Gifts of decorative lights and incense are also encouraged.Ģ) Making and exchanging baked goods celebrates the magic alchemy of heat and provides nourishment through the cold season. There are many candle-making sites on the internet. European Christmas trees are still decorated with candles and the Jewish holiday of Hannukah involves the burning of candles as well.Įspecially fun is getting together to make your own candles. This was a central part of the Roman Saturnalia and other religious traditions. The Temple of Earth Festival of Fire Celebrationġ) Giving gifts of candles and candle paraphernalia. The Festival of Fire aims to provide light and warmth and activity into peoples’ lives during this dark and sometimes dismal season. The cold weather, the shorter days and consequent lack of light, reduced amount of physical activity and such can bring modern man down (unless they live in the tropics, of course! The north hemisphere winter corresponds with some of the best weather in most tropical parts of the world). Today we know for a fact that the sun is coming back, rituals or no, but still, winter can be rough on many people. The gradual warming of the days after this was seen as proof that their rituals worked. These included mass orgies (The Roman Saturnalia), human sacrifice (Greek Dionysianism called sparagmos), the lighting of fires to keep the light alive (European paganism, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Roman), etc. Consequently it was necessary to perform rituals that gave new life to the earth. Our ancestors were afraid that the world was dying and the sun was going out. On the day of the winter solstice, the days are shortest, nights longest and the weather coldest. In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.
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