Winter solstice is one ancient holiday historically celebrated all over the world. Winter Solstice falls on December 21, 2020 in the Northern hemisphere. What ancestral message can we get from this ancient tradition?
The four significant seasonal markers before the modern calendar was composed of:
1. spring equinox (equal daylight and nighttime)
2. summer solstice (longest day and shortest night)
3. autumnal equinox (equal daylight and nighttime)
4. the winter solstice (longest night and shortest day).
For thousands of years before Christianity, people were aware of these days which were considered magical. According to The Spiritual Significance of Winter Solstice, “in Latin, solstice is made of two words: sol– meaning “the sun” and sistere meaning ‘to make stand.’ Winter Solstice is one the most powerful points of the year as the axis of the Earth pauses, shifts and moves in the opposite direction.”
Before there were any scientific way to measure and predict when these days would arrive, wizards, shamans, sorceresses, and witches had the final say on the matter and were desperately consulted. Since winter solstice was the longest and darkest night of the year, elaborate ceremonies were commonly performed to make sure that it would be the longest night and more daylight would return. Sometimes these ceremonies with appropriate sacrifices would last 3 days to make sure they were effective in bringing back longer days.
Noted in the 13 Fascinating Winter Solstice Traditions Around the World, the Chinese celebrate this night called 冬至(dōngzhì), “end of Winter”. It makes sense that on this long and dark night that people want to huddle together and spend it with company. In Korean and Chinese cultures people eat tangyuan, soft rice balls, like mochi.
The leadership message here is DO NOT give in to the doom. No matter what you are dealing with in your work, your family, your church, your volunteer organization, brightness will return.
We will see sunnier days again.
