Winter Equinox

There are many traditions and celebrations which surround the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. December 21st is known as the Winter Solstice, when day where the Northern Hemisphere experiences the year's shortest amount of sunlight. This day is celebrated in a number of ways by different cultures around the world.

Many of the traditions which are today associated with Christmas were originally Winter Solstice rituals. Early Scandinavians celebrated a festival called Yule by burning a “Yule log”, or an extremely dense piece of wood, in their fireplaces; Yule logs were thought to have magical characteristics and burning them was thought to bring luck and fortune. Ancient German tribes hung decorations and candles on a pine tree and the Celts would hang mistletoe in a room for good luck. Astronomical observation temples, like Machu Pichu, were the site of winter celebrations for the Inca people. The Romans had an entire festival dedicated to this time of year, called Saturnalia. At this celebration, they would give gifts to one another for good luck and also decorate their homes with evergreen branches. For many Westerners, most of these ancient practices should seem very familiar. How did this festival continuation come to happen?

Around 300 AD, the Roman Christian Church tried to end the pagan traditions surrounding the Winter Solstice. They decided to declare December 25th the day of Christ's birth, so festivities would focus on that event instead. However, they failed to really eliminate these celebrations, as many of the pagan traditions were simply carried over into the Christmas festivities by the people. This still remains true to this day, centuries later, despite Christian efforts to the contrary. It seems wise, at this point in history, to instead observe and appreciate the rituals which have carried over from so long ago.

Spring Equinox

The first day of Spring occurs in mid-March, when the nights and days are both twelve hours long. This event is called the Vernal Equinox, or Ostara, in the Northern Hemisphere.

The prehistoric European people determined the exact day of the Spring Equinox with the use of circular stone structures they built. Stonehenge is an excellent example of this type of ceremonial stone structure.  The Spring Equinox has been dedicated to the fertility gods of several different cultures across history. German tribes celebrated their goddess Ostara, while the Anglo-Saxons had a feast in honor of Eostre, whose symbols were rabbits and eggs (sound familiar?). At the Spring Equinox, Mayans would gather at the Chichen Itza pyramid to see the snake-like shadow that would be cast on the ground.

The fertility symbols of eggs and rabbits have clearly survived to this day in the form of Easter traditions. The idea of fertility or rebirth echoes the natural activities that occur in Spring and are a cause for celebration to this day, just as they were for ancient peoples.

Summer Solstice

June 21st is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere each year and it also heralds in the start of summer. The Honey Moon, which is the name given to June's only full moon, is traditionally thought to be the best time to harvest honey and also a good time to get married. St. John's Wort was also harvested near this time and used in wreaths and garlands for protection and also in potions. The Slavic and Celtic people would celebrate the Summer Solstice around a bonfire, over which people would jump for good luck.

The beginning of summer was a time when Scandinavian women would typically bathe in the local rivers and the Portuguese people believed water had special powers. They would bathe their livestock and children in hopes of drawing out the good health from the water. The Russian celebration of Kupalo takes place during the Summer Solstice as well, when families would take baths in rivers and lakes together.

The Summer Solstice has been, throughout history, a time to celebrate the beauty of the season and the health of the land.

Fall Equinox

The event known as the Fall Equinox, Michaelmas, and Harvest Home falls on September 23rd in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Japanese would celebrate this day by taking seven days to visit the graves of their loved ones to clean tombstones, bring flowers or incense, and to pray. This was also called higan. In Poland, they celebrated with the Feast of Greenery, when they would take food and flowers to be blessed by their priest, to be kept until the next year's harvest.

The ancient Roman's goddess of fruits and produce, called Pomona, was the cause for their festivals at the Fall Equinox. At the feast, they would eat a goose which they had fed well throughout the year so that it would be plump. Ginger was another traditional food found at this feast, in the form of breads or beers or other items.

At the end of the harvest in early England, the last ear of corn brought in was called the "spirit of the field" and the husk was formed into a doll. These dolls were then dunked in water or burned, symbolizing rain and the death of the spirit of the harvest. They would create larger models out of wicker to be burned as a sacrifice to the spirits as well. The festivities would also include fairs, where the local farmers would gather and celebrate. Above the festival a glove would be strung to represent the generosity and promises of fairness between the people.