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December - the name comes from the Latin word 'decem' for ten. December was the tenth month of the year, then January and February were added at the start of the year. Did you Know? Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol" on December 19, 1843.
Sat., Dec. 22, 2007, 1:08 A.M. EST (06:08 UT), marks the solstice—the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and summer in the Southern Hemisphere
by Ann-Marie Imbornoni
Solstice Time
In astronomy, the solstice is either of the two times a year when the Sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator, the great circle on the celestial sphere that is on the same plane as the earth's equator. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs either December 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Capricorn; the summer solstice occurs either June 21 or 22, when the sun shines directly over the tropic of Cancer. In the Southern Hemisphere, the winter and summer solstices are reversed.
Reason for the Seasons
The reason for the different seasons at opposite times of the year in the two hemispheres is that while the earth rotates about the sun, it also spins on its axis, which is tilted some 23.5 degrees towards the plane of its rotation. Because of this tilt, the Northern Hemisphere receives less direct sunlight (creating winter) while the Southern Hemisphere receives more direct sunlight (creating summer). As the Earth continues its orbit the hemisphere that is angled closest to the sun changes and the seasons are reversed.
Longest Night of the Year
The winter solstice marks the shortest day and the longest night of the year. The sun appears at its lowest point in the sky, and its noontime elevation appears to be the same for several days before and after the solstice. Hence the origin of the word solstice, which comes from Latin solstitium, from sol, “sun” and -stitium, “a stoppage.” Following the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter.
~Yule, the Winter Solstice~
It is no coincidence that the three winter holidays we are most familiar with, Yule, Christmas and Hanukah, are Festivals of Lights. We celebrate Yule on the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year.
As winter solstice approaches, the days become shorter and the nights longer. On that longest of nights, our ancestors stood vigil huddled around a fire and wondered if the Sun would return at all. They lit bonfires and torches to entice his return at dawn. When at last dawn arrived and the Sun rose once again, they rejoiced and feasted.
Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. Yule is a holiday of light, of faith that the bounty of summer will return, and an acknowledgement of the necessity of rest for the planet and ourselves.
Decorating a tree with ornaments and colored lights is a totally appropriate way to celebrate Yule. You can also bring fresh pine branches into your home as decoration. Drape them over doorways, on your fireplace mantel (away from sparks!), wind them through the stairway railings.
Pagan celebrations of the winter solstice have deep roots in these ancient customs. On Solstice Night, the Goddess reverts to her aspect as the Great Mother and gives birth to the Oak King, the Sun God, the Giver of Life who will once again warm her frozen flesh so that in the spring she may bear the fruit of her womb. From this day until midsummer, each day will grow longer and warmer, and life will once again return to the Earth. Unless you practice a Celtic tradition, this is your New Year.
Modern Pagan families celebrate in myriad ways that remind us that no matter how long and dark this night, we are not lost. The Goddess will bring forth the Sun God, and he will bring forth the light.
~Celebrating the Seasons ~
Lore and Rituals
Winter Solstice
by Selena Fox
Winter Solstice also known as Yule, Christmas, and Saturnalia, occurs in mid December. It celebrates the birth of the new Solar year and the beginning of Winter. The Goddess manifests as the Great Mother and the God as the Sun Child. The God also appears as Santa Claus and Old Man Winter. Colors are Red, Green, and White. This is a festival of inner renewal.
Strengthen bonds with family and friends by visiting and/or exchanging gifts and greetings. Decorate your home with lights, greens, and holiday colors. Bless your home with a Yule wreath on your front door and sprigs of mistletoe inside. If you are part of a group, take up a collection of food and/or clothing at your Yule gathering and give what you collected to a social service agency to distribute to the needy. Place sunflower seeds outside for wild birds to feast upon. Greet the Sun at dawn on Solstice morning by ringing bells. Do magic for a more peaceful planet.
~Saturnalia ~
by Selena Fox It is the middle of December. The nights are longer, the weather is colder, winter comes. Celebration is at hand. Renewing bonds of friendship. Visiting with family and friends. Exchanging gifts with loved ones. Candles, Dolls, Cookies, Sweets, Holly, Wreaths of Green. Surprises. Courts close. Battles stop. Time off from school and work. Holiday Break. Singing, Dancing, Games, Merry-Making. Food ... Lots of Food and Drink. Great Feasts and Parties.
To celebrate the Sun, the Land, the Ancient Ones, the great Circle of Nature.
To welcome in the Winter and the New Year.
To bring forth renewal, peace, and joy.
Solstice Present .... Solstice Past.
This is the legacy of Saturnalia,
weeklong Pagan Winter Solstice Festival of Ancient Rome.
Saturnalia, your spirit and these traditions live on in the world today
in Christmas feasts and New Year's parties,
in our Winter Solstice celebration tonight.
Bless our connection with the ancients.
Bless our connection with each other.
Bless our connection with future generations.
We rejoice.
Io, Saturnalia!
Io, Saturnalia!
Io, Saturnalia!
Selena first publicly shared this poem on Solstice night 1994 during Circle's public Winter Solstice Celebration in Madison, Wisconsin.
~The Yule Log ~
There is a custom that on Christmas Eve an enormous log of freshly cut wood called the Yule log would be fetched and carried to the house with great ceremony. On Christmas Eve, the master of the house would place it on the hearth, make libations by sprinkling the trunk with oil, salt and mulled wine and say suitable prayers. In some families, the young girls of the house lit the log with splinters from the preceding year which they had carefully tucked away. In other families, the mother had this privilege. It was said that the cinders of this log could protect the house from lightning and the malevolent powers of the devil. Choices about the variety of wood, the way in which it was lit and the length of time it took to burn constituted a genuine ritual which could vary from region to region.
The custom, which dates back to the XIIth century, was known in most Europeans countries, notably in France and in Italy where the Yule log was called a ceppo. This tradition persisted in Quebec as it did in France up until the last quarter of the XIXth century. Its disappearance coincides with that of great hearths which were gradually replaced by cast-iron stoves. The great log was thus replaced by a smaller one, often embellished with candles and greenery, placed in the centre of the table as a Christmas decoration. Today, the Yule log has become a traditional pastry, a delicious cake roll, smothered in coffee or chocolate-flavoured icing and decorated with sugared holly leaves and roses.
~The Goddess of Winter~
This is Fiona, the Goddess of Winter.
Fiona represents the full circle now that the year has run its course.
She is the patroness of smithcraft, poetry and healing.
Deep in winter sleep her work is done.
She turns the Autumn mist into frost that chills the bones,
but under her frost and snow, new life is stirring in the ground.
In time, with Fiona's help, winter is swept away and new beginnings are nurtured.
December
Poems, Quotes, Folklore & Sayings
Compiled by Michael P. Garofalo
I heard a bird sing In the dark of December A magical thing And sweet to remember. 'We are nearer to Spring Than we were in September,' I heard a bird sing In the dark of December. ~Oliver Herford~ Come, come thou bleak December wind, And blow the dry leaves from the tree! Flash, like a Love-thought, thro'me, Death And take a Life that wearies me. ~Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1772-1834, Fragment 3~ All the leaves are brown And the sky is grey I went for a walk On a winter's day I'd be safe and warm If I was in L.A. California dreamin' On such a winter's day ~Mammas and Pappas California Dreamin~ God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December. ~J. M. Barrie~ That's no December sky! Surely 'tis June Holds now her state on high Queen of the noon. Only the tree-tops bare Crowning the hill, Clear-cut in perfect air, Warn us that still Winter, the aged chief, Mighty in power, Exiles the tender leaf, Exiles the flower. ~Robert Fuller Murray (1863-1894) A December Day~  Chanukah  Chanukah,
the Festival of Lights, is a joyous celebration about the miracle of
the oil that burned for eight days when there was only enough oil left
in the temple for one day!
Chanukah begins on the 25th day of the month of Kislev in the Jewish calendar (November/December).
Kwanzaa December 26 - January 1
Habari
Gani? Those Swahili words, meaning What's the News?, may soon become as
familiar a holiday message as Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, or Happy
New Year. For Habari Gani? is the ritual greeting of Kwanzaa and
Kwanzaa is the world's fastest growing holiday.
Kwanzaa
is an African-American holiday about the festival of the first harvest
of the crops. It begins on December 26, and lasts for seven days. The
name Kwanzaa, sometimes spelled Kwanza, comes from a phrase which means
"first fruits" in Swahili, an East African language.
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