What is the Pagan tradition solstice?
Today, many Pagans still celebrate Yule on the day of the Winter Solstice. Pagans celebrate the rebirth of the sun through gift exchanges, merriment, and deep spiritual reflection. For Pagans, this is a time of new beginnings, rebirth, transformation, getting rid of unwanted habits, and creativity.
What do Pagans do on solstice?
Like most winter solstice festivals, themes of light, fire, and feasting are common threads. Some historians think that sacrifices were an important part of the observance, either to the gods and other supernatural beings (such as elves) or to the dead or both.
What is the pagan summer solstice ritual?
Lighting and jumping over bonfires on Midsummer's Eve dates to pre-Christian pagan customs. It was thought to keep demons away and bring good luck to lovers.
What are the Celtic traditions for the solstice?
The Celts also lit bonfires and sent wheels of fire down hills, and people also jumped through rings of fire to bring themselves luck. The Celts believed that the higher the people jumped through the rings of fire, the luckier they would be. Feasting and dancing also took place during the celebrations.
What is the 13 days of Yule?
To the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas, the 13 Days of Yule is a song that was originally sung in Scotland in the early 1800's, beginning on 20th December until New Year's Day. Join us in this countdown with these wonderful illustrations by illustrator, Edinburgh Letters.
What happens spiritually during solstice?
It's often said to be a time of new beginnings; with the changing of the seasons, we say goodbye to a long, stagnant period of self-reflection and welcome the fiery energy of the sun to propel us forward. This very physical changing of the seasons is a powerful time to manifest spiritual transformations.
What religions are paganism?
Modern paganism, or Neopaganism, includes reconstructed religions such as Roman Polytheistic Reconstructionism, Hellenism, Slavic Native Faith, Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism, or heathenry, as well as modern eclectic traditions such as Wicca and its many offshoots, Neo-Druidism, and Discordianism.
What are pagan rituals today?
Contemporary pagan ritual is typically geared towards "facilitating altered states of awareness or shifting mind-sets". In order to induce such altered states of consciousness, pagans utilize such elements as drumming, visualization, chanting, singing, dancing, and meditation.
How do you wish a pagan happy summer solstice?
There are not really any special greetings for the day, other than 'Happy Solstice' or 'Happy Litha' (the pagan name for the day).
Why is the winter solstice so important to Pagans?
Modern paganism
In most forms of Wicca, this holiday is celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the Great horned hunter god, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun. The method of gathering for this sabbat varies by practitioner.
What do druids do on solstice?
Yule was the Winter solstice, a time when Druids would sit on mounds of earth, throughout the night, waiting for sunrise. This is when they believed they would be reborn. Litha, on the other hand, was the summer solstice, a time when they believed that the 'holly king' took over from the 'oak king' of Yule.
Who is the Celtic god of the solstice?
Cernunnos is the antlered god, part man and part stag. He is born on the darkest day of the year, winter solstice, and marries the goddess of spring, Beltane. About six months later, on summer solstice, he dies. In Celtic lore, he is often depicted sitting cross legged—the position of a meditator, or teacher.
What are the three days of Samhain?
Neopagans usually celebrate Samhain on 31 October–1 November in the Northern Hemisphere and 30 April–1 May in the Southern Hemisphere, beginning and ending at sundown.
What is the oldest Yule tradition?
The oldest was the tradition of the Yule log which echoed with sacrificial significance. Originally it was a whole tree or a large tree trunk that was carefully chosen, felled and hauled to the long house with great ceremony.
What are Yule colors?
The symbols of Yule are evergreens, the Yule Log, a Yule tree, mistletoe, holly, wreaths, and bells. The colors of Yule are white, green, red, gold, and silver.
What is the difference between winter solstice and Yule?
The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice (also known as Yule) is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. The celebration of Winter Solstice takes place on the shortest day and longest night of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, it takes place between December 20 and 23, depending on the year.
What is the most powerful solstice?
The summer solstice marks the first day of summer, when the sun reaches the highest point in the sky. The day is long, and the night is short. The sun is most potent on the summer solstice and is recognized as a time of powerful healing.
What is a solstice blessing?
Winter Solstice Blessing
May you find peace in the promise of the solstice night, That each day forward is blessed with more light. That the cycle of nature, unbroken and true, Brings faith to your soul and well-being to you. Rejoice in the darkness, in the silence find rest.
What religion is solstice?
Today, the celebration of the solstices is mostly strongly associated with Paganism. The Pagan festival of Litha is one of the most important in the Pagan religion, commencing on the eve of the Summer Solstice it celebrates the midsummer and the power of the sun god.
Who do pagans pray to?
Pagans understand deity to be manifest within nature and recognise divinity as taking many forms, finding expression in goddesses as well as gods. Goddess worship is central in paganism.
What do pagans eat?
The pagan diet is a combination of two popular dietary lifestyle choices – paleo and vegan – and pulling the key principles of both to eat nutrient-dense and plant-based whole foods in order to support optimal health. This is thought to be achieved by balancing blood-sugars and reducing inflammation.
Who are the 12 pagan gods?
Roman pagans worshipped 12 main deities that they adopted and adapted from Greek paganism. These gods were Jupiter, Juno, Vesta, Ceres, Mercury, Mars, Apollo, Diana, Vulcan, Poseidon, Minerva, and Venus. Romans also worshipped foreign gods, such as the Egyptian goddess Isis and the Persian god Mithras.
Do Paganism believe in God?
Pagans tend to be earth conscious. Some Pagans believe in a multiplicity of Gods and Goddesses. Others see them as merely names and forms that allow us easier contact with the divine. In most cases Pagans see the divine as present in both male and female principles.
How to live as a pagan?
Inspiration and Ideas for a Holistic Pagan Lifestyle
Develop a sacred calendar customized for your beliefs, lifestyle, and environment. Make daily activities sacred with quick and easy rituals. Reclaim your place in the food cycle by producing a portion of your own food—even if you live in an apartment!
Do Pagans still exist?
At least 1.5 million people in the United States identify as Pagans—up from 134,000 in 2001. They range from Wiccans and Kemetics to TikTok witches and heathens. (See explainer of these groups below.)
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samhain
- https://www.qmee.com/blog/a-brief-history-the-summer-solstice-and-the-druids
- https://thefifearms.com/whats-on/13-days-of-yule/
- https://www.amazon.com/Walk-Pagan-Path-Practical-Spirituality/dp/0738737240
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/roman-paganism-history-gods-beliefs.html
- https://pacificmountain.ca/wordpress2021/wp-content/uploads/Winter-solstice-bookmark-draft.pdf
- https://celticjewelry.com/blogs/celtic-gods-and-goddesses/cernunnos
- https://www.stneotsmuseum.org.uk/articles/why-do-we-celebrate-the-summer-solstice/
- https://metro.co.uk/2018/06/21/happy-summer-solstice-quotes-greetings-poems-celebrate-longest-day-year-7648565/
- https://www.umass.edu/rso/spirals/Site/Paganism_101.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paganism
- https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/discover/history/history-of-summer-solstice-traditions
- https://stores.renstore.com/history-and-traditions/yule-history-and-origins
- https://www.twinkl.co.uk/blog/summer-solstice-traditions
- https://allplants.com/blog/lifestyle/what-is-the-pagan-diet
- https://sites.rowan.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion/blog/2020/12/winter-solstice.html
- https://www.cantonpl.org/blogs/post/discover-winter-solstice-yule/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_paganism
- https://animamundiherbals.com/blogs/blog/spiritual-significance-of-the-summer-solstice
- https://affinashop.com/blogs/biophilia/summer-solstice-rituals-for-midsummer
- https://www.waht.nhs.uk/en-GB/Our-Services1/Non-Clinical-Services1/Chapel/Faith-and-Culture/Paganism/
- https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yule-festival
- https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/article/where-to-go-to-explore-pagan-culture
