Also celebrated on the evening of the 21st of December by our Saxon and Dane ancestors was Modraniht in honour of our Mothers: Mothers Night. Light a candle in remembrance of all absent Mothers 🕯️
Not saying it ain’t so but I’ve lived here for 52 years now, I am reasonably familiar with local tradition and while my new age aunt does celebrate winter solstice, and while people light candles for all kinds of reasons at odd intervals I never heard anyone mention anything about a Mothers Night in my life … I am sure my aunt would jump at the idea tho …😄
@@whynottalklikeapirat Seriously???? Just hit up Wikipedia or even Google. My mother passed away on the 21st of December 2009 and I've always lit a candle beside her portrait each year since. It's common knowledge amongst people read up on. Modraniht seems to be the preferred spelling, check it out and get back to me and the source dude
I love that! I had never heard it called that before. It is wonderful. You r right though, after Googling it, I realized it is called that all over the place. Thanks!
Hi, in Iran we've been celebrating the Winter Solstice for thousands of years. It's called "Yalda". One of the most important festivities in the Iranian and Greater Iran calenders. Families get together, enjoy pomegranates, watermelon, variety of nuts, etc; and stay awake until near dawn talking/partying. Our New Year is at the "exact" moment of the Spring Equinox (by exact I mean calculated by the second), which is on March 21st unless we have a leap year.
I have of heard the the pomegranate in the story of Ishtar\Inana descent into the underworld as a fruit of the dead, being a symbol for death and rebirth. Is the context of it in Yalda Night similar? In the Jewish tradition we associate it with the new years eve (Rosh Hashanah) as a symbol of fertility and prosperity.
@@uv10100 Yalda goes back way before Judaism as it's an ancient Aryan-Mithraic celebration of the triumph of light over darkness and the birth of Mithra. Still a very important celebration for all Iranians and Irani people to this day. BTW, pomegranate is native to Iran and other Aryan lands.
My mother taught us about the old pagan holidays of Winter & Sumner Soltice, plus the equinoxes. She is gone now, and Solstice means more to me than it ever did before. It is a time to feast and be generous, to tell stories with friends and family, to contemplate the meaning of life, of death, and our place in the ever-renewing universe. Despite fear of hunger, cold, darkness, and death, the light returns. Life goes on, and we can take comfort in the knowledge of eternal renewal.
I was a full grown adult, about a dozen years ago, when I learned that sunset pauses at the beginning of December and starts getting later, not on the Solstice, but on December 6th, what some call St Nick's night or Krampus Nacht. Sunrise, on the other hand, lingers later and does not fully reverse until Jan 6th, aka Twelfth Night
Explains the relevance of December 6th - back in Romania, when I was young, we used to put our shoes out on that date so we would get candy. Unsure how that actually relates to your information, but it shows that the date was relevant.
@@carrie5980 Longest night (winter solstice), earliest sunset (early December), and latest sunrise (early January) are not the same thing. Actual dates depend on latitude. (Ask the southern hemisphere about that. Completely opposite everything going on.)
If I remember correctly, this is a feature of the Analemma, caused by the changes in speed of Earth in its orbit due to the perihelion and aphelion. It should be noted that the line of apsides precesses, as does the tilt of the Earth's axis, which is known as the precession of the equinoxes. So, these dates will not stay constant on longer time scales.
Beautiful 🙏🏾 I have Covid and have been forced to spend these leading up to and away from this winter solstice in solitude. I thought it would lead to depression and the missing of my family. Who would have thought it would become the most peaceful time in my life, even though I have been sick as a dog. The solitude during this time has led to peace and an embracing of the dark that has been profound. I am a changed woman.
Solstice Blessings. Having lived in Alaska during my childhood, I learned the meaning of the seasons in an extreme way. The Equinox's were powerful but the Solstices taught you how to live. The winter solstice, for me, has always been my favorite, and as a child, I referred to it as the long night. I can't put into words the feelings experienced but I can say they are extreme, too. You go about your life in total darkness and as Imbolc draws near you wait outside in the cold for that spark of light. This is why I refer to Imbolc as First Light. You have to pay attention and keep your eye out on the horizon, but if you're diligent, you'll see that tiny spark of first light. It's a promise of things to come. - They say nothing is absolute, but I beg to differ, we have the Solstices and Equinoxes. They happen on their schedule, not men's.
How are north were you in Alaska? It sounds like you lived in polar night. I lived near Anchorage for a while in the 90s. I'm back in the lower 48 but I still miss the extremes of darkness and light each year. Winter hasn't felt "right" since I left.
@@grannyweatherwax8005 I was in Fairbanks. My mother and I were walking past the post office there one day when cars started honking their horns and people started whooping and hollering. Alaska had just attained statehood.
Well, if they celebrated the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, they were at the same time celebrating the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere.
Pretty sure everyone thinks Stonehenge was built to celebrate the winter solstice. I have never heard of it being built to celebrate the summer solstice.
Sending warm wishes to you from the most light of the year. Happy summer solstice to those of you experiencing the Winter darkness on the other side of our planet. ☀️🌙
@@Crecganford Warmer than it already is? hahaha. I can't speak for all southern countries, but Brazil is as hot as hell! Anyway, happy winter solstice for those of you in the north!
You might be interested to know that the city of Brighton & Hove has adopted a recently invented celebration of the Winter's Solstice called "Burning the Clocks". The event was invented in 1994 by Sam Sky and consists of a parade of 2,000 people carrying paper and willow lanters that are, at the parade's end, thrown on a bonfire.
i partook in the solstice today, at a local pagan site. been doing so for three years. the site is for the summer solstice and equinoxes too. a good friend of mine finished sanctifying their hand caved runes after a year of visits today. on top of a mountain in the middle of a forest during a thunderstorm
@@Crecganford ALIEN HYPOTHESIS THEORY ⚜️ 12 is the mirror of 21 ⚜️ 12 is the Prime Number of 37 ⚜️ 21 is the prime number of 73 ⚜️ 7 x 3 = 21 ⚜️ The Binary for 73 is 100101 that is a Palindrome ⚜️ 37 is also the mirror of 73 ⚜️
I received your Winter Solstice video this evening as I was about to light my candle on my altar of greens. Here on the west coast of Canada the Solstice began at 7:27 PST. There are no coincidences! Thank you for your video .❤ And Happy Holidays too. 🌲💚
I think you're right about the winter solstice being more recognized and celebrated than other specific days. I think you're also right in saying it probably was the first fixed holy day(s), given the cycling of the moon more quickly. Solstice holidays are nearly universal whereas the "cross-quarter" festivals such as Halloween (Samhain) seemed particular to Celtic, even Irish cultures. Indeed those cultures gave us the names of those festivals in modern neo-Pagan circles. It makes more sense to celebrate the dead on the longest night.
Just to be clear Oiche Samhain orginated in Ireland and later Scotland... so "even Irish culture" ... it was from Ireland exported to the US by Irish immigrants ... just want to make that clear... happy "Hiberian Soltisce " .. :) and Yeah PS Im aware that was the name the romans gave to Ireland
here in America we have structures in the South West that align to the solstices over miles of terrain. Chaco Canyon has a few alignment structures that line up to the horizon to guarantee you know where the Sun is coming from for Solstice.(s) Thanks for this entertaining and education chat. Really nice.
Thank you so much for this vídeo. I think it's important know how our ancestors understand the world and the life. I think we still have something of they. Many blessings for you. An very Good solstice for you. 🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻
I knew that after wintersolstice there are three days if stasis where the night ist still that long until 25th of December where the daylight increases again. This was called Sol Invictus
I just learned the old slavic name for the period is Koliada, which is likely coming from Kolo, circle, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *kʷekʷléh₂, which became "wheel" in English. And "hjul" in north germanic. Which is likely a cognate with Yule. So likely the idea that midwinter is a celebration of the circle of a year is actually something that goes all the way back to indo-europeans.
I could be wrong but I believe the first people descended from the indo-Europeans to settle in the British & Irish isles were the Celtic tribes. But Stonehenge was built long before the Celts showed up. There are also the Temples in Malta which also have alignments to the Winter Solstice. They were also built long before the Indo-Europeans. I'm not sure of the temples at Gobekli Tepi. So I'd say celebrating the solstice is much older.
@@grannyweatherwax8005 sorta! The bell beaker culture was the first Indo-European speaking people to colonize the British isles. They arrived around 2500 BC, replacing a lot of the local population, building their barrows on top of passage tombs, though continuing to use and build Stonehenge for another 1000 years or so. Then proto-Celtic speakers from Central Europe (who were descendants of the bell beaker people that settled there), migrated and eventually arrived to the British isles, and I believe as far as archaeology and genetics show, celticized the isles in some way where their culture became the dominant one. But they didn’t replace most of male population like the bell beakers seemed to toward the Neolithic farmers But yeah most of the megaliths in Europe were built but neolithic farmers, who aligned their stuff with the solstices. Gobekli Tepe as far as I remember is more aligned with the stars
I spent the night watching the sky by my sacred fire. Plenty of shooting stars, beautiful sunrise. It was worthed catching the cold 😂 Happy new year! In my bulgarian calendar it's supposed to be 7529th!
You are right, Jon. Where I live in Cagayan de Oro Mindanao Philippines there are quite a few days and nights of the same length during mid December, but the Winter Solstice is December 22. There is not a massive difference between the length of the day and night from the Summer to Winter Solstices (only a little more than one and a half hours). As a result, and I guess in part due to the possibility of growing crops year round, there doesn't seem to be any tradition of celebrating the Winter Solstice. It's like summer all year round here. It is the "Dry Season" (in Tagalog "Tag-araw") that runs from about November to May. Certainly in Europe it makes sense to celebrate the time when the nights get shorter. In the Philippines the night is where fearful creatures might lurk, and that wouldn't change much all year. There are certainly many stories about such things.
The Wessex Project building an oil pipeline across Wiltshire. Archaeologists discovered mollusc fragments around Stonehenge that were indicative of woodland specimens rather than grassland. Yes the Neolithic is associated with Power and Prestige and the rise of an elite horse culture but many sites weren't surrounded by agricultural landscapes but by the wildwood.
This is very interesting to me. I'm a Romanian and I've always been curious about the following fact: my grandma, a simple country woman who keeps to the Christian tradition of not working on holidays, always stops working in the evening before the actual holiday. For example, she would be crocheting all day, then stop as soon as the sun starts setting. It always seemed strange to me, and her explanation was "it's how it's done." Now I understand. It's amazing how old the roots of such a simple custom can be.
Lara at the Sakro Sawel channel made a video about what the winter solstice meant to ancient people that came out a few days before this one. She mentioned it was the most celebrated time in the ancient world, discussed sacred sites and covered themes of death, rebirth, and creation, though with different meanings and interpretations.
I read a book a while back (so sorry, I don't remember the name, but it had something to do with Santa Claus and Odin and the wild hunt...??) that said that all celebrations at the end of the year are a celebration of the winter solstice, but with the change of cultures, belief systems, and the many calendars coming and going, the days shifted, hence why Halloween is in late October and why the new year is after the winter solstice, but they are all, or originally were, a celebration of the winter solstice, and I think that makes sense.
Get the mug! As I watch the steam rising from my Crecganford mug, it takes me back to the old days of these stories. Get the mug and support this awesome channel.
I liked the way you explained that.I was brought up Christian but now I am not and I don't like feeling like a hypocrite on Xmas around my Christian family
Celebrate w/your loved ones, try and remember all are learning what each needs to in time, some are ahead some are behind, some are caught and some are rambunctious in their time. Respect Brother thankyou 💜
there's still the disgusting commercialism, which goes hand in hand with the exploitation and eco-degradation, and if you watch any xmas movies you can realize you're not living the message which gave you that fuzzy feeling, and yeah, hope you get along well, with your fam, even the one who will not stop talking about too much woke, because you're all getting thrown in that pressure cooker. hope that bahs your humbug for you. you're welcome
@@erikhoff5010 faith is great. i don't care what stan marsh says about disintegration. faith is the best album ever. wouldn't call it new though. it was their first. think it was still the late 70s
Carry on its your choice. Xmas isn't Christian never was. Christendom, Apostasy, the Bible's false friend. UK is a secular society (census 2021) yet people still looking to satisfy their spiritual need somehow. Matthew 5:3. Which means in koine Greek 'beggars for the spirit' ie. Begging for need to be satisfied. Anything just as long as it's not what they think is "Christianity". 🕊
Before I watch the video I have to say that RU-vid made it very hard for me to view this. It would not let me watch without a forced ad throughout the whole video, taking uo a third of the screen. That being said, time to enjoy. Thank you.
well done. great video. i love the every day getting a little brighter from here on out. I have been on my Journey for 4 years and pretty much every concept, every area of life and spirituality that i am lead down involves a change of perspective. Its a path of learning, it is equally a path of unlearning. Blessed be. Im a new subscriber, Bravo, excellent job.
I litterally did a ritual to heal my beloved spirit sibling yesterday on the Winter Solstice. To finalize all the healing work we've been doing together for the past year and to finalize the healing of their various former injuries, to finalize them now being whole and complete, and to forgive them for the past we have both left behind. They were smiling so much and they said they felt really really powerful after my ritual. We are so so proud of them, and happy for them. We look foward to continue to see them grow and flourish and embrace their own path foward now. It's truly shocking how much has changed for us both in only a year.
Yooo! Just celebrated it with my family! We burned gävla bockar as a sort of sacrefice for the sun to come back. As kid we would always look forward to the only night where we were not only allowed to stay up late, but supposed to stay awake for as long as possible. Great tradition can recommend!
You said that for our ancestors the 24h period started by the night. In many indo-european languages, 8 is close to night: add a "n" and you have acht/nacht in German, octo/noctis in Latin and so on, it does not work for the Greek, Slavic languages and some of Celtic ones, it works for Romance, German and Hindi (adding a "r" instead of "n"). Weirdly, there is also a sound proximity between 9 and new: novem/novus in Latin, neun/neu in German. In French, we sometimes use the same word "neuf" for the 9 and new. As Indo-Europeans were keen of the figure 3, I imagine that 9 (3 by 3) marks the end/begining of a triple cycle of 3 and the 8 is the night before this milestone. 3 by 9 is 27 which is close to the Moon cycle of 29,5 days. Roman calendar used Nundinae, a 9 days period. As far as I know, I am the only one to suggest this hypothesis and I am not a scholar of the field: it is generally a red flag for the validity. Have you got some comments to send this story off to fiction?
We had solar panels installed this year shortly before the Summer Solstice, and for 6 months I've been plotting our solar generation, which is dependent on three main factors: Length of day, angle of the sun hitting the panels, and cloud cover. Cooler panels are also more efficient and generate a bit more power. Back in June/July we had many days with over 70 KwH of power generation, and lots of days of completely clear skies. By the Fall Equinox it was down to 54 KwH, but at least the skies were clear or partially clear more days than not. In late October we had one clear day when we generated 44 KwH, slightly more than on our worst day in June. Alas in December the clouds have been with us most days, and our best generation was 16.7 KwH on the 8th. Tonight I am celebrating the longest night of the year, and looking forward to longer days and more solar power again. For reference, our daily "load" is between 15 and 20 KwH and doesn't change much over the year, but excludes the stove, washing machine and dryer. Those we could mange without in a total power cut.
I think that's actually a really interesting comment. Since the Industrial Revolution, the lives of most people (in the developed West, at least) has become increasingly separated from the natural cycles of the year. We simply haven't needed to think about them much, as the means of our existence, food and warmth, have become largely independent of the seasons. In the inevitable future, in which we've left our dependency on fossil fuels behind, and instead develop renewable energy, most forms of which depend on one or another natural phenomenon, we're likely to become much more aware of the passage of the year again. Things such as equinoxes and solstices may well begin to matter again, to the wider population, outside of religious or spiritual considerations.
Thank you for your interesting commentary. One of the most important impacts for ancient peoples, indeed up to mid-19th century, was the lack of night time lighting. In our modern lives, we are constantly surrounded by light. The night sky, the moon and the stars were all the light available and were watched with great anxiety, Any unexplained changes were seen as portents of disaster and death. Once the Winter Solstice had passed and nights grew shorter, I think ancient peoples felt less fearful and saw the coming spring with hope.
Ive tried to explain this to people. That every culture in human history (and indeed every alien culture developed on a planet orbiting a single star) will have a major holiday on the winter solstice. Probably their single most important holiday. And they dont really get it. So thank you Cragenford. You get it. Happy Solstice.
Happy Winter Solstice to you my friend and other pagan friends in the comments and Happy Yul to all as well may All your days be much brighter!!! Another great video as always!!
Thank you for this awesome video. I watched it about 8 times to try to grasp all the new (new to me) information and things I had never imagined before. This is why I stop in at Crecganford. Great stuff.
Thank you as always. Winter solstice was the important marker as it started the year and the calendar for planting and harvesting crops and the migration of animals. Yes the old year is dead and a new cycle of rebirth and growth has started. Cheers mate! Keep up the good work.
I’ve heard that the biblical Samson from the bible was a sun god that was changed into a human when they tried to remove all traces of their polytheistic past from the bible. His long hair was the sun’s rays. It seems likely that his diminished strength was wintertime.
An episode on when the solstices ceased being called 'Midwinter' and 'Midsummer' and started being the BEGINNING of those seasons in the last 3 centuries would be very cool.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience and stories! I’ve learned so much from listening to your coverage of ancient cultures and rituals. And I started drinking tea again!😊
Very nicely done! I really enjoyed your explanation of how the ancients saw things differently than we did. We tend to forget that not everyone thinks as we do today, and by knowing this, we can realize our limited thinking patterns and hopefully look beyond them. I also like how you ended your exposition on a description of how the solistice may have been a time of celebration and hope for the new year. Another lesson we could embrace today with all the negative news we tend to imbibe.
May the Winter Solstice bring you new hope, Creganford and my fellow viewers. I have a bronze, Victorian-era solar stag statue: his antlers end in candle holders, so that it can bear light. So even in recent history people were cognizant of the power of the sun’s return. Like that carol, “The Holly and the Ivy,” which has the line, “the rising of the sun and the running of the deer.”
Awesome I should say happy yalda to all of you here :) But a point I wanted to make is that yalda, although a family gathering, poem reading and storytelling, has the mythological origin of birth of the sun god (Mithra) and I also believe that there are some evidence that Achamenids started their new year based on the beginning of spring and measured their years although inaccurately, from there.(nowruz being the most important celebration and all). Overall I'm a new subscriber so I'm sorry if any of my points have been covered before and I'm saying mundane things :) Glad I found your channel btw, as I'm quite interested in myths (with a bias to Iranian myths, being my culture and all) and your videos are awesome Thanks for sharing, hope I can learn more from you
A nicely well thought out presentation about the origin and history of the Winter Solstice events that have infused belief systems. Karahan and Gobekli Tepe, a civilization 11,000 ya, have markers built into their structures for Winter Solstice. From then untii now is a long time for one particular event each year to hold a place of significance. Our ancestors were smart people indeed.
