The winter solstice is not just the shortest day of the year. In past cultures it was a cause for celebration or introspection: a moment of change. In Mesopotamia they had a 12-day renovation festival whose purpose was to help the god Marduk resist the monsters of chaos. The festival of Saturnalia, in ancient Rome, was celebrated on December 25, and in Iran (Persia), there was the yalda festival, in which the families kept vigil all night and fed the fire to help the Sun To fight the darkness The Winter Solstice is also part of the cultural heritage in Pakistan, Tibet, China and other sites. At its root is always the fear that the decrease in sunlight is permanent.
The Roman Church, to achieve the conversion, moved the feast of the Nativity and adapted elements of the ancient celebrations, such as mistletoe, tree, red and green colors, and even Christmas carols and gifts.
Long before Christmas was celebrated, people gathered to celebrate the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year and the longest night. This has been and is so in different cultures around the world. In Celtic culture, love and fertility (births and planting) were celebrated, with dances and meals, they worshiped the trees, the holm oak was the sacred tree and collected mistletoe. In ancient Rome, Saturnalia was celebrated, a festival around peace, the absence of wars and gifts were exchanged. The end of a year and the beginning of a new one are celebrated.
The winter solstice has always been one of the most marked dates in all calendars of all times and cultures. These dates have come to us as the holiday of Christmas and the new year. But its meaning is much deeper and its tradition much older and broader than most people believe.
In ancient Greece, the popular cult of Dionysus was divided into four great festivities: the first two (the Dionysians of the fields and the Leneas) were celebrated around the winter solstice, with a propitiatory character of fertility / prosperity and in the midst of festivities , characterized by great general joy. The last two took place in the spring and celebrated the resurrection of Nature.
In Rome, the celebration of the Saturnalias (festivities dedicated to Saturn, father of the Olympic gods and god protector of Nature) lasted a week. After the religious ceremony, there were great celebrations and banquets, social classes were temporarily abolished and, in the agapes, the lords served their slaves; all public activity ceased (in courts, schools, shops, military operations, etc.) and no art or trade was allowed, except for cooking; it was imposed to give gifts to each other, the rich invited their tables, well stocked, to the poor knocking at their doors, gambling, etc. were practiced.
In the solar myths of all ancient cultures, the presence of a young god (Jesus Christ in the Christian religion) occupies a central place, who dies and rises every year, embodying in itself the cycles of Nature's life.
For thousands of years and for the most diverse cultures and society, the winter solstice has represented the advent of the cosmic event par excellence. It is no accident, therefore, that the birth of the main gods, related to the Sun (such as Osiris, Horus, Apollo, Mithras, Dionysus / Bacchus, etc.) was placed during this time period.
During the winter solstice, the image of the Egyptian god Horus was taken from the sanctuary to be exposed to the public worship of the masses. He was represented as a newborn child, lying in a manger, with golden hair, with a finger in his mouth and the sun disk on his head.
Many cultures celebrate the winter solstice. Indigenous peoples - such as Aymara, Quechua, Rapanui and Mapuche - thank for these dates the previous year and ask Father Sol to return with greater force after his winter retreat. Other similar festivals are: the Hanukkah (Chanukah), Jewish; the Yalda, Iranian, who celebrates the birth of the god Mehr.
The Chinese winter solstice is celebrated with the Dong zhi, which literally means "the arrival of winter." The philosophy of Yin and Yan, of the balance and harmony of the cosmos, has its origins. After the celebration, on December 22, the days will begin to be longer and the positive energy flow will increase. It is celebrated with a sumptuous family meal, in which, among other things, Tang Yuan is eaten, sweet rice balls that symbolize family union and prosperity.
References:
Ttanslated from:
https://listas.20minutos.es/lista/festejos-ancestrales-del-solsticio-de-invierno-390927/
