Last night Kerstin invited us to join her family at a winter solstice celebration in Glendale. The woman who performed the ceremony told us that the winter solstice symbolizes embracing the darkness and cold of winter as a precursor to the light and rebirth of spring. She likened it the process of a person being born where winter would be the protective time spent in the womb. We learned that solstice celebrations, like celebrations in other religious traditions, are a reminder that from darkness comes light and that in order for a new path to begin, the old one must end. To help mark the longest day of winter and the height of the darkness, we all wrote on small pieces of paper things we felt were troubling us or holding us back. Then we threw the papers into the fire with packets of winter herbs like sage and frankincense.
After the celebration around the fire, we feasted on homemade stew with winter vegetables, pumpkin bread, spiced cider, and a warm fruit and nut compote. Someone at the table told us that all the foods were hearty winter fruits and vegetables designed to bring back the warmth and the light. To continue the theme of welcoming back the light, some people joined in to play bells and drums and call back the light of the new year.
Included here are some photos from Glendale's annual festival Glendale Glitters.
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