If they land on their feet, it is believed that the sun god will be pleased and that the days will start getting longer. As one of them beats a drum and plays the flute, the other two men wind a rope attached to the pole around one foot and jump. Three men climb on top of a 50-foot pole. In Guatemala on this day, Mayas honor the sun god they worshipped long before they became Christians with a dangerous ritual known as the Palo Volador, or “flying pole dance”. Many Christians celebrate St Thomas’ Day in honor of St Thomas the Apostle on December 21. It involves ritual baths as part of a purification process, as well as singing and chanting, a torchlight procession, dancing, bonfires, and festive eating.Ĭelebrating Santo Tomas in Chichicastenango, Guatemala, December 21, 2008. It lasts for at least seven days, including the day of the December solstice. In the northwestern corner of Pakistan, a festival called Chaomos takes place among the Kalasha or Kalash Kafir people. It was a tradition that can still be seen in what is known as Gody. In Poland, the ancient December solstice observance before Christianity involved people showing forgiveness and sharing food.
#Saturnalia holiday license#
The Saturnalia eventually degenerated into a week-long spree of debauchery and crime – giving rise to the modern use of the tern saturnalia, meaning a period of unrestrained license and revelry. A mock king was chosen, usually from a group of slaves or criminals, and although he was permitted to behave in an unrestrained manner for seven days of the festival, he was usually killed at the end. It was traditional to offer gifts of imitation fruit (a symbol of fertility), dolls (symbolic of the custom of human sacrifice), and candles (reminiscent of the bonfires traditionally associated with pagan solstice celebrations). The ruins of the Temple of Saturn in Rome's Forum Romanum, Italy. Masquerades often occurred during this time. Wars were interrupted or postponed, and slaves were served by their masters. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten while businesses, courts, and schools were closed.
The festival was held to honor Saturn, the father of the gods and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Saturnalian banquets were held from as far back as around 217 BCE. In Ancient Rome the Winter Solstice festival Saturnalia began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. The present-day custom of lighting a Yule log at Christmas is believed to have originated in the bonfires associated with the feast of Juul.
The ashes were then collected and either strewn on the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night or kept as a charm and or as medicine.įrench peasants believed that if the ashes were kept under the bed, they would protect the house against thunder and lightning. In England, Germany, France, and other European countries, the Yule log was burned until nothing, but ash remained. A Yule or Juul log was brought in and burned on the hearth in honor of the Scandinavian god Thor.Ī piece of the log was kept as both a token of good luck and as kindling for the following year’s log. Fires were lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning sun. The Feast of Juul was a pre-Christian festival observed in Scandinavia at the time of the December solstice. The Lesser Sabbats fall on the solstices and equinoxes.Ĭhristmas decorations include lights and stars. This took place annually around the time of the December solstice and lasted for 12 days. Yule is also known as Alban Arthan and was one of the “Lesser Sabbats” of the Wiccan year in a time when ancient believers celebrated the rebirth of the Sun God and days with more light. Some believe that celebrating the birth of the “true light of the world” was set in synchronization with the December solstice because from that point onwards the days began to have more daylight in the Northern Hemisphere.Ĭhristmas is also referred to as Yule, which is derived from the Norse word jól, referring to the pre-Christian winter solstice festival. However, it's believed that this date was chosen to offset pagan celebrations of Saturnalia and Natalis Invicti. In modern times Christians all over the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas Day, which falls on December 25. Celebrations of the lighter days to come and nature’s continuing cycle have been common throughout cultures and history with feasts, festivals and holidays around the December solstice. In the Northern Hemisphere, the December solstice is the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year.Īlthough winter is the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the December solstice marks the "turning of the Sun" and the days slowly get longer. Business Date to Date (exclude holidays)ĭusk in Lapland around the time of the winter solstice in December.
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