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| Before Christmas the common celebration was solstice |
Want to go back to origins of the season? The ancient celebration of solstice preceded the Christian celebration. Don't get me wrong. The sharing, goodwill and peace that Christmas honours are great. But as I get older I can't help but wonder why the holiday changed from celebrating abundance to encouraging over consumption. Solstice celebrations remain largely non-commercial, and, for a growing segment of the population, deeply spiritual.
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| Red berries were considerd magical |
We celebrate nature's abundance just after the harvest season as the earth travels its furthest distance from the sun and and land in the northern hemisphere falls fallow.
Many fixtures of our Christmas celebration, such as greens and berries, had their origins in pagan festivals such as those of the Druids in Northern Europe. Traditions like feasting were born from practical considerations. Herds were culled to accommodate the lack of food winter brings. At the same time the new ale and other spirits from the grain and fruit harvest were ready. Thus the season of feasting was born.
It is true that Druidism has long been removed from mainstream culture. The last recorder of the BC Druids, John Hugh Roberts, was laid to rest in Vancouver's Mountainview Cemetary in 1917 (see post "Moutainview cemetery; a look at our past"). For more on Roberts see www.azatlan.com/RobertsHeritage.php.
Thanks to The Secret Lantern Society you can take part in the 18th annual public solstice celebration marking the return of light on the longest day of the year, December 21. The event is very accessible. This year the Roundhouse, False Creek, Creekside and Britannia comunity centres, Granville Island's Performance Works and Chinatown's Dr Sun Yat Sen Gardens.will host festivities. All of these venues and procession routes are wheelchair accessible. For event details go to http://www.secretlantern.org/.
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