how do you decorate for the winter solstice

At home, how do you commemorate the winter solstice?

• Make a Solstice Lantern to commemorate the solstice.
• Make a Yule Tree.
• Make Orange Pomanders to Decorate Your Home.
• Decorate your Christmas tree with these easy-to-make sun ornaments.
• Enjoy a Solstice Feast by Candlelight.
• Keep your loved ones close by and stay up all night.

Full Answer

How do you decorate for the summer solstice?

Make some solstice-themed traditional crafts, such as a Yule log. Other ideas include decorating trees like you would at Christmas, using salt dough ornaments in the shape of the sun, moon and stars, and creating spiced potpourri with cinnamon and other seasonal spices.

How to throw a winter solstice party?

Throwing this party is easy with a lot of natural elements. Pine cones, holly berries, greenery, and wood make excellent decor and are very easy to find this time of year. Check out the tablescape I put together inspired by the idea of a winter solstice party.

How do you Celebrate the winter solstice with kids?

Stay up until sunrise. This may be difficult with younger children, but in order to truly observe the winter solstice, stay up for the longest night, and welcome the sun back to begin warming the Earth. Keep the flame. Many who stay up all night light a candle or fire before sundown.

What is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice is a very special day to many people, celebrating the natural cycle of the Earth's seasons. This nature-based holiday is also known as Yule, and there are many traditions and ways to celebrate.

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How do people decorate for winter solstice?

Today, Yule logs are used as winter solstice decorations, and while many people burn their logs, others only decorate them. Common decorative supplies used to transform a common log into a beautiful Yule log include: Pinecones. Evergreen sprigs.

What are the colors of winter solstice?

Colors for Winter Celebrations are green, red, white, silver and gold. Gemstones for your celebrations at this time include bloodstone, ruby, garnet, green aventurine, emerald, red jasper and moonstone.

What are some symbols of winter solstice?

Celebrating Natural Symbols of the Winter Solstice. Many trees and plants were traditionally important to the celebration of the winter solstice (on December 21). Think evergreens, yew, oak, mistletoe, holly, rosemary, pine, and ivy.

What decorations are used for Yule?

6 Yule Decorations and the Enduring Traditions Behind Them1 Evergreen Garlands. Erin Kunkel. ... 2 Holly and Berries. Heidi Caillier. ... 3 Candles and Lights. Isabel PaviaGetty Images. ... 4 Mistletoe and Sage. Dana GallagherGetty Images. ... 5 Pine Cones and Cloves. Annie Schlechter. ... 6 Yule Log. Sara Liggoria Tramp.

What are the pagan Christmas colors?

Pagans Loved Green Leaves and Red Berries The traditional Christmas colors of red and green are complementary colors that represent fertility. Pagan derived decorations that are still seen at Christmas time include the green leaves and red berries of holly, mistletoe and wreaths.

What does red symbolize for Yule?

Meaning of Yule Candles They also symbolize prosperity and health. Red candles represent willpower and courage and also symbolize birth. White candles are commonly used for protection and symbolize light.

What tree is associated with winter solstice?

Holly, Ilex europaea, has long symbolised protection and good luck. It could guard your home from malevolent spirits as well as wandering cattle and thieves. No wonder holly hedges are still popular.

What do Pagans do on winter solstice?

The sacred day is also called Yule to pagans celebrating the birth of the new solar year, according to Circle Sanctuary, a prominent pagan group in America. Dozens of pagans and druids head to Stonehenge, an iconic site in England, to pay tribute to the sun during the solstice.

Why is the winter solstice so important?

Since prehistory, the winter solstice has been a significant time of year in many cultures and has been marked by festivals and rituals. It marked the symbolic death and rebirth of the Sun; the gradual waning of daylight hours is reversed and begins to grow again.

What is a Yule wreath?

The tradition really started with the Celts, who celebrated the Winter Solstice, also called “Yule”. They used boughs of holly to decorate their doors to celebrate the return of the sun or the birth of a god.

What is a traditional Yule gift?

He recommends crystals and candles as great go-to gifts for those interested in Wicca or witchcraft. As paraffin, a byproduct of oil, becomes a dwindling resource over the next 100 years, soy or beeswax candles becoming more popular. Colors are vital to witchcraft and Wicca, and Yuletide is no exception.

What are some Yule traditions?

Here are some customary ways to celebrate the solstice—you might notice that some resemble beloved Christmas traditions.Build a Yule Altar. ... Make an Evergreen Yule Wreath. ... Burn a Yule Log. ... Decorate a Yule Tree. ... Exchange Nature-Based Gifts. ... Give Back to Nature. ... Celebrate in Candlelight. ... Set up a Meditation Space.

What are five facts about the winter solstice?

6 facts about the winter solsticeThe magic moment. While many focus on the winter solstice as a day in the calendar, what we are actually talking about is a very specific moment which is over almost as soon as it has begun. ... The Sun stands still. ... Winter begins. ... Nine hours darker. ... The earliest sunset. ... Solstice and Christmas.

What does it mean to be born on the winter solstice?

If you're born on the Winter Solstice which typically falls on December 20th, 21st, 22nd, or 23rd, you're kind of being celebrated as a renewal of life. According to Huffington Post, divine children we read about in text books were birthed on the Winter Solstice.

What is the significance of winter solstice?

What Is the Winter Solstice? Regardless of what the weather is doing outside your window, the solstice marks the official start of winter. It's the astronomical moment when the Sun reaches the Tropic of Capricorn, we have our shortest day and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere in terms of daylight.

What is the winter solstice called?

hibernal solsticewinter solstice, also called hibernal solstice, the two moments during the year when the path of the Sun in the sky is farthest south in the Northern Hemisphere (December 21 or 22) and farthest north in the Southern Hemisphere (June 20 or 21).

What to do in the winter solstice?

Depending on where you live, there are some fruits which become more readily available during the season of the winter solstice. Fill pretty bowls and baskets with clementines and oranges, pears and bright red apples, nuts and dried berries. Tie on a ribbon or some seasonal fabric, place them around your home, and you've got a seasonal decoration that you can snack on!

How to decorate your house for Yule?

These don't have to be fancy—you can craft simple ones with yarn, fabric, chenille stems, or even paper. Scavenge the craft stores for metal sun ornaments, or if you're really ambitious, make a few sunwheels to hang around your house. If you've decided to set up a holiday tree for your Yule festivities, adorn it with bright yellow and orange suns as a reminder of the real reason for the season!

What is Yule celebration?

Yule is a celebration of light, so why not bring the light back into your home during the season of the long nights? Candles galore can be placed on tabletops, hang strands of twinkly lights from your ceilings and walls, and if you've got access to a tabletop brazier, get a little blaze going! If you're lucky enough to have a sunny morning, pull the curtains open wide and let the natural light shine in.

What do the Celts bring to their homes?

They often brought the fronds into their homes during the time of the winter solstice. The Celts and Nordic societies were big fans of mistletoe. Bring holly and ivy indoors, gather up pine cones and boughs, and enjoy not just the sight but the scents of greenery during Yule. 04. of 05.

When is Yule in the Northern Hemisphere?

Yule falls around December 20 - 22 in the northern hemisphere, and if you're below the equator, it's around June 20 - 22 each year. No matter what belief system you may follow, this time of year is typically known as a season of fire and light, of family and friends, and of peace, hope, and joy. It's the time in which we mark the longest night ...

Where did the Yule log originate?

Nowadays, when we hear about the Yule log, most people think of a deliciously rich chocolate dessert. But the Yule log has its origins in the cold winters of Norway, on the night of the winter solstice, where it was common to hoist a giant log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year.

What to do on the solstice?

Other ideas include decorating trees like you would at Christmas, using salt dough ornaments in the shape of the sun, moon and stars, and creating spiced potpourri with cinnamon and other seasonal spices. Prepare a feast.

How to observe the winter solstice?

This may be difficult with younger children, but in order to truly observe the winter solstice, stay up for the longest night, and welcome the sun back to begin warming the Earth. Keep the flame. Many who stay up all night light a candle or fire before sundown.

What is the significance of the winter solstice?

In Pagan beliefs, the winter solstice is the re-arrival and rebirth of the sun, ...

What are some traditions that are from the old days?

Decorate your home. You may find that classic Christmas traditions, such as mistletoe, are actually from the old days. Hang holly, mistletoe , ivy and pine branches around your home, and light a fire to create a warm environment for the longest night.

When is the winter solstice?

Winter solstice happens on December 21 (northern hemisphere) or June 21 (southern hemisphere), when the sun reaches the lowest apex and the night is the longest annually. If you are unable to celebrate on this day, it is generally accepted to celebrate the day directly before or directly after.

What is the name of the song that farmers sing to ward off spirits?

Go wassailing. Wassailing is a form of caroling that originated before Christianity, when farmers would walk around the fields at night and sing songs to ward off spirits that could inhibit crop fertility. You can use any Christmas or holiday carol for this, or use Pagan carols.

What to put on a yule tree?

Adding some florals, herbs, and greenery to your Yule tree really helps bring in some beautiful summer spirit! I used a mix of store-bought (Trader Joe’s) and backyard grown greenery.

When to burn Yule logs?

On Winter Solstice or New Year’s Eve, you can burn your Yule decorations, ornament, or mini Yule log to release your intentions!

What is a Yule log?

A Yule Log is a pagan ritual in which a huge log or a whole tree is placed on a hearth. People would bring the Yule tree trunk inside, place the thicker end in the hearth until it was entirely consumed by fire.

What to do with pine cones?

Using a pine cone as your base add in your wishes or intentions you’d like sent out into the universe. You can add these with small notes or on bay leaves. You can hang this in your tree, place it on your altar, or just use it as a beautiful decoration.

What string do you use for citrus garland?

For my natural citrus garland, I used hemp as the string, but I’ve seen others use wire. Whatever you choose for your base make sure it’s sturdy because this garland can get pretty heavy!

Can you hang a sandbox upside down?

Hang upside down until they are dry! Make sure you leave them somewhere they will not be disturbed, these can break easily when dry.

Gingerbread House Decorating Party

First up is the cutest gingerbread house decorating party. Design Improvised created this super fun play date for her preschool aged kids and it’s the cutest play day I’ve ever seen down to the kids table table runner!

Winter Solstice Party Decor Ideas

Another big day this month is December 21st, the winter solstice. One down side is that it’s the shortest day of the year, but the upside is there will only be more sunlight from then on. I love the idea of throwing a winter solstice party because it’s still perfect for this time of year, but not another holiday party.

Winter Solstice Party Food and Drink Ideas

A pine cone cheese log appetizer. Get the recipe here, it’s almost too pretty to eat.

Pre-Christmas Clothing Swap Party

Now for something a little different this time of year. Do you think you would want to host a clothing exchange party to clean out your closet in preparation of getting new items for Christmas? If so you could also make it a way to “shop” for new items without spending any money. This article has a lot of great ideas for this kind of party.