Winter solstice rituals

The Winter Solstice comes once a year in each hemisphere. It’s also called “the shortest day,” “the longest night,” and “midwinter.” The Solstice marks the time that Earth’s poles reach their maximum tilt away from the sun. It’s sacred in many cultures, and today I would like to share some Winter Solstice rituals that you can incorporate into your own celebration.

Bring light into the darkness

Once the sun sets, find ways to bring light into the darkness. So many winter holidays include the lighting of candles; from Advent wreaths to menorahs to kinaras to many more, cultures from all over want to light up the long nights of winter. On the solstice, light a candle and say a blessing for light. If you want and can do so safely, you can place it near a window or in a communal space to bring that light to others.

Another thing you can do is burn a Yule log. In Nordic tradition, an entire tree was burned for the whole twelve days of Christmas. A safer alternative is burning a single log in your fireplace, backyard firepit, or even queuing up the Yule log on Netflix before curling up for a cozy, bright evening.

Make a Yule wreath

You can construct a Yule wreath with store bought greenery, or use items you find in your own backyard! Here’s one person’s account of making a wreath, but you can just as easily collect branches from evergreen trees and twist them in a circle to create a wreath. If you want to get fancy, look up the meaning of each plant or component that you incorporate into your winter solstice ritual.

Make an offering to nature

This isn’t the time of year to plant a garden, but there are other ways you can give back to nature; filling your birdfeeder, setting up a compost bin in your yard, or volunteering at an animal rescue are all great ways to give back to the Earth that sustains us. 

Set up an altar

Have you ever set up an altar? There are many ways to do it, and the internet is full of ideas. I have a four elements altar in my office. It includes a bowl of water, crystals, candles, a feather, a stick of incense, and (ethically sourced) animal bones. You could do this, or make an altar for your ancestors, nature, or a Yule altar with evergreen needles, pine cones, and candles. 

When setting up an altar please be very careful to not set anything on fire!

Do you have a favorite winter solstice ritual?