It’s easy to feel a bit despondent at this time of the year. It can feel disheartening to leave for work in the dark, and come home in the dark! But there’s something beautiful about shorter days, too.
Winter solstice (this year on the 21st of December) is the day of the year with the fewest hours of daylight. And it’s a hopeful moment: it signifies the rebirth of the sun, new beginnings, and the lighter days ahead.
There are many ways you can celebrate the solstice – from spiritual pilgrimages to quiet moments of reflection.
The winter solstice at Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a stunning place to celebrate the winter solstice. Each year, visitors from all over the world gather to see the sunrise (which, this year, is at 8.04am). Watching the sunrise in this ancient place is an incredible experience.
You can book onto a tour to do this; from £99 per person, you can see the sunrise, learn about the history of Stonehenge, and visit Salisbury, a historic city with tons of history to explore.
Helpfully, you can tune into the sunrise at Stonehenge live on YouTube on the English Heritage channel. So you can enjoy the experience from afar (in the warm and comfort of home).
Make a pomander
Pomanders have an incredible history behind them. They represent protection, good luck, and health.
Making a pomander is fairly straightforward. All you need are cloves, oranges, and ribbons. Stud the orange with delicious-smelling cloves (you can use toothpicks to make holes beforehand), and tie up a wide red ribbon around it, creating a bow at the top. These smell incredible, and can be hung around your home in the run-up to Christmas day.
Have a ‘Letting Go’ ceremony
The winter solstice is a time to look forward. But first, that involves letting go of what came before. Sometimes, it’s difficult to step into the New Year without coming to terms with the previous year.
A symbolic act of letting go can be brilliant, and very freeing. Write on some strips of paper anything you want to let go of. Some ideas include:
- Ideas people have about you, or words that have been spoken over you
- Negative things that have happened to you in the past year
- Mistakes you have made
- Situations you want to step away from.
Put on some calming music, take some deep breaths, and let go of these things one by one. Burning is a nice ritual for this time of year, especially if you have a fireplace and you want to warm up anyway. But if your setup won’t allow for this, dissolving the paper in water makes for a nice alternative, or even just ripping them up and throwing them away.
You can do this alone, or get friends involved; sometimes a group, cathartic release of the past can be an excellent bonding experience!
Get cleaning
In Pagan cultures, the winter solstice is the perfect time for a deep clean. Getting out a broom and sweeping every corner of your home is not only useful but also a symbolic act; you’re sweeping negative energy out of your home (and making it look lovely for Christmas day).
Look outward
One more thing you can do to celebrate is to look outward. Winter is a tough time for many families, especially with Christmas looming. A food bank shop can be just the thing to do to mark the hope of new beginnings.
Get outdoors
While I personally won’t be able to get to Stonehenge for the winter solstice, I will still be getting outside to appreciate nature, at least for a little while. A short walk to take in the shortest day is sometimes just what you need to reset your brain and give you a bit of energy, peace, and perspective. It’s nice to take in the stillness and the solitude before life comes back in the spring.
