Seasons Greetings: A bow to the sun’s rule

Forget the Paul Winter consort.  Sacrifice, misrule and fire far more often were the hallmarks of Winter Solstice celebrations' past.  Here in Kensington, at 6 p.m. at the E. 4 Street Community Garden, off Caton, neighbors will herald the sun's turning by ringing their bells, bells, bells.  Earlier today, December 21, began with a total eclipse of the moon, a once in 300 year event. Astronomical events rule the day.

The winter solstice once kicked off two weeks of Saturnalia, feasting, followed by a January to April famine. “Many of the wintertime customs in Western Europe descend from the ancient Romans, who believed that their god of the harvest, Saturn, had ruled the land during an earlier age of abundance, and so celebrated the winter solstice with the Saturnalia, a feast of gift-giving, role-reversals (slaves berating their masters) and general public holiday from Dec. 17 to 24.”

Danes in England called the solstice celebrations Yule, and the Norse set bonfires next to hilltop wheels.  Furthermore,  “the boar’s head at Christmas feasts represents the dying sun of the old year, while the suckling pig — with the apple of immortality in its mouth — the new.”

Why celebrate? Read the entire article here: There Goes the Sun