By Sharon Ginsburg
People around the world celebrated Winter Solstice thousands of years before Christmas was officially decreed as December 25 by the church in Rome in 336 AD. Ancient astronomers designed Stonehenge England with precise placement of monolithic rocks for the exact movement of the sun during winter solstice about 4,500 years ago. Over one thousand years before this date, around 3,200 BC at Newgrange Ireland, there was precise mathematical planning and building to mark the winter solstice sunset with this structure. People celebrated the Earth that supported life, noted the longest night of the year, the ever-changing seasons and the return of the sun as the days became a mere one or two minutes longer each day. These cultures understood astronomy and their human interrelationship with our planet Earth better than the average person today as they knew everything here is interconnected.
The lighting of Chanukah candles is celebrating a military victory reclaiming Jerusalem and rededicating the Jewish temple in the 2nd century BC. The date of this holiday is based on a lunar calendar, so this date changes every year according to our current solar Roman calendar. The miracle of Chanukah is that a very small amount of oil burned for eight days until more special oil could be obtained for the temple menorah which kept burning continuously. Today it is a ceremony lighting one additional candle each of the eight days of Chanukah. Gift giving became associated with Chanukah only quite recently since the 1950’s economic boom as part of our modern culture.
Christmas is celebrating the miracles of birth and resurrection of the messiah as recognized by Christianity. The birth date, December 25 was selected during the reign of Roman Emperor Constantine to weaken the various well-established pagan and Jewish celebrations at this time of year after he converted to Christianity. Our modern vision of Santa Clause is largely shaped by a beautiful poem written 1823 known today as “The Night Before Christmas.” The idea of Santa’s flying reindeer pulling his sleigh is from the farthest northern and Scandinavian cultures. How can Santa’s reindeer fly? One explanation is they ate psychoactive mushrooms to get high. I have seen both squirrels and box turtles eating this very species of mushroom with no apparent flying or ill effects, but these mushrooms are considered to be toxic for consumption by humans. People have been observing the Winter Solstice as early as the Neolithic period, which is about 12,000 years ago, the last part of the Stone Age. Christmas, Chanukah and Solstice are various cultural ways to celebrate the longest night, the light coming back, change, rebirth, the miracles and mystery of life and death. All while sharing food, rituals, being generous and creative with decorations, gift giving, kindness and blessings. So instead of letting the deep cold and long darkness get you down, be creative, make things, cook, celebrate, share or give it away. Isn’t that the real spirit of this holiday season?
