Pagan winter solstice rituals have been practiced for centuries and hold deep spiritual significance for many people. The winter solstice, also known as Yule, occurs when the sun reaches its lowest point in the sky and marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. Pagan traditions view this time as a celebration of light and renewal, as the days begin to lengthen again and the promise of spring approaches. The rituals and customs vary among different pagan traditions, but some common elements include bonfires, feasting, and the exchange of gifts. The lighting of a Yule log is a central ritual in many pagan traditions, symbolizing the return of the sun's light and warmth. Some pagans also engage in meditation, prayer, or spellwork during the solstice to set intentions for the coming year and harness the energy of the changing seasons.
Some pagans also engage in meditation, prayer, or spellwork during the solstice to set intentions for the coming year and harness the energy of the changing seasons. Overall, pagan winter solstice rituals provide a time for reflection, connection with nature, and a reaffirmation of the cyclical nature of life..
Winter Solstice 2019: Witches Offer a Look Into Their Yule Rituals
Witches in the Northern Hemisphere will celebrate the Winter Solstice 2019 on December 21. Witches following the Wheel of The Year will also start their Midwinter, or Yule, celebrations on this date. The Wheel of the Year is the cyclical calendar of festivals that modern pagans celebrate. The Wheel symbolizes the continuous turning of time and mirrors nature’s cycles of death and rebirth. The origin of the name ‘Yule’, some say, comes courtesy the Norse god Odin. Traditionally, the festivities began on the longest night of the year and celebrated the lengthening days and return of light. The Yule festivities stretched 12 days while its celebrants feasted and burned yule logs.
While most modern witches don’t take a whole 12 days to celebrate the season — the witches that I talked to usually limit their celebrations to December 21st — many of them still derive great meaning from the holiday and have their own rituals to celebrate lengthening days. “I observe the Solstice to honour rebirth, to observe stillness between the end of one cycle and the beginning of a new cycle,” Tess Giberson told Teen Vogue. “I take all of the wisdom, thoughts, and feelings that have been growing in the dark, and bring them out into the light to share them, name them, speak them aloud.”
Giberson, also known as City Witch, is a folk tarot reader, zine maker, and witch. For Giberson, who is gender non-conforming and identifies as trans, creating ceremonies and rituals allow them to celebrate things that are meaningful — whether that be festivals tied to the Wheel of the Year and secular rites of passage, like recognizing accomplishments, or taking on a new name. “Ceremonies and ritual allow me to celebrate aspects of my life that aren’t within the cis-hetero-patriarchal definition of success,” Giberson said. “Ceremony is an act of love (for myself and my community) and an act of defiance against the state. In creating ceremony I am celebrating my being in a world that is trying to deny and erase the existence of trans and gender nonconforming folk. Ceremony brings power to the present moment, it’s how we celebrate being alive and initiate change.”
Michael Cardenas, head brujo at Olde Ways, is an initiated witch and trained clairvoyant/medium whose practice encompasses many different kinds of witchcraft. As a child, the season marked a literal and figurative return to the light for him. “[What] really drew me to witchcraft is that there were a lot of dark things happening with my family,” Cardenas said. The impetus to protect his family and an intuitive understanding of the need to bring lightness to the situation is what Cardenas credits with being the beginning of his witchcraft journey.
Cardenas was initiated to and practiced with a local coven as a teenager. It was through them that he participated in traditional Wiccan Yule celebrations, like heading to the forest to pick out and eventually decorate a Yule tree — a tradition that Cardenas recounts as his favourite. The evergreen represented everlasting life and was decorated with white candles, items that symbolized the things they wanted to bring into their lives, and garlands of seasonal berries.
Solstice took on new meaning for Cardenas once he started to research solstice celebrations around the world, “I’m Mexican and I came to [witchcraft through] a European path first,” Cardenas said. “ All of the images that I saw were of European people celebrating Solstice. So, there’s always this part of me that was second guessing myself or trying to figure out if this was right for me.” Once Cardenas dove into his heritage — Cardenas’ grandmother is Indigenous to Guadalajara — he had a revelation. “When I started to explore and investigate other cultures, I found that within my own culture, in ancient times, we were doing the same thing.”
For witch and feminist creator Eden America, the Solstice also connects her with her ancestry. “It is important to me to acknowledge seasonal change. Like nature, there are similar shifts and rebirths that occur inside of me. Growing up I shared [these] rituals with my Gram,” she said. “I identify as a witch and I learned it all from my Gram. I just recently found out my great, great grandmother was a healer.”
For those of you celebrating Yule, Cardenas said that it’s imperative to research all of the different ways that the Winter Solstice is observed around the world and to do work to spiritually connect with your ancestors. “They’re the first spirits you should work with, I think,” said Cardenas. He advised setting out an offering of some flowers and a simple glass of water. “Water represents life and also represents a portal between worlds. Call to your ancestors: ‘To my ancestors, known and unknown, I come forward today to create a vivid connection between us.’”
For Cardenas, one of the most profound rituals is simple and free — you don’t even have to go outside. Light some incense and grab a warm drink. With your footsteps, create a spiral in a clockwise direction. “As you’re doing that, you’re literally aligning yourself with the pattern that the universe is creating. Aligning yourself with that and aligning yourself with the time of the season is very, very empowering and I really recommend that for anyone on the path to becoming a witch or exploring witchcraft,” Cardenas said. “It’s really important to empower yourself as a witch and that’s one of the ways you can align yourself with nature.”
Giberson had some suggestions for rituals for beginners, but also stressed that Solstice celebrations needn’t be overly complicated. “You also don’t have to spend money to observe the Solstice, if I wanted to do my ritual without spending any money I’d use the free app #SelfCare because it has a candle you can light, an altar, and a tarot deck, which are the main components of my ritual,” they said.
Here’s a ritual you can do to utilize some of Giberson’s favorite practices:
- Cleanse yourself by taking a salt bath and burn rosemary to cleanse the air
- Build an altar (theirs will be in the Celtic tradition)
- Burn a candle and as your candle burns, release the old energy/thoughts/feelings/ways of being and name the new intentions that come to the surface
- Use their favorite three-card tarot spread to do a reading for yourself: ask the cards what you’re supposed to leave in 2019, a gift hidden in plain sight, and an intention to set or something to grow in the new year
“If it’s your first time ever celebrating solstice, know that your first time is your rebirth,” Cardenas said. “You are stepping onto the wheel, and you’re stepping into that liminal space between time, between worlds. Let that be the beginning of your rebirth and let it be meaningful.”
This article has been updated to be relevant to the current year's solstice.
Giberson had some suggestions for rituals for beginners, but also stressed that Solstice celebrations needn’t be overly complicated. “You also don’t have to spend money to observe the Solstice, if I wanted to do my ritual without spending any money I’d use the free app #SelfCare because it has a candle you can light, an altar, and a tarot deck, which are the main components of my ritual,” they said.
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Reviews for "The Role of Gift Giving in Pagan Winter Solstice Rituals"
1. Jennifer - 2 stars - While I appreciate the idea of embracing different cultural practices, I found the pagan winter solstice rituals to be rather confusing and disconnected from my own beliefs. The chanting and dancing seemed more like a chaotic spectacle rather than a meaningful celebration. I struggled to find any personal connection or understanding throughout the entire event.
2. John - 1 star - Attending the pagan winter solstice rituals was a dreadful experience for me. The whole ceremony felt like a bizarre mix of outdated superstitions and forced spirituality. I couldn't connect with the rituals and found myself feeling awkward and out of place. It was a complete waste of my time and left me with a feeling of emptiness rather than the sense of community and spiritual enlightenment I was hoping for.
3. Samantha - 2 stars - I attended the pagan winter solstice rituals out of curiosity, but I left feeling disappointed. The rituals lacked any real substance or depth, and instead felt like a series of empty gestures. The participants seemed more interested in taking selfies and staging elaborate performances, rather than truly connecting with the spiritual essence of the winter solstice. Overall, it left me questioning the authenticity of such rituals and their true purpose.
4. Michael - 1 star - As someone who values traditional religious practices, I found the pagan winter solstice rituals to be completely pointless. The whole event seemed like a group of people attempting to recreate something without any real understanding or reverence for its origins. There was no sense of solemnity or spiritual depth, which ultimately made the whole experience feel superficial and insincere. I would not recommend wasting your time on this kind of ritual if you're looking for a truly meaningful spiritual experience.