A Yuletide Season Celebration

It was -2F (-18C) as I crawled begrudgingly out of our warm bed the other morning and made my way to the bathroom (a very cold seat!) and then to the kitchen for two cups of steaming coffee that I had smelled brewing for the past half hour. Keeping warm is a major occupation these days in Boston and we wonder sometimes if we're up to the task. Too much warm living. After managing a cold day of food shopping, tromping around in slush, shoveling snow and lots of shivering, we prepared to go to Lin's Earth-centered group's annual winter solstice celebration … aka Yule. The best part of celebrating solstice besides the camaraderie, eating and drinking is that solstice signifies the end of shortening days and the beginning of the northern hemisphere's slow return to spring and summer. The days will lengthen again and the warm will eventually return. Hallelujah!

We've attended many Yule celebrations with this group and it's always a pleasant experience despite my griping and grousing about heading out into the dark of night and freezing temps to get there. Milton's First Parish, dating to 1787, is a white-clapboard UU church and always serves as our venue.

The group has gotten smaller over the years, but the core group remains solid and wonderfully welcoming. Pam led us through a simple, but thought-provoking ceremony. We reminisced about the old year and shared plans for the new. We sang carols and made beeswax candles as part of the festivities. And I, thoroughly involved in the ceremonial activities, took no pictures till it was all over. Darn!

We later shared a potluck dinner and exchanged gifts in a traditional Yankee trade. Everyone brought wonderful gifts so there were no white elephants … well, maybe the year-old Truro cranberry wine qualified. But we sampled it when we got home, and lo and behold, it was quite good and will be used as a dessert wine after Christmas dinner. A fun and meaningful evening. Let the longer days commence … soon!

Celebrating Yule

Yule on the pagan calendar is the observance of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere. Lin's earth-centered group usually gets together at this time of year to celebrate the rebirth of the sun and the beginning of the winter season. It is one of the oldest winter celebrations known. The group couldn't find a time to get together on the actual solstice date, so they celebrated late and we joined them.

David rarely attends these type of functions, but he thought it might be interesting to participate this time and came along. We brought food and wine to share and gifts to exchange. David had made an ocean plait mat for the occasion with an old halyard from Cups and that was our exchange gift. The attendance was small this year (only 10 of us), but quite enjoyable.

Pam officiated at a small altar decorated with candles and fresh holly and food for a small feast … bread (in this case, gluten-free ginger cookies) and wine. Lin cast the circle signifying the forming of a sacred, safe, magical place that would contain the positive energy we would be generating. The candles were lit with deference to north, south, east and west. Everyone read parts in the simple ceremony which acknowledged the winter months ahead with the promise of the return of the sun and the Spring that would follow. It's a time of contemplation, reflection and opportunity.

Pagan rituals, upon which many modern religions draw their holiday celebrations, date back millennia, and coincide with the change of seasons and the cycle of life in acknowledgment of and in accordance with nature's strength and harmony. Incidentally, this group is called Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans … CUUPS, for short.

I know … it seems weird if you're not into it, aren't familiar with pagan ideas or never attended a ceremony. We found it enjoyable to spend an evening with interesting, genuinely warm people and a good opportunity to reflect upon the year past and the year ahead. No small animal sacrifices were involved.

Celebrating Yule

It's no coincidence that many religions celebrate festivals of light at this time of year. There's Hanukah and Christmas and Diwali, not to mention all those luminaria that light pathways during the holiday season. It's winter in the northern hemisphere … a time of darkness, cold and short days. With Lin's circle of Earth-centered friends, I celebrated the old pagan ritual of Yule in anticipation of the solstice. It's a time of contemplation and hope, knowing that eventually the lengthening days and light of spring will follow. The venue at the UU church in Milton, Massachusetts is the perfect setting for such celebrations.

We sang traditional yuletime songs with a fire blazing in the fireplace. We each lit our own candle in celebration of light. We spoke of the past year and things to come.

I always find the Earth-centered celebrations to be uplifting. I'm warmly welcomed by the group though my participation is sporadic. I usually try to bring something of what I've experienced or learned to share and this year I brought bindis, those little dots that Hindus wear on their foreheads. The bindi is said to retain energy and strengthen concentration. It represents the third eye and was created as a means to worship one's intellect. Used by both men and women, the bindi helps to ensure our thoughts, speech, actions, habits and ultimately our character become pure. A strong intellect can help one make noble decisions in life, be able to stand up to life's challenges with courage, and recognize and welcome good thoughts. The belief is that on this premise,  a strong individual, a strong family and a strong society can be formed. How can you go wrong with that?

As with all celebrations, we ended with a feast very much akin to a cruiser's potluck. Everyone contributed a dish or two. Everyone brought wine or a beverage to share. We ate and drank. We did a Pagan gift trade … aka  a Yankee swap. Music played in the background. The evening was filled with warm, spirited conversation and good karma. Bring on the holidays … I'm ready.