As the nights stretch out, long and cold, we are gently pulled into the cocoon of the midwinter solstice. This longest night of the year marks the astronomical beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere as well as a turning point, after which the days will once again lengthen into summer. Despite the cold weather, it's a joyous occasion that has been celebrated throughout history.
While there are many traditions one can look to, I largely draw from my Celtic ancestry to shape my rituals. I would encourage you to seek out your ancestral traditions, while also exploring those which you feel drawn to and inspired by.
For the ancient Celts, the year began on Samhain (November 1st), a time when the veil between the physical and spiritual worlds is believed to be at its thinnest. This spiritual permeability lasts much longer than one night though, and continues on through the midwinter solstice. It is a seam running through the dark half of the year, or Geimhreadh, a time of gestation ruled by the Celtic crone of winter, the Cailleach.
A large number of cultures have legends of a winter crone or hag: a goddess of good and evil who shapes the land and controls the forces of nature. The Cailleach is “she who hardens the ground with the frost and ice, which quickens the dormant seeds in the earth’s womb” (D'Este and Rankine). She predates even the Celtic mythology she has become part of, and one Highland folktale tells that she existed from the long eternity of the world.
As easy as it is to label her as a harbinger of destruction and death, we should consider the Cailleach's duality. Although she is said to be so fearful in appearance that she scares animals into hiding, this also guarantees their survival. She is known as the keeper of the seed, and without her culling of new growth in winter, no life would survive the harsh weather. She is the guardian of the essential life force.
The Crone archetype embodies valuable wisdom, transformation, and guardianship. She calls us to her cave (or womb) to rest, gestate, and emerge renewed. This is a time of year for slowing down, traveling inward, and returning to our truth. As they say, the night is darkest before the dawn, and when we emerge from this womb of the longest night to the returning sun and lengthening days, it will be cause for celebration indeed!
Our Winter Solstice Box is open for preorder, a wonderful way to mark the sabbat (one of eight neopagan festivals that make up the wheel of the year).
Rituals for the Winter Solstice
- Honor the Cailleach—cover your altar or a table with a yellow cloth. Place a blue candle in the middle, along with a bowl of snow. As the candle burns like the light of the sun, the snow melts, representing the transfer of power from darkness to light
- Light a fire at sunset, to bring back the sun—this can be in the form of candles, lighting a fire in your hearth if you're lucky enough to have one, or dancing around a bonfire outside (depending how fully you want to commit to the witch thing here)
- Gather with loved ones, to hold vigil—share comforting food and warming drinks like wassail (mulled cider)
- Reflect and release—have everyone privately write down things that they would like to let go of on small scraps of paper and throw them into the fire
- Set intentions—take turns speaking aloud a thing, idea, habit, or practice that people want to bring into their lives with the returning sun
Plants of the Winter Solstice
- Evergreens, for life amidst death
- Holly, for good luck and protection
- Mistletoe, for fertility and abundance
- Birch, for renewal and purification
Colors of the Winter Solstice
- Red, for passion and warmth
- Green, for life within death
- Gold, for the sun/day
- White, for purity and protection
- Blue, for the cold/Cailleach
- Silver, for the moon/night
Neopagan Archetypes
- Triple goddess: Mother, Maiden, and Crone
- Horned god or Green man: dualistic counterpart to the goddess—in Gardnerian Wicca, the Holly king (rules over dark half of year) and Oak king (rules over light half of year)
Resources
D’Este, Sorita, and David Rankine. Visions of the Cailleach: Exploring the Myths, Folklore and Legends of the Pre-Eminent Celtic Hag Goddess. Avalonia, 2009.
Moxon, Elaine. Winter Crone Legends. English History Authors.
Wigington, Patti. Cailleach, the Ruler of Winter. Learn Religions.