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The Lessons of the SeasonsBy Robin DuMolin For
thousands of years our ancestors marked the seasons of the year with festivals.
The greatest festivals were the twice yearly solstices. They served many
functions. They bound together the young and old, men and women, poor
and rich. They also gave people an emotional outlet and break from day
to day functions. Prisoners were freed, masters and servants traded places.
Politics and revelry were combined as plays satirized unpopular nobles,
merchants and church officials. Most importantly these festivals united
peoples connection to nature and the source of all life.When the north pole is pointing sun ward, people in the northern hemisphere experience the longest day and shortest night of the year. This is their summer solstice. For people in the southern hemisphere, the same day is their winter solstice. Solstice is from the Latin, sol stetit which means "the sun stood still". In late June and late December the sun appears to rise and set at almost exactly the same places. Its rising and setting points appear to stand still. By the time of the new stone age, six to eight thousand years ago, there were plenty of signs that seasonal festivals were the center of community life. Ancient people used four ways of marking the solstice and equinoxes:1 - Creating spot lighting on walls or caves. People who used this method often carved or painted symbols where they would be struck by a ray of light at sunrise at one of these four times of the year.In Egypt at the Great Temple of Karnak, a beam of light on the solstice would illuminate a sanctuary on the inside of the temple. This spot lighting would have allowed the Egyptian priests to determine the length of the solar year to within a minute. The lighting also had religious purposes. This solstice celebration not only dominated their industry, but the astronomy and religion of Egypt. In solar processions priests carried statues of Hapi, god of the Nile through the streets. After the religious ceremonies rejoicing took place on a grand scale and all the classes observed this holiday. 2 - Measuring the shadow of an upright pillar, usually at noon. This was the favorite techniques of Babylonians, Ionian Greeks, and Peruvians.3 - A specially prepared ceremonial structure was made by Central and South American tribes. Only at noon on the summer solstice would the sun shine directly through a hole or tube in its ceiling to a specific point on the floor.4 - The last way was to watch from a position where you could observe on the horizon the sun rising and setting over a period of years. This was used a lot in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Stonehenge is the most famous structure where this last method was observed. The Heel Stone appears between two of the stone arches marking the approximate place on the horizon of the summer solstice sunrise. In ancient times when tribes and clans gathered to celebrate the festivals they told tales that describe the nature of the deity being celebrated. The tale of King Arthur was popular to recite at this time of year since he represented a solar god. His mother was Igraine, wife of Gorlois. Merlin was a friend to Uther Pendragon the rightful heir to the throne. Having a vision of the coming of a king and the glorious future for the land, Merlin grasped onto opportunity. He used his magic to transform Uther into the likeness of Gorlois. That night as Uther and Igraine came together, Gorlois was killed at his encampment. Arthur was conceived at this time. His death/birth indicates the divinity of this child. His birth time was at the end of the year. He was associated with the sun/rebirth/life because his reign flourished and prospered. And out of darkness (Gorlois death) came the light/Arthur's conception. Arthur was married to Guinevere in May (the time for gods and goddesses to marry) mortals married in June. The first people to arrive in the Americas probably came from Asia. Because Siberian archeological sites show evidence of lunar calendars. It is assumed that the migrants to America brought with them an understanding for times and seasons. With native Americans the four directions of space and a belief in the supernatural world was dominant in their culture. Many tribes viewed the solstices and the equinoxes as the temporal equivalent of the four sacred directions and as times where the supernatural world and natural intersect. In China after 213 BC the imperial court instituted calendrical rites that continued into the twentieth century. Significant festival were held on the summer and winter solstices when the Emperor symbolically renewed world order. While the winter festival (solstice) was held to honor and energize the celestial male (yang), the summer solstice was earthy, feminine and yin in character to stimulate those forces. The summer rite took place on the Altar of the Earth which was square so to evoke the terrestrial forces. While the winter solstice sacrificial victim was burned so that the smoke could rise to heaven, in summer, the sacrifice was buried. By participating on behalf of humanity in the earth's natural rhythms, the Emperor aided both the land itself and human society to maintain a healthy balance. His influence was believed to extend into the cosmos because all things in heaven and earth were interconnected and interdependent. It has been traditional to make amulets of protection out of specific herbs for this time of year. Boughs of rowan were hung over entrances of stables and barns as protection against evil magic which might cause harm or disease to livestock. Rue is another herb of protection. It was important in Italy and used very much. St. John's Wort is strongly identified with midsummer. The name comes from St. John's Day. The name given to the summer solstice by the Church to get rid of all the pagan celebrations. St. John's Wort is ruled by the sun. The flowers are yellow and this plant is supposed to protect you from evil spirits. Vervaine is also gathered at this time of year because it has the power to banish evil or negativity. Midsummer time was the time for reading into the future, especially for young girls dreaming of getting married. One method was to gather the buds of house leek and name one bud for each eligible young man. The bud most open on the summer solstice morning predicted the name of the future bridegroom. In Denmark at the summer solstice two sprigs of St. John's Wort were set between the roof rafters of a house, and if they grew together there would be a marriage. The Amish have been very creative in charms and spells during the time of the summer solstice, mainly having to do with protecting their livestock and homes. Their folk art of hex signs were for protection. The most popular rosette is the six pointed rosette for protection. Summer solstice fires were lit throughout Europe. One of the primary motivations in Denmark and Norway for doing this was to banish sickness from cattle. Also, it insured health and good weather for the coming year. Germans wore wreaths of mugwort and vervaine and looked into the fire through branches of larkspur, in the belief it would maintain the health of their eyes. As they left the fire, they threw their herbs on the coals saying, "May my ill luck depart and be buried with these." In Bohemia, boys collected sticks and brush while girls made wreaths and nosegays. The girls and boys would stand on opposite sides of the bonfire and would look at each other through the wreaths to see whether they would be true to one another and who would marry who. The girls then threw their wreaths across the fire to their sweetheart. When the flames got low, each couple joined hands and leapt across three times. The singed wreaths served as a protection from sickness and thunderstorms throughout the following year. Lighting bonfires at midsummer, didn't just happen in Europe, but throughout the world. In North Africa, this custom also flourished. In Russia midsummer was marked by the people making a straw effigy (male) dressed in female clothing and called Kupalo. Then a tree was cut, decorated with ribbons and set in a primary spot. The tree was called Marena (winter, death) and the straw figure was placed near the tree with a table that had food and drink. A bonfire was prepared and young men and women would then jump over it holding Kupalo in their arms. On the following day, the straw figure and tree were thrown in a stream. In some parts of Russia, Austria and Germany a straw effigy was set in a coffin and paraded through the streets and mourned. The point of these rituals according to author Sir James George Frazier was "... the decline of summer is dated from midsummer day, after which the days begin to shorten and the sun sets out on his downward journey... such a turning point of the year, when vegetation might be thought to share the incipient though still imperceptible decay of summer, might well be chosen by primitive man as a fit moment for resorting to those magic rites by which he hopes to stay the decline, or at least to insure the revival of plant life. Sources: Celebrate the Solstice by Richard Heinberg, Ancient Ways by Pauline Campanelli |
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