a small survey of the most important dates in the Christmas calendar. November 11. M...
Winter Solstice Rituals
Rituals are like theatrical plays or operas. With the passage of time, their content is continuously reinterpreted and imbued with contemporary meaning. Rituals are ideal surfaces for projection. They...
Symbolic Meaning of Christmas Plants
The symbolic meaning of Christmas plants opens up to us a new perspective on cultures and customs of times long past: the mythical wild hunt of Germanic and Nordic origin, the Julbock and the feast of...
Winter Solstice Season
Throughout the season runs evidence of a very rich Christmas ethnobotany, with ancient traces we will follow to their roots in this book. During this excursion into the past, we will learn much about ...
Craft: Distaff Tree
The word distaff means “fiber stick.” Thus, the Old Norse dísir and Old English idises, tutelary spirits who presided over the birth of a child, determined the length, thickness, and overall quality o...
Frau Holle
Also running amok was Berchta’s more northerly incarnation, Frau Holle, who used to take charge of all infants who died before they could be baptized. The stubbled fields over which the broomstick-mou...
The Salige Fräuleins
In the Alps of the same century, a visit from the Salige Fräuleins (“Blessed Young Ladies”), who came at night to sample food offerings left on the table, was announced by softer bee-like music than t...
OLD CHRISTMAS MAGICK
On Berchtl Nights, the goddess’s Austrian servants take to the streets and create a din by ringing cowbells and playing tuneless music on their fiddles. These activities were not always confined to Ad...
Winter Solstice & New Moon Energy! December 21st
Today is a good day for reflection, for tomorrow brings more light and you too will be brought to increased light, and all the things you carry will be revealed clearly in the light of day. You may ha...
Winter Solstice
Time: For three days from sunset on or around 20 December (20 June in the southern hemisphere) Focus: Rebirth, the return of light, the triumph of life over death, spiritual awakening, light in the mi...