Merry Christmas, Happy Yuletide, Happy Holidays, Good Solstice, Happy Festivus, Happy Saturnalia et al to all Askville?

Merry Christmas, Happy Yuletide, Happy Holidays, Good Solstice, Happy Festivus, Happy Saturnalia et al to all Askville Chanuka was Dec. 11th but New Years is still just around the bend. The Festival of the SeasonsLuv, Maxi Asked by Maximum20Characters 24 months ago Similar questions: Merry Christmas Happy Yuletide Holidays Solstice Festivus Saturnalia al Askville Amazon > Askville.

Similar questions: Merry Christmas Happy Yuletide Holidays Solstice Festivus Saturnalia al Askville.

THANK YOU MAXI ~ HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU TOO ~ THIS YEAR I CELEBRATED WINTER SOLSTICE! Here is part of my Winter Solstice email from this year .... you can still celebrate any time :) Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to Everyone! Happy Winter Solstice Light some candles, play some music, take off your shoes AND SOCKS, be merry and EAT something yummy .... WINTER SOLSTICE is also known in other parts of the world as Midwinter, DongZhi, Yule, Tekufat Tevet (in the Talmud), Sabe Cele/Yalda, Soyal, Hoku (by lunar calendar in native Hawaii), Seva Zistane, Solar New Year, and Longest Night.In the southern hemisphere, it falls on or close to June 21, and in the northern hemisphere on or near December 21.

Worldwide, interpretation of the event has varied from culture to culture, but most cultures have held a recognition of rebirth, involving holidays, festivals, gatherings, rituals or other celebrations around the time. The winter solstice may have been immensely important because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months. Starvation was common in winter between January and April, also known as the famine months.

In temperate climates, the midwinter festival was the last feast celebration before deep winter began. Most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter, so it was almost the only time of year when a supply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking at this time.

Winter Solstice Lore & Factoids Solstice means "sun standing still. " For that reason, the Solstice is often looked upon as a time for following the actions of the Sun by being still and introspective.(Good excuse for sleeping and eating a lot. ) In 1647, the British government banned the celebration of Christmas, because it too closely resembled the pagan traditions associated with the Winter Solstice.

The Egyptian god/man Osiris died and was placed in his tomb on the Winter Solstice. The ancient Roman pagans celebrated solstice by stringing evergreen branches and holly along the walls of their homes, to signify good luck. They also gave rest for the day to all schools, soldiers, and executions.

The notion of bringing a tree indoors may seem odd, albeit charming, in today's society. But filling halls and homes with evergreen trees is another thing Christians borrowed from the Solstice-celebrating pagans. The evergreen was a symbol of longevity, and in many ways served as a good luck charm; it stood also for continuity of life.

Lighting these trees helped ward off the non-auspicious spirits of darkness. Technically, Solstice is defined by the time when the hemisphere in which you live is tilted further from the sun than it will be at any other point during the year. This makes that day particularly shorter, and the night significantly longer.

It marks the beginning of winter. Mythologically, it is the beginning of the sun's journey back home. The Roman pagan masters used the Solstice as an opportunity to sit down and share a feast with their slaves.

The slaves were permitted for a day to do and say as they pleased. One of them was named King for the day, and would preside over the feast as if he were the master. Many people know that St. Nikolaus was actually a man who took gifts around to people's homes during the winter.

But today's popular version of St. Nick got his magical reindeer from pagans. The German god Wotan, known for roaming the skies with a band of attendants, integrated with other Europen legends of deer, calves, and goats, to come up with the legend of Santa's reindeer. Traditionally, the Yule log was burned for 12 days, beginning on Solstice night.

It was important for the person(s) burning the log to have harvested the log (which was from an Ash tree) from their land, or they had been given it as a gift. The log would be doused with cider and sprinkled with flour before being set ablaze to ward off the spirits of darkness and welcome in warmth and light. The ancient pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice by throwing a feast on the eve of Mid-Winter.

Winter was a season of sparse eating, because people would have to subsist on what they had harvested in the autumn, until spring arrived. Taking part in the feast was a way of showing piety to the God and Goddess, as well as a testimony of faith that light and warmth would be restored. Because it is the shortest day of the year, and thus the beginning of a period when the days begin getting longer and brighter, the Solstice is often celebrated as the rebirth of the sun.

The ancient Romans referred to Winter Solstice as "The Birthday of the Unconquered Sun," or Dies Natalis Invicti Solis. The ancient Druids gave us the tradition of hanging Mistletoe in doorways. The leaves and berries we've come to know were considered sacred by the Druids, because they grew on the most sacred tree (the oak).

Priests would ceremoniously cut sprigs of mistletoe from trees using a golden sickle.It was then handed out to people as a good luck charm, to be hung in doorways so that all who entered and exited would have good luck. Some Winter Solstice Music Dan Fogelberg - Yule Dance - Feast of Fools - Snowfall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EV7ynVvtiM&feature=related Always need some drumming for Solstice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTaehZN2xL4&feature=related Christmas/Kwanzaa/Solstice/Chanukah/Ramadan/Boxing Day Song - Christine Lavin and the Mistletones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu8Q5A0xivA Blind Boys of Alabama - Go Tell It On the Mountain http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFy1dqw3kwY Shadowplay - Eugene Friesen http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Bvr3R73BY&feature=related In the Winter's Pale - Tim Story http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAbL8Dkc1n4 Baker Street Muse, Part 1 - Jethro Tull http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8cCICdDePY&feature=related Baker Street Muse, Part 2 - Jethro Tull Night. In0 Winter Solstice Song - Jethro Tull (very nice) Night.

In1 Silent night, Solstice night - Enya http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EV7ynVvtiM&feature=related0 St. James Infirmary - Woody Guthry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EV7ynVvtiM&feature=related1 Charukeshi - Anoushka Shankar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5plCs7I5g Three Pieces for the Winter Solstice - John Bergamo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SAmCdJJqps Some music by the Paul Winter Consort from former concerts they performed in the cathedral of St. John the Devine in NYC http://solsticeconcert.com/ The Runaway Christmas Tree - Christine Lavin (story) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vE_eRzV0TKU One year, when I had a good professional position at the Chicago public library downtown, and had happened to adopt my two cats back in the preceeding two years, I got a large-ish, live tree (something I have done maybe three times, ever) and took great care to decorate it. I put on it pinecones I had collected myself in the woods, little drugstore candycanes, 15 or so crocheted white snowflakes an elderly Japanese woman upstairs taught me how to make, white lights I went out and bought, and draped all around the tree long strands of whole cranberries and popcorn I'd made with a needle and thread.It took all weekend and I was pretty happy with it Sunday night when I went to bed. Monday evening I got home from work and looked over at the tree and it looked odd.

On closer inspection, I went over to see that a good 80% of all its ornaments were gone. I couldn't for the life of me imagine what had happened. I went into my bedroom, and there on the bed were all the missing ornaments!

Leona, the younger of the cats, who I'd taught to fetch with little foam balls and to bring back to me on the bed, where I would read at night, had "fetched" the missing ornaments and, being such a good kitty, had put them all on the bed! As a side note, whenever I accidentially left the top drawer of my dresser open in the morning before leaving for work, she was often busy all day, fetching all my socks, rolled up as they were in balls, from the drawer and retrieved to my bed! Being the Unitarian, comparative religion type person I am, I enjoy looking into all the other world traditions that celebrate the winter solstice.

This year I discovered two traditions in the east -- one in Japan, the other in Sri Lanka via India. A story I just learned about the sun goddess of Japan, Amaterasu from a site on Amaterasu The child of Izanagi and Izanami, Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami, meaning "August person who makes the Heavens Shine," is the Sun Goddess of Japan. Sometimes she is identified as an aspect of Amita (Amida) and sometimes with Dainachi Nyorai (an aspect of Buddha).

She is a solar and agriculture goddess and the culture-hero goddess of Japan. When Izanagi returned from the land of the dead, he washed his face. Amaterasu emerged from his left eye and the Moon God Tsukiyomi came from his right.

She is also the sister of Susano-Wo, the Storm God, who appeared from his father's nose. She is the most prominent member of the Shinto Pantheon, and the Japanese royal family is descended from her. Izanagi gave the high plains of heaven to Amaterasu to rule over and his sacred bead necklace (Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami).

To her brother Susano, he gave the oceans. But Susano wished to join his mother in Yomi, the Underworld, and so was banished by his father to that place. Before leaving, he asked to say good-bye to his sister Amaterasu.

Believing her brother wished to steal her away with him, she prepared for battle, arming herself with a bow and two quivers of arrows. Her brother claimed he did not wish to usurp her power, but still challenged her to a contest to prove who was the more powerful of the two. Both would attempt to produce male deities.

She began the contest by breaking her brother's sword into three, chewing the pieces, and spitting them out. A mist appeared from her mouth and took the form of three goddesses. Susano took the fertility beads from her hair and arms and cracked them with his teeth.

From these, he produced five male gods; then announced he had won the contest. But the gods had been formed from her own jewels and so Amaterasu claimed the victory. Ignoring her protests, Susano celebrated his victory by causing havoc on Earth, destroying rice fields and filling irrigation ditches.

For his finale, he skinned a young pony and hurled it through the roof of the sacred weaving hall where Amaterasu and her attendants sat weaving the fabric of the universe, which was left incomplete as a result. Fleeing in anger and fear, Amaterasu hid in a cave, Ame-No-Iwato (sky-rock-cave), taking the light with her. The evil gods were delighted, and used the opportunity to cause even more trouble.

Though the good gods begged her to leave her cave, Amaterasu refused. They resorted to a trick in order to lure her out. A mirror was fashioned (called Kagami or Yata-Kayami), strung with a jeweled neckalce.

A party of gods assembled outside the cave with the mirror and a rooster.At the crowing of the rooster (Amaterasu's sacred bird), Ame-No-Uzume, the Goddess of the Dawn and Laughter, began dancing the Kagura on an upturned tub. In the ecstasy of her dancing, she removed her clothes which caused the assembled gods to laugh. Unable to contain her curiosity, Amaterasu emerged from her cave and was told by the gods that they had found a more beautiful women to replace sickle.

It0 she moved close to see, she was captivated by her own reflected beauty. Several of the gods caught her and a straw rope (Shiri-Kume-Na-Nawa) was placed over the mouth of the cave to prevent her retreat. Thus light returned to the world.

Her temple in Ise Naiku is visited by about five million devotees each year, and she is also worshiped in every family shrine. December 22nd is the Tohji-Taisai, a Shinto rite honoring Sun Goddess Amaterasu. There is also a special ceremony during solar eclipses.

Her shrines are often placed adjacent to those her brother, Susano-Wo. She protects the rice fields and invented irrigation canals. Ise Naiku (Shinto) Shrine in Japan, above, in honor of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu.

Shinto Sun Goddess Amaterasu Her three divine rice fields are Easy-Rice-Field-of-Heaven, Level-Rice-Field-Of-Heaven, and Village-Join-Rice-Field-of-Heaven. She organized religious rites. She developed the art of raising silk worms (though the goddess Ukemochi creates silk worms from her eyebrows) and wove the clothing of the gods.

The monk Gyogi (670-749) created an offshoot of Shinto called Ryobu-Shinto. One of his main tenets was that Amaterasu is the same as the Buddha. This is a clay figure of Sanghamitta made by Ven.

Dhammananda in 2002. She sits with the group of the thirteen Arahat Theris in the shrine room at Songdhammakalyani Monastery in Nakhonpathom, Thailand. Sanghamitta (Sanghamitra in Sanskrit) was the daughter of Emperor Ashoka and his Buddhist queen Devi.

Together with Venerable Mahinda, her twin brother, she entered an order of Buddhist monks. The two siblings later went to Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of Buddha. Ashoka was initially reluctant to send his daughter on an overseas mission, but because of the insistence of Sanghamitta herself, he finally agreed.

She was sent to Sri Lanka together with several other nuns to start the nun-lineage (Bhikkhunis) after some female royalty from Sri Lanka court requested to be ordained as nuns. Other sources believe the name to be Sanghmitra (or Sanghamitra or Sangamitra), and that she was the younger offspring of King Ashoka, the elder being Prince Mahindra. After the war of Kalinga , when King Ashoka took the path of Buddhism , along with his Buddhist wife (who named the daughter so, as she wanted the daughter to have a Buddhist name), he decided to send his children away, to foreign land, to preach the teaching of Buddha .

Her day of honor is every Winter solstice. From Wikipedia (Sanghamitta) Video This is pretty fun .... Video I LOVE this! Video This is pretty .... Video Dis is way cool ....

When Izanagi returned from the land of the dead, he washed his face. Amaterasu emerged from his left eye and the Moon God Tsukiyomi came from his right. She is also the sister of Susano-Wo, the Storm God, who appeared from his father's nose.

She is the most prominent member of the Shinto Pantheon, and the Japanese royal family is descended from her. Izanagi gave the high plains of heaven to Amaterasu to rule over and his sacred bead necklace (Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami). To her brother Susano, he gave the oceans.

But Susano wished to join his mother in Yomi, the Underworld, and so was banished by his father to that place. Before leaving, he asked to say good-bye to his sister Amaterasu. Believing her brother wished to steal her away with him, she prepared for battle, arming herself with a bow and two quivers of arrows.

Her brother claimed he did not wish to usurp her power, but still challenged her to a contest to prove who was the more powerful of the two. Both would attempt to produce male deities. She began the contest by breaking her brother's sword into three, chewing the pieces, and spitting them out.

A mist appeared from her mouth and took the form of three goddesses. Susano took the fertility beads from her hair and arms and cracked them with his teeth. From these, he produced five male gods; then announced he had won the contest.

But the gods had been formed from her own jewels and so Amaterasu claimed the victory. Ignoring her protests, Susano celebrated his victory by causing havoc on Earth, destroying rice fields and filling irrigation ditches. For his finale, he skinned a young pony and hurled it through the roof of the sacred weaving hall where Amaterasu and her attendants sat weaving the fabric of the universe, which was left incomplete as a result.

Fleeing in anger and fear, Amaterasu hid in a cave, Ame-No-Iwato (sky-rock-cave), taking the light with her. The evil gods were delighted, and used the opportunity to cause even more trouble. Though the good gods begged her to leave her cave, Amaterasu refused.

They resorted to a trick in order to lure her out. A mirror was fashioned (called Kagami or Yata-Kayami), strung with a jeweled neckalce. A party of gods assembled outside the cave with the mirror and a rooster.At the crowing of the rooster (Amaterasu's sacred bird), Ame-No-Uzume, the Goddess of the Dawn and Laughter, began dancing the Kagura on an upturned tub.

In the ecstasy of her dancing, she removed her clothes which caused the assembled gods to laugh. Unable to contain her curiosity, Amaterasu emerged from her cave and was told by the gods that they had found a more beautiful women to replace her.As she moved close to see, she was captivated by her own reflected beauty. Several of the gods caught her and a straw rope (Shiri-Kume-Na-Nawa) was placed over the mouth of the cave to prevent her retreat.

Thus light returned to the world. Her temple in Ise Naiku is visited by about five million devotees each year, and she is also worshiped in every family shrine. December 22nd is the Tohji-Taisai, a Shinto rite honoring Sun Goddess Amaterasu.

There is also a special ceremony during solar eclipses. Her shrines are often placed adjacent to those her brother, Susano-Wo. She protects the rice fields and invented irrigation canals.

Ise Naiku (Shinto) Shrine in Japan, above, in honor of the Sun Goddess Amaterasu. Shinto Sun Goddess Amaterasu Her three divine rice fields are Easy-Rice-Field-of-Heaven, Level-Rice-Field-Of-Heaven, and Village-Join-Rice-Field-of-Heaven. She organized religious rites.

She developed the art of raising silk worms (though the goddess Ukemochi creates silk worms from her eyebrows) and wove the clothing of the gods. The monk Gyogi (670-749) created an offshoot of Shinto called Ryobu-Shinto. One of his main tenets was that Amaterasu is the same as the Buddha.

This is a clay figure of Sanghamitta made by Ven. Dhammananda in 2002. She sits with the group of the thirteen Arahat Theris in the shrine room at Songdhammakalyani Monastery in Nakhonpathom, Thailand.

Sanghamitta (Sanghamitra in Sanskrit) was the daughter of Emperor Ashoka and his Buddhist queen Devi. Together with Venerable Mahinda, her twin brother, she entered an order of Buddhist monks. The two siblings later went to Sri Lanka to spread the teachings of Buddha.

Ashoka was initially reluctant to send his daughter on an overseas mission, but because of the insistence of Sanghamitta herself, he finally agreed. She was sent to Sri Lanka together with several other nuns to start the nun-lineage (Bhikkhunis) after some female royalty from Sri Lanka court requested to be ordained as nuns. Other sources believe the name to be Sanghmitra (or Sanghamitra or Sangamitra), and that she was the younger offspring of King Ashoka, the elder being Prince Mahindra.

After the war of Kalinga , when King Ashoka took the path of Buddhism , along with his Buddhist wife (who named the daughter so, as she wanted the daughter to have a Buddhist name), he decided to send his children away, to foreign land, to preach the teaching of Buddha . Her day of honor is every Winter solstice. From Wikipedia (Sanghamitta).

Izanagi gave the high plains of heaven to Amaterasu to rule over and his sacred bead necklace (Mi-Kura-Tana-No-Kami). To her brother Susano, he gave the oceans. But Susano wished to join his mother in Yomi, the Underworld, and so was banished by his father to that place.

Before leaving, he asked to say good-bye to his sister Amaterasu. Believing her brother wished to steal her away with him, she prepared for battle, arming herself with a bow and two quivers of arrows. Her brother claimed he did not wish to usurp her power, but still challenged her to a contest to prove who was the more powerful of the two.

Both would attempt to produce male deities. She began the contest by breaking her brother's sword into three, chewing the pieces, and spitting them out. A mist appeared from her mouth and took the form of three goddesses.

Susano took the fertility beads from her hair and arms and cracked them with his teeth. From these, he produced five male gods; then announced he had won the contest. But the gods had been formed from her own jewels and so Amaterasu claimed the victory.

Ignoring her protests, Susano celebrated his victory by causing havoc on Earth, destroying rice fields and filling irrigation ditches. For his finale, he skinned a young pony and hurled it through the roof of the sacred weaving hall where Amaterasu and her attendants sat weaving the fabric of the universe, which was left incomplete as a result. Fleeing in anger and fear, Amaterasu hid in a cave, Ame-No-Iwato (sky-rock-cave), taking the light with her.

The evil gods were delighted, and used the opportunity to cause even more trouble. Though the good gods begged her to leave her cave, Amaterasu refused. They resorted to a trick in order to lure her out.

A mirror was fashioned (called Kagami or Yata-Kayami), strung with a jeweled neckalce. A party of gods assembled outside the cave with the mirror and a rooster. At the crowing of the rooster (Amaterasu's sacred bird), Ame-No-Uzume, the Goddess of the Dawn and Laughter, began dancing the Kagura on an upturned tub.In the ecstasy of her dancing, she removed her clothes which caused the assembled gods to laugh.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Amaterasu emerged from her cave and was told by the gods that they had found a more beautiful women to replace her. As she moved close to see, she was captivated by her own reflected beauty. Several of the gods caught her and a straw rope (Shiri-Kume-Na-Nawa) was placed over the mouth of the cave to prevent her retreat.