Gentle and Cosy Winter Solstice Traditions to Try This Year
Delicious recipes, quiet rituals and a sprinkle of Midwinter Magic
Hello,
It’s nearly here!
The Winter Solstice is on the horizon (next Friday) and to celebrate I’ve got a magical newsletter for you today.
We’ll be diving into some delicious Solstice recipes (Wishing biscuits, Sun bread and Solstice cakes), discovering some simple rituals and ending with a handful of affordable seasonal gift ideas.
There’s so much history and magic wrapped up in this festival, but because I know this is a busy time of year for everyone, I’ve deliberately kept this newsletter short and sweet.
It’s also a New Moon right now so energy levels are probably a bit low all round. I’m certainly in full hibernation mode at the moment and am struggling to keep up with my inbox, so I’m guessing you’re all feeling the same. Which is why I’ve made sure all the suggestions in this post are gentle, cosy and, above all, low-stress.
In this bite-sized guide to the Solstice we’ll start with a sprinkling of Solstice mythology, then we’ll get straight into some of the loveliest recipes, rituals and gift ideas.
What is the Winter Solstice?
The Winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, and falls between December 20 and 23. This year it’s on Friday 22nd December.
An ancient festival, the Solstice has been celebrated for centuries, by many different cultures. Most celebrations have striking similarities - a focus on the rebirth of the sun, lighting candles and fires, bringing evergreens indoors as well as feasting and exchanging gifts.
Ancient Neolithic monuments such as Stonehenge in the UK and Newgrange in Ireland are believed to have been built specifically to frame the sun as it rises and sets on the Solstices which gives an idea of how old this festival is.
With the advent of Christianity, many of these ancient Winter Solstice customs were absorbed into the modern celebration of Christmas. And ‘Christmas’ is the name most of us know these Midwinter celebrations by today. But it’s interesting to see just how many of the rituals we observe at this time of year have their roots in early pagan celebrations.
Solstice Recipes
From warming winter solstice cakes, to golden sun breads, Solstice baking is all about remembering the sun in the middle of winter, so recipes often include warming spices and sunshine citrus flavours.
I’ve taken a wander around the internet on your behalf and gathered a selection of the best recipes for you to try. Some are based on ancient traditions, such as the Yule log, while others are newer interpretations. All are delicious.
Sun Bread (A bright and warming circle of bread to welcome back the sun)
Winter Solstice Cake (This recipe sounds delicious and looks beautiful with its coconut snow topping and tiny rosemary ‘trees’)
Yuletide Wishing biscuits (A simple spiced biscuit recipe with a sunshiny citrus twist)
Snowflake Solstice Shortbread (Traditional Scottish shortbread baked in a circular tin is thought to be linked to the ancient Scandinavian tradition of Yule Cakes that symbolised the sun)
Chocolate Yule log (burning a special log indoors throughout the Midwinter festivities is an old Scandinavian Solstice tradition that somehow changed over time into cooking and eating a chocolate version instead. No complaints here.)
Solstice Rituals
The Winter Solstice is festival of light, warmth and delicious food. Here are a few ideas of how to mark the day and fill your home with a little Solstice magic.
1. Light a candle as the sun sets on Solstice eve
On the longest, darkest night of the year, it’s traditional to light a candle at sunset then leave some kind of (safe) light burning overnight until the sun rises on Solstice dawn.
2. Decorate the house with evergreens
Continue a Midwinter trend started by the Ancient Romans who used evergreens to decorate their temples and homes during their Solstice celebrations.
3. Make a Solstice ice lantern
Ice lanterns are beautiful while they last, then they melt away to nothing afterwards - the perfect Christmas decoration. You can also make ice decorations to hang on an outside tree if the weather is cold enough. See instructions here.
4. Light a Yule Log
Continue a Midwinter ritual started by the Vikings to encourage the Sun to return and bring in a ceremonial log to light during the Midwinter festivities. Or you could eat a chocolate version instead - see above.
5. Hang mistletoe indoors
A symbol of midwinter magic since pre-Christian times, mistletoe is an ancient plant that’s linked to mystery and magic at this time of year. See my December Notebook post to learn more about the folklore associated with gathering this magical plant.
6. Greet the dawn
Watch a Solstice Dawn Livestream from Stonehenge, or watch the sun rise where you are. Check here to find out what time the sun will rise where you are.
Winter Solstice gift ideas
Gifts have been exchanged around the Winter Solstice since the time of the Ancient Romans. These days present giving can be a pretty stressful element of the holidays. If you want to simplify things, here are a few ideas for small, seasonal nature-based gifts that can offer light and warmth at this time of year.
There are no affiliate shopping links here - these are just small ideas that you can probably find locally or even, in some cases, make yourself.
All are affordable, seasonal and consumable. The best kind of presents.
Potted Winter Roses (Hellebores) to brighten up winter gardens
Beeswax candles to light the dark
Spiced Solstice shortbread to warm up with after a frosty winter walk
Books for reading on long, dark nights - second-hand books make lovely gifts in my opinion
Yuletide Wishing biscuits - see recipe above
Spiced or herbal tea blend for staying cosy indoors
Ok, that’s all for now, I hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with candlelight, spiced cakes, and the delicious smell of evergreens.
Now it’s over to you to share your Solstice rituals, traditions and recipes in the Comments. I’m really interested to know if anyone else celebrates the Winter Solstice and if so what your rituals and traditions look like?
I’ll see you next month for a January edition of the Monthly Notebook. We’ll be exploring hibernation rituals, warming spiced drinks and Orchard Wassails. I’ll add a sprinkling of weird and wonderful folklore for you too. If you haven’t already Subscribed then just click below to make sure that post arrives safely in your inbox.
Vicky xx
For both winter and summer solstice, I have similar traditions and rituals. At the heart of it is like a day long reflection on the season, on the idea of stillness before the turning, presence to this moment before things change directions, appreciation of the descent (or growth, in summer), taking time to take in and celebrate the return of the light while also spending time with the darkness to appreciate the special world that shows itself when we let ourselves adjust to the dark. It's a day of meditation and journalling, of a meandering, long walk in nature (I live in Canada so it's often a bundled up, cold and snowy one in winter), of sauna, of candles and firelight, starlight and a low sun.
A lovely post