Nature’s
Holiday
I
n early agricultural societies, where survival recovering meaning in whatever holidays we ob-
depended upon the cycles of nature, people serve, says Barbara Biziou, author of The Joys of
developed rituals to acknowledge the winter Everyday Ritual. We need to make time to notice
solstice, the longest, darkest night of the year, the lengthening nights, changes in the landscape
as it gives way to lighter and longer days. The and gradual return of the light. As we decorate
winter solstice falls around December 21. our evergreens and hang holly and mistletoe,
The Zoroastrians celebrated the solstice we can cherish them all as long-held symbols of
as the birthday of the Sun; early Scandinavians hope and endurance.
paid tribute to their Yule time, burning logs In the natural world, winter is a slow, quiet
for light and warmth; and Celtic Druids hung period. Biziou approaches this season as “a stop-
green holly to make way for spring. The Romans ping time,” when she can pause, reflect back, and
combined many pagan solstice celebrations into meditate on what the coming year offers.
one holiday, Dies Naralis Invicti Solis (birthday In this way, she notes, we’re better able to
of the unconquered Sun), held on December 25. “welcome in the spirit” of our particular fes-
Eventually, modern religions merged these cel- tivities and shift our focus away from material
ebrations with their own; it’s no coincidence that objects. “These holidays really had nothing to do
the dates correspond to the seasonal events that with gift-giving,” says Biziou. “Gifts are a mod-
guided the ancients. ern addition and were originally meant just for
An appreciation of nature is essential to children.”
C. Robyn Berry ..
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$33
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December 2008 
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