Goodbye Autumn, it’s been a blast – Hello Winter!!

Winter is not a season, it's a celebration!

Anamika Mishra

Today marks the last day of meteorological Autumn, a season of bright colours, festivals and big flavoured, wholesome food! As I bid a fond farewell to Autumn, I also welcome with open arms, Winter, a season with equally wonderful attributes, first and foremost, for me anyway, it’s the season of Christmas! It’s also a season where our days begin to get longer once more, a season of crisp cold mornings with big skies, a season of rebirth whereupon in the later stages we see snowdrops pushing through the frozen earth marking the first signs of Spring!

Winter, especially in December, is often associated with holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah. However, it’s important to note that there are numerous winter traditions celebrated worldwide that honour the change of seasons. You may be familiar with the burning of a yule log, for instance, but some of these customs, rituals, and festivals are more peculiar. To offer you a glimpse into this fascinating world, I’ve compiled a list of some of the more unique winter traditions.

The Feast of Juul (Yule Log)

The present-day custom of lighting a Yule log at Christmas is believed to have originated from the Feast of Juul. This was a Winter Solstice festival observed in Scandinavia when fires were lit to symbolize the heat and light of the life-giving Sun. A Yule or “Juul” log was burned on the hearth in honour of the Scandinavian god, Thor.

The log was never allowed to burn completely and was kept as a token of good luck, then used as kindling to start the following year’s log. In other European countries, the Yule log was burned until nothing but ashes remained, which were collected and spread in the fields as fertilizer every night until Twelfth Night, or worn around the neck as a charm.

Dongzhi Festival

Dongzhi festival is a Chinese celebration that marks the arrival of the Winter Solstice. It is closely tied to the concept of Yin and Yang. According to Chinese philosophy, Yang represents the positive while Yin represents the negative. After the solstice, positive elements, such as longer daylight hours and an increase in positive energy, become stronger. Families come together during this festival to enjoy a plentiful meal, often including dumplings. This tradition is rooted in an ancient legend where a compassionate physician fed dumplings to the homeless to protect their ears from frostbite. As a result, some dumplings served during the festival are shaped like ears.

Ursul, The Bear Dance

In Romania, carollers dress in bear costumes and dance on New Year’s Eve in order to drive away evil spirits and help enrich the soil for the new year. Even though the bear costumes look scary and sinister, it’s actually a time of joyful celebration and a rich tradition passed down through the generations.

Yalda Night

This is a celebration of the Winter Solstice in Iran, considered one of the most important festivities of the year. The term “Yalda” means birth, and the festival signifies the commemoration of the longest and darkest night of the year. According to ancient Persian beliefs, this night was dominated by malevolent forces, while the following day belonged to the Lord of Wisdom, Ahura Mazda.

During this celebration, family members gather together to eat, drink, and recite poetry throughout the night. Watermelon and pomegranates, symbolic of the cycle of life, are served alongside nuts.

Saturnalia

Saturnalia was an Ancient Roman winter solstice festival held in honour of Saturnus, the Roman god of agriculture and harvest. It began on December 17 and lasted for seven days, and was characterized by the “suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order.” Grudges were forgiven, wars were interrupted, and people engaged in carnival-like festivities. Some of the festival’s customs have influenced our present-day Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Krampus Run

In Austria, Krampus comes and visits children but, unlike Santa, his visit is not welcome: Krampus seeks out only naughty children to punish them, and if he finds a particularly naughty one, he takes that child away with him in his sack, I know, the thing nightmares are made of!! But the celebration comes when people dress up as witches and devils and take to the streets, carrying torches and causing mayhem, for the annual Krampus Run, which is designed to scare the “devil” out of people!

Hiding of Brooms

In Norway, it is a tradition for people to hide their brooms on Christmas Eve before going to bed. This is because it was believed that witches and various mischievous spirits would steal brooms from households in order to ride around on them on Christmas Eve, cheeky monkeys!

Night of The Radishes

Known as Noche de los Rabanos. In Oaxaca, Mexico, residents engage in a three-day festival, beginning on December 23rd, that includes carving vegetables, specifically oversized radishes, to look like the nativity and symbols from Mexican folklore. Farmers began carving radishes into figures as a gimmick to attract customers’ attention during the Christmas market. It later turned into a competition, and today attracts thousands of visitors who want to see the veggie creations!

Polar Bear Plunges or Dips

These events are held annually in January throughout many parts of the Northeastern United States and Canada to ring in the new year. Participants brave often sub-zero temps and plunge into a nearby body of water, quickly, foregoing wetsuits. The events are usually held to benefit a charity or bring awareness to a worthy cause.

Pickles on the Christmas Tree

Households in the United States and Canada have a Christmas tree tradition of decorating with pickles as ornaments! The origin of this tradition is disputed, but one story suggests that during the Civil War, Private John C. Lower, who was captured and taken prisoner, was given a pickle to eat on Christmas Eve, which saved his life. As a result, he started the tradition of hiding a pickle on the tree each year. Another theory is that this tradition originated in Germany, called Weihnachtsgurke, where the pickle was the last ornament hung on the tree, and the first child to find it received an extra gift. Some suspect that it was a marketing tactic by Woolworth & Company to sell more pickle ornaments!

Okay, I’m off to coat a pickle in fairy dust and ribbons!

What’s on this week?