Winter Solstice History of Wild Parties in the Woods and Threats of Violence – Christmas Impact

WINTER SOLSTICE RADIO SHOW: Celtic music is on the playlist. we hope you can join us on Crosscurrents, Wednesday, December 21 at 0800 Hours Alaska Time. +++ Listen live at www.KRNN.org, 102.7fm, or 103.1fm.

Celebrating Christmas as the birth of Jesus is a wonderful tradition. However, it is just as historically accurate to get drunk in the woods, or bang on a rich person’s door and threaten them with violence. The Romans had Saturnalia, the Northern Europeans had Yule, and the Christian Church had Christmas.

Long before Christian priests, bishops, and popes, the Pagans had their druid priests. Many of the Christmas traditions we enjoy now were began by the Pagan druids of our ancient Irish Celtic ancestors.

Sprigs of mistletoe and holly were cut by the druids, blessed and given as gifts to protect the people in their community. Ancient Celts also believed that the sun stood still for 12 twelves days during the month of the solstice.

This belief influenced the druids and their Yule log ritual, which we still celebrate to this day. The druidic priests would burn a large oak log over the twelve days that the sun stood still to usher in the power of the sun. The boring log represented life and would have been decorated with other natural items, such as holly, pinecones, and evergreens.

The celebration of the winter solstice has its roots in many cultures worldwide, particularly the Celtic tradition, where druids – wise women and men – would cut the mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and offer it as a blessing each year.

According to an old Celtic myth, on the solstices of each year the Oak King, representing the light, and the Holly King, representing the dark, would fight, with the Oak King emerging victorious at the winter solstice, enabling the return of the light.

SOURCE: Irish Times ; True Highlands; Ireland Wide