Winter Solstice - 21st to 22nd December

The Winter solstice is the shortest day of the year but also the longest night of the year, it generally occurs around the 21st-23rd of December and it has been celebrated since the first days of Stonehenge; possibly even before then.

Winter Solstice also marks the time when light is returning, the cycle of the year is turning back to the times of Spring and new life. For some, the Winter solstice is also known as Yule. It was tradition in Europe to keep a special log in the home to promote health and prosperity, this Yule log is placed on your hearth to burn for twelve nights in that Season. Afterwards it is kept in your home to serve as a reminder of the times that have passed. Some prefer to bake a Yule log, there are many varieties and it is entirely up to you. You can serve it at a special Solstice dinner.

Other things to do on the Winter Solstice:

If you haven't already, put up your Christmas tree and decorate it with your family. Traditionally, you would decorate your tree with things you want in the year to come. Decorating it with holly, is thought to help women conceive, while decorating it with a theme of red honors the Sun King's return and the longer day-light hours.

Bake a Yule log with your family, children will love this activity.

Go for a walk in a nearby park.

Plan games and activities with the children, give the games a Yule theme.

I wish everyone a very Happy Yule, I hope this blog gave you a few ideas and thank you for reading.

Lughnasadh - 1st August 2011

Merry Meet everyone, Lughnasadh (Lammas) has come around again. Right here in England the weather is changeable, but the best of the Sun does shine through occasionally, warming the ground and improving the harvest for this Summer. Personally, I am eagerly awaiting the Autumn months when nature changes into the most gorgeous colours.

I thought I might post some background information on the festival of Lughnasdh. This festival is also known as Lammas and it celebrates the first harvest of the year. The days are waning and Autumn is coming, so we begin to see the plants of Spring withering now, their fruits are dropping and getting ready to seed for the coming year.

Bread can be baked from the first grains of the harvest, a feast can be lain from the Summer fruits and vegetables of the harvest. From the old celtic religion, the feast would honour the foster Mother of Lugh, who died from exhaustion after planting the crops.

This is also the time to give thanks to the Sun God and the harvest, as he is now ageing and it was his loving rays of light that brought life to our harvest.

With the colder months approaching, don't forget to store your Summer harvest for the Winter. You can do this by preserving fruits and vegetables in cans or freezing.

To celebrate Lughnasadh, here are some tips to enjoy the festival:

• Have a family picnic with Summer food
• Purify and ready your home for the Winter months by cleaning, wash the curtains, clean the fireplace or clean out your cupboards.
• Bake fresh Lammas loaves with your family
• Work on your Book of Shadows
• Do some work in your garden
• Have a day to yourself, take a long bath with some essential oils and meditate on what you have achieved since last Winter. But also think about what you want to achieve in the future months.

I will be posting a new section on Wiccan recipes soon, so look out for the recipe for Lammas bread. Blessings to you all and have a lovely Lughnasadh!