Marking winter solstice - crafts, listening, online community etc
December 15, 2024 1:49 AM Subscribe
I've had a rough few months and, because of this, plan to spend the 21st reflecting and doing activities with a solstice theme. It may just be me and the cat or a couple of people may drop in. Looking for ideas of crafts, activities, rituals, music, other listening, food. I'd also like suggestions of where online others will be marking the day so that I can watch or listen to celebrations.
Thought I'd make clove pomanders, decorate jars for LED tea-lights, these muffins (used to make them at Christmas but the person I made them for has died). Any other suggestions? Particularly interested in non-music things to listen to. I have looked at past questions, of which the most relevant were one on music, one on food, this general one and another general one.
And it would be lovely to check in online somewhere during the day to watch, listen to or read about others who are marking the day, and maybe be able to comment on what I'm doing.
Thought I'd make clove pomanders, decorate jars for LED tea-lights, these muffins (used to make them at Christmas but the person I made them for has died). Any other suggestions? Particularly interested in non-music things to listen to. I have looked at past questions, of which the most relevant were one on music, one on food, this general one and another general one.
And it would be lovely to check in online somewhere during the day to watch, listen to or read about others who are marking the day, and maybe be able to comment on what I'm doing.
This may sound silly, but for years my mom and I have had a ritual of marking the actual moment of solstice with a dance, wherever we happen to be, even when we live a thousand miles apart. Last year it was a park, but sometimes it’s a parking lot or the kitchen. I think it’ll be in the morning where you live; this time it’ll be in the very early hours for me.
Mostly it’s just running outside and hopping around and twirling a bit for a minute or two, whatever your heart feels like doing, but it’s such a genuine relief to know we’ll have more light every day for the next six months that it feels important to mark the actual minute.
I’ll be sending you good wishes on solstice, paduasoy.
posted by mochapickle at 4:13 AM on December 15 [18 favorites]
Mostly it’s just running outside and hopping around and twirling a bit for a minute or two, whatever your heart feels like doing, but it’s such a genuine relief to know we’ll have more light every day for the next six months that it feels important to mark the actual minute.
I’ll be sending you good wishes on solstice, paduasoy.
posted by mochapickle at 4:13 AM on December 15 [18 favorites]
One thing I like to do is look in on the webcams of some ancient monuments. My favorites are Dowth, Knowth, Newgrange, Avebury and Stonehenge, but there's also Maya sites and Egyptian sites, Golbeki Tepi, and others. The sun reaching back into a huge stone monument constructed thousands of years ago fills me with awe for the human spirt, and makes me feel connected to the chain of people who experienced the winter as well, and I think of how much they loved their communities, revered the natural world, and the harsh conditions, and now here I am, part of that narrative in some small way, my DNA much older than the monument, but not as old as the stone. If you have the patience to watch the sun's light reach back into the stone structure and fill the basin constructed for that specific moment, you will realize how fast we are actually traveling, even though it feels as if we are stationary, as the sun drags the lot of us along behind it, spinning around crazy wobbling like cans tied to a clown car. I am also glad I am not freezing my butt off in the winter at the close of the Ice Age. Happy Winter Solstice.
posted by effluvia at 4:39 AM on December 15 [18 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 4:39 AM on December 15 [18 favorites]
The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper begins on Midwinter's Eve and continues through Twelfth Night. It is a great thing to read this time of year. The BBC made a wonderful radio drama version a couple years ago that would be great listening for your Midwinter's Day.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:48 AM on December 15 [6 favorites]
posted by hydropsyche at 4:48 AM on December 15 [6 favorites]
The audiobook of Dead of Winter by Sarah Clegg has a lot of solstice traditions in it. There are other winter holidays, too, but the focus is on the mythical creatures the Europeans celebrate. I am not a big horror or monster reader, but it was really evocative of the cold season for me.
posted by soelo at 6:36 AM on December 15 [2 favorites]
posted by soelo at 6:36 AM on December 15 [2 favorites]
I like the livestream ideas - maybe someone would like to make a post for the Newgrange livestream, or other, on the blue. I might be in for an early-for-me coffee and contemplation hour; my 2024 hasn't been as rough as some have had, but I've had weird early morning insomnia a few times this week.
For crafts, there are a number of ways out there to make solstice lanterns, and also videos of various lengths of lantern walks in prior years in various communities. I'm not sure if anywhere livestreams theirs. I might do this style of lantern this year, because it is easy and sturdy, and I have the craft skills of a toddler.
As for readings, it might not be quite the ticket for day of, but I have a soft spot for Death of a Fool, a golden age mystery novel by Ngaio Marsh, where the murder takes place during a solstice celebration. It's definitely a bit dated and not for everyone, but I think it's a fun midwinter read. There is an audiobook version, though I haven't tried it.
I hope you have a cheering solstice, whatever activities you land on!
posted by the primroses were over at 7:37 AM on December 15 [1 favorite]
For crafts, there are a number of ways out there to make solstice lanterns, and also videos of various lengths of lantern walks in prior years in various communities. I'm not sure if anywhere livestreams theirs. I might do this style of lantern this year, because it is easy and sturdy, and I have the craft skills of a toddler.
As for readings, it might not be quite the ticket for day of, but I have a soft spot for Death of a Fool, a golden age mystery novel by Ngaio Marsh, where the murder takes place during a solstice celebration. It's definitely a bit dated and not for everyone, but I think it's a fun midwinter read. There is an audiobook version, though I haven't tried it.
I hope you have a cheering solstice, whatever activities you land on!
posted by the primroses were over at 7:37 AM on December 15 [1 favorite]
Mulling spices simmering on the stove. I haven't done it but I am totally going to do it this year.
posted by Glinn at 9:23 AM on December 15 [2 favorites]
posted by Glinn at 9:23 AM on December 15 [2 favorites]
Make a winter solstice lantern.
Or birdseed ornaments to hang outside.
I write down what I want to let go of and what I want to embrace in the coming year on little scraps of paper, and burn them in a fire. This year I’m going to have a hot cocoa bar for a few friends who are coming over.
posted by sugarbomb at 9:47 AM on December 15 [4 favorites]
Or birdseed ornaments to hang outside.
I write down what I want to let go of and what I want to embrace in the coming year on little scraps of paper, and burn them in a fire. This year I’m going to have a hot cocoa bar for a few friends who are coming over.
posted by sugarbomb at 9:47 AM on December 15 [4 favorites]
sugarbomb reminded me of a ritual I used to do that was inspired by Rod Argent's song Dance In The Smoke.
We will light a giant burning fire tonight
We will light it and dance in the smoke
Every branch we'll tie somebody's worries to it
We will burn it and dance in the smoke
Another thing I do these days is find objects in my house that are too good to throw away, too odd to donate, or have sentimental meaning. When I have friends over or go to informal gatherings, I invite friends to take anything they want, or not. This helps me let go of things and share them with people who want something that reminds them of me.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:42 PM on December 15 [2 favorites]
We will light a giant burning fire tonight
We will light it and dance in the smoke
Every branch we'll tie somebody's worries to it
We will burn it and dance in the smoke
Another thing I do these days is find objects in my house that are too good to throw away, too odd to donate, or have sentimental meaning. When I have friends over or go to informal gatherings, I invite friends to take anything they want, or not. This helps me let go of things and share them with people who want something that reminds them of me.
posted by a humble nudibranch at 4:42 PM on December 15 [2 favorites]
The Midwinter Revels is a thing that is mostly music based but a whole theatrical performance, and you can purchase it to stream online, though not live. Every year they pick a different historical place and time and "recreate" a midwinter celebration. It's very European- and Christian-centric, but there are a lot of really cool performances in it that now say solstice to me.
One of the poems they read every year is Susan Cooper's The Shortest Day, which has since been published as a children's book. But I love this reading of it.
A bonfire is also very solstice for me, because we sometimes did that when I was a kid, either on the 21st or New Year's Eve. I read a novel in which people would burn things in the solstice bonfire that they wanted to either say goodbye to or invite into their new year.
posted by gideonfrog at 8:22 PM on December 15 [3 favorites]
One of the poems they read every year is Susan Cooper's The Shortest Day, which has since been published as a children's book. But I love this reading of it.
A bonfire is also very solstice for me, because we sometimes did that when I was a kid, either on the 21st or New Year's Eve. I read a novel in which people would burn things in the solstice bonfire that they wanted to either say goodbye to or invite into their new year.
posted by gideonfrog at 8:22 PM on December 15 [3 favorites]
You can leave a bunch of stuff to simmer on the hob to make your place smell nice!
posted by ellieBOA at 4:07 AM on December 16
posted by ellieBOA at 4:07 AM on December 16
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Cleaning/decluttering the area(s) of the house you spend the most time in or any areas that are annoying to access the stuff you need in. Then get it all out in a journal. Once you feel vented, reflect on what you want the next year to look like for you and how it can be accomplished/small steps to get you in that direction. Then bringing in the light with the candle craft, and the nice scents with the pomanders and baking.
posted by Eyelash at 3:00 AM on December 15 [6 favorites]