Thinking now of pagan stuff , what are some easy and pleasant ways I might celebrate the winter soltice? My little boy was born on the winter soltice. (It was a stormy, rainy night too -- very "yin" and thus a good time to birth.) I'd like to incorporate a soltice celebration into his birthday celebration, in part because recognizing cycles of nature is a good thing, and in part to distinguish his birthday from Jesus' birthday.
What do you have in mind? It can be as simple as watching the sunrise / sunset, or as complex as an all-night ritual & vigil.
If you are anywhere close to good snow and forests then nothing could be better than giving some leisurely cross country skiing a go. Nothing quite as nice as stopping in the middle of a forest in nice snowy conditions and having a picnic. As long as you have the proper clothing on you'll be nice and toasty - you can top that off with a thermos of hot chai tea, hot cocoa or mulled cider. Pack a loaf of bread that's had a bit of cheese melted inside of it - and then packed in thermo-bag. Then there you are - surrounded by the exquisite silence of the woods in wintertime... with a warm drink and some tasty snacks.
That would be thoroughly blessed, Slip, but we live in a cactus desert. We wouldn't make a trip to snow until after his birthday. Still a nice thing to do, though. Something more than a sunrise and sunset, but on that side of the spectrum. This would be our first endeavor so it can't be hard. We're new to this. Ideally we could somehow incorporate the soltice into a birthday party theme.
Watch "The Wicker Man" (not the Nicholas Cage version) - everything you need for organising a good Pagan celebration. Spooky island + druid priest + naked chicks + Edward Woodward = paaaarrrtaaaayyyy!
Where would you purchase an enormous wicker man? Online maybe? Alternatively, you could make your own. In which case, joining an Arts & Crafts course at your local Adult Education Centre would probably be a good idea.
Just grab some local hippies - hippies love making stuff out of wicker. In return for a few mung beans, they'll happily make you a full sized wicker person. Heck, if you promise to go veggie, they might kidnap Edward Woodward for you too.
Well birthdays involve candles... there are a few Winter Solstice "rituals" that can be found if you do a search. Not sure if this is too "out there" for you ... but its different Nancy Brady Cunningham describes this simple Winter Solstice ritual in her book Feeding the Spirit which is appropriate for a family and for people of all religious persuasions. Decorate a room with winter greenery. Place a large bowl of water and a candle in the center of the room. Have some gold glitter and scented oil nearby. Give each of the participants a candle (with some kind of holder if you’re worried about drips). Everyone sits in a circle with a lit candle in front of them and talks about their losses, putting out their candle when they're done speaking. When all are done, the central candle is extinguished and everyone sits in the darkness reflecting on what they have lost. After a long silence, the leader relights the central candle which represents the sun and sprinkles the gold glitter on the water. Everyone lights their candles from the central candle and places them by the water so they can watch the glitter sparkling there. This is a good time to sing a sun song, like “Here Comes the Sun,” or “You Are My Sunshine.” Pass around a glass of wine or juice and toast the sun. The sun-child (your birthday boy) is the child of promise. Everyone can talk about a promise they see for him in the future. The leader puts the scented oil in the water and anoints each person with sunshine by dipping their hand into the sparkling, scented water and sprinkling it over each person’s hair. Did someone mention hippies????
One of the symbolisms of the solstice is the rebirth of the light. As such, one possibility is to douse all the lights in the house, at night. (If it can be done safely, include any pilot lights to the stove, water heater, furnace.) Do something to recognize and/or appreciate the darkness. Then the whole family can run around and turn lights back on, making lots of noise. I don't remember where I read that, seems like there were several books with it. I think some books list it as a new year tradition, others for Candlemas in February, and maybe for solstice.
Here is a Winter Solstice link you might find interesting http://www.religioustolerance.org/winter_solstice.htm something for all. For myself we usually light up a fire, make a spiced cider, have a pot luck, and exchange gifts at midnight as we welcome the new solar year. No special ritual, on weird clothing, no odd props. Just a few of us taking a moment at midnight in silenct to welcome in the new year. Then we crack out some mead have a toast, then party.
Of course mead. One of the fellers makes it and usually gives a bottle to everyone. The gifts we exchange are made, I'm a leather tooler thus I give something made from leather.
Mead's my beverage of choice too, but I haven't tried taking up brewing yet. I've only found two brands at the local store, and one of them is a grape wine with honey added
We used to have a big bonfire with a smaller pit fire for cooking at all the solstices and equinoxes and just party. Now it's more of a quiet personal vigil.
A group I was with in California did that with the bonfire, but were more into the ceremony and ritual of things than I was, but it was fun learning a different view none the less.
On the subject of brewing mead, what's the best time to wait? We fermented our first jug for about a month and a half. Tasted like wine. Probably needed much longer right?