What is the Winter Solstice? And how can you celebrate it?
Eva Osborne
Every year, hundreds of people make the journey to Newgrange, Co Meath, to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Some even travel from overseas.
But many celebrate in their own ways closer to home.
According to My Irish Jeweler, the Winter Solstice has been celebrated in Ireland for over 5,000 years, making it a celebration older than the Celts.
Newgrange was built by Stone Age farmers about 5,200 years ago (3,200 BC), which makes it older than Stonehenge and the Great Pyramids of Giza.
The passage and chamber are aligned with the rising sun on the mornings around the Winter Solstice.
Irish archaeologist Dr Frank Prendergast said the chamber is "an incredible feat of engineering".
But if you aren't lucky enough to be selected as a winner of the Newgrange 'solstice lottery', gaining you access to the chamber to watch the sunrise, then how else might you celebrate the Winter Solstice?
Yule logs, holly, and mistletoe
All the things we associate with Christmas, like feasting and spending time with our family and friends, lead back to Celtic Winter Solstice traditions.
Gathering around the fire, burning Yule logs, and decorating with holly and mistletoe are no different.
The burning of a Yule log to celebrate the solstice started well before medieval times.
The light from the burning log is meant to entice the sun to return, orginiating from the jól (Yule) festival in Scandinavia, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
Families would bring the trunk of the Yule tree inside and stick the big end of it into the fireplace.
The log would feed the fire through the 12 Days of Christmas (from Christmas Day through the evening of the 5th of January—known as Twelfth Night).
If you cannot get your hands on a Yule log, hang some holly or share a great meal with friends and family. Celebrate the fact that you have come out the other side of the darkest days of the year!
According to Emerald Isle, holly was often hung or grown outside Irish homes in the belief that it would protect from evil spirits, who would get caught on its sharp spikes.
The ancient Gaels associated it with eternity and endurance against adversity.
Pointing out the 'grand stretch'
Days will be longer from tomorrow onwards. Although the difference will be unnoticeable at first, many will still remark on the 'grand stretch' in the evenings that the Winter Solstice has brought about.
The Irish Jeweler points out that, probably much like our ancestors, we feel relieved once December 21st has passed.
The Winter Solstice celebrates the end of the dark days, and a return of hope, prosperity, and light.
So, even if these dark days continue well into January and February, we know we are heading towards brighter and warmer days.
