As I scurry around preparing gift certificates, wrapping gifts, and preparing for the Christmas feasts later this week, this day takes on a special meaning for me…and for Earl at The Watering Can in Vineland. Both Earl and I look forward to today with great anticipation. Not a week goes by during the fall that we don’t remind each other of the number of days to this momentous day on the calendar.
Today, as is my custom, I drove down to the workshop at The Watering Can where we cracked open a bottle of Cave Spring sparkling to celebrate…Christmas? the Holidays? No, something just as important – the Winter Solstice and the lengthening of daylight hours from this day forward until June 21st! I’m almost giddy at the thought that we are on our way to that glorious time of growth and warmth; of spring and the promise of renewal! Bring it on, I say!!
In ancient times, as the days grew shorter, people feared that the sun was dying. Without the sun, they would perish. In order to coax back the source of warmth and light, they created midwinter rituals, culminating in a great festival at Winter Solstice, on the longest night of the year. Women would gather greenery to decorate dwellings (a precursor to the custom of the Christmas tree) and prepare communal feasts. The men would light huge bonfires. The bright flames representing the energy of the sun became the backdrop for music, dance and celebration in the bleakest time of the year. What a fabulous excuse for a celebration!! For those of us in the northern hemisphere where this time of year can be particularly dark and cold, the Winter Solstice can be a great non-religious celebration of Mother Nature’s regeneration.
This evening as Earl and his team create Holiday arrangements and I continue to wrap my gifts and prepare for the chaos yet to come, there is a broad smile on our faces. No, it’s not the effect of those tiny bubbles! It’s knowing that we are on our way out of the darkness. Raise a toast to the Winter Solstice and the return of the light…