Celebration of the Winter Solstice

World Peace Day

En Español

Welcome the Return of the Light

Prelude:

There is a reason why nearly every culture marks the dark days of winter when the sun is lowest on the horizon. 'Solstice' is the word we use, and it derives from the Latin, meaning 'sun stands still.' It is a moment when the Earth’s rhythms tell us to pause, be present to the darkness and take stock of our lives. Some years it seems that the holidays are more synonymous with stress than with celebration.Today at the turning of the year we will gather, embraced in the light and warmth of community For the last Service of this our Congregation of Unitarian Universalists for this year, we invite you to pause amidst busy holiday preparations and purchases to contemplate the most basic of our needs and wants -warmth and light. In this session, we celebrate the Winter Solstice in a simple ritual with our beloved community.

Opening Poem:

Now we gather in a communion of remembrance
Of those hardships overcome and all that was won
And those moments lost
Fading even now as the day
Seeks the darkness of the solstice
Tinged with the cold winds of winter skies.

Hymn::    # 123  (STLT)   "Spirit of Life"   by Carolyn McDade (adapted)

Spirit of Life, come unto us,
Sing in our hearts all the stirrings of compassion.
Blow in the wind, rise in the sea;
Move in our hands, giving life the shape of justice.
Roots hold us close; wings set us free;
Spirit of Life, come to us, come to me.

Purification: Leader walks around the circle with censer or sprinkling water .

*Opening Words:

With mounds of greenery, the brightest ornaments, we bring high summer to our rooms, as if to spite the somberness of winter.

In time of want, when life is boarding up against the next uncertain spring, we celebrate and give of what we have away.

All creatures bend to rules, even the stars are constrained.

There is blessed madness in the human need to go against the grain of cold and scarcity.

We make a holiday, the rituals varied as the hopes of humanity.

The reason as obscure as ancient solar festivals, as clear as joy on one small face. - Margaret Starkey

Lighting of the Chalice: or Yule Candle:

This is the eve of the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs; and yet, gives way and changes into light. As we celebrate the solstice we join across time and space all the festivals of light emerging from the dark. May all the Yule fires, all the Hanukkah candles, all the Christmas lights the world over—and the lights we are about to kindle here today—not only brighten the darkness of winter but also brighten the darkness of our hearts.

(Members pick up their unlit candles. The leader will extinguish the room lights.)

Invocation of the Four Directions:

East: Welcome East, the power of air, of dawn, of Spring, of new beginnings. We welcome your return with your fresh breezes and flowers bursting forth. Let our imaginations soar like the eagle. Inspire our thoughts as we dream of a bright future and plant the seeds of hope.

South: Welcome South, the power of fire and summer. Bring back the strength of the sun, but temper it with lifegiving rain. Help us to put our dreams for a better world into action. Give us strength and courage like the lion.

West: Welcome West, the power of water and evening. We are grateful for cool evenings and rains that keep our land green and help seeds to grow. We are grateful for loving families and the time we share with them each day.

North: Welcome North, Power of the Earth, winter and midnight. As we wake from our winter dreams and burst forth into spring, keepus grounded in the earth. Help us remember to walk gently on the earth and treat her with kindness, for she is our mother.

Reading: To be read responsively The response to each line is The light is reborn.

In the greatest darkness
The light is reborn
Out of winter's cold
The light is reborn
From our deepest fears
The light is reborn
When we most despair
The light is reborn
When all seems lost
The light is reborn
When the earth lies waste
The light is reborn
When animals hide
The light is reborn
When the leaves are gone
The light is reborn
When the river is frozen
The light is reborn
When the ground is hard
The light is reborn
Shadows are fleeing
The light is reborn
The light is reborn
Light is returning
The light is reborn
Warmth will come again
The light is reborn
Summer will be here once more
The light is reborn
Plants will grow again
The light is reborn
Animals will be seen once more
The light is reborn
Green will come again
The light is reborn
Life will continue
The light is reborn
Hymn:    #235 (STLT) "Deck the Halls "
Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
See the blazing Yule before us, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus. Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure, Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
While I tell of Yuletide treasure, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new, ye lads and lasses, Fa la la, la la la, la la la.
Sing we joyous, all together, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather, Fa la la la la la, la la la la.

Leader reads: O Holy Night, Winter Solstice night, night that will lead into bright shining day, we are ready for your mysteries. Now as we sit in semi-darkness, let us meditate on what was our own personal "longest night" of the past year and what good events we wish to find when our sun rises again.

(Moment of Silence )

Leader speaks: On the longest night of the year we honor the darkness, and also the feelings of sadness, disappointment and loss that we often keep hidden. In the midst of a season of celebration, this is the time to shine a light on the hard times and set them free. Consider lighting a candles of memory and hope. Would anyone care to speak briefly of their longest night and warmest wish?

(Members may share very briefly if they wish, in any order. After each has shared, all say "May it be so.")

Leader reads after all who want to have shared: Now after the longest night of the year, we welcome the return of the Sun and the promise of greater light, warmth, and energy in our lives. Going in a circle, light your candle from the central flame and place it in the holder.

(In silence, members light their candles in turn.)

Leader reads: As we gaze at these small, though bright flames, we remind ourselves that no matter how dark, no matter how long the night, the light shall come again. Now is the time for celebrating!

(If desired, turn the room lights on again.)

Unison Prayer:( followed by a moment of silent meditation)

Light is returning

Even though this is the darkest hour

No one can hold back the dawn

Let's keep the light of hope alive

Make safe our journey through the storm

One planet is turning

Circles on her path around the Sun

Earth Mother is calling her children home

- Fra Giovanni, Fourteenth Century

Joys and Concerns: (We throw a small stone into this bowl filled with water, to symbolize our thoughts, which move in circular rings eternally, like concentric waves.)

We invite you to share your joys and concerns since our last meeting

Second Reading:

"O Holy Night"—so goes the song. And rightly so. This night is holy and holy it has been for 2000 times 2000 years.

Christians talk of remembering the true meaning of Christmas but most do not remember why the Christ, who was called the Light of the World, was said to be born at Winter Solstice.

Tonight, we move beyond religion or creed, and acknowledge the promise that is renewed, every year at this time, to every creature that lives on this Earth:

The promise that no matter how dark, no matter how long the night, the light shall come again.

O Holy Night, longest night, cold and dark and ancient night, we sit here as the old ones did, as others stand in circles all around this world, this night, to seek the promise of light to come.

What dark of your own awaits the day?

The dark of pain, the dark of grief, the dark of being lost along the way?

It is still night. So we cover ourselves with darkness, and hold our candles, not yet lit, waiting for the sunrise yet to come.

Hymn:   "Silent Night"  

Leader reads:

Yule

December 20-23 the exact date and time determined by the position of the sun

Other Names: Winter Solstice, Midwinter

Sun enters Capricorn

Mid-point of Celtic winter

Shortest day and longest night of the solar year

Imagine yourself centuries ago in a climate zone not so different from that of Europe. The harvest is long over; the winter is upon you. The air is turning colder and colder, the days shorter and shorter, and the nights longer and longer. It will be many months before fresh shoots come forth from the earth again. You are dependent upon what food stocks you have stored from the fertile time of the year, and upon which animals you can spare to be slaughtered. With luck, you have enough fuel or fat to provide light for some part of the long night. Travel, never good, is now worse than ever. You stay in your home, try to keep warm, and wait for the sun to return.

Winter Solstice is the longest night in that long winter but it carries the promise of Spring. From that night on, the days will become longer until warmth and fertility return to the Earth. The pivotal night is celebrated with feasting, music, dance, and festivity of all sorts. Holly, fir, and other evergreens, symbols of life eternal because they stay green through the winter, are brought into the house. Families and friends brave traveling to celebrate together. You might search for a Yule log, the largest log your hearth can accommodate, and let it burn for as many days as it can. You might choose an animal to be slaughtered, providing a fat-rich, high-caloric respite from stored cabbages and turnips. For the weaker members of your household such a rich feast might make the difference in their chances of survival through the cold months ahead. Bonfires, hearth fires, candles, and lamps of all sort blaze forth in the long night to mark the triumph of light over darkness.

If this sounds like our popular Christmas holiday celebrations, it is no accident. The Puritans, among others, frowned on celebrating Christmas even to the point of legislating against it. It was clear to them that most of the traditions associated with it had very little, if anything, to do with the birth of a Rabbi in the Middle East. These traditions were relics of our European Pagan past…

Even the date of Christmas is an echo of Europe's Pagan past. Primary-source Christian texts do not give us a date for the birth of Jesus…it was unlikely to have been mid-winter; shepherds in the Middle East do not "watch their flocks by night" in December! But December 25 was celebrated in the Roman Empire as the Birth of the Invincible Sun, who was Mithras, a solar Deity popular with the Roman legions. (Note the date falls a few days after the exact solstice. In some cultures, the "power" dates are not on, but several days after an astronomical event.) Many Christian churches, including part of the Vatican, were erected on the sites of Mithraic temples. Romans also celebrated Saturnalia, a holiday of feasting and excess, over the dates of what we call Christmas and New Year. When the Church decided, several centuries later, to set an official date on which to observe the Nativity of Jesus, December 25 was deliberately chosen in an effort to capitalize on the people's custom of already celebrating it. The Church fathers hoped that the populace would accept the same festivities with a different Deity named; and so it has evolved.

Modern observances of Winter Solstice often focus on the metaphor of light returning. Rituals often begin solemnly with darkness then become bright and festive. For our inner selves we can remember that however dark things seem the sun always comes back, even from the longest, darkest night.

Winter Solstice is determined astronomically by the position of the sun. Any good almanac, calendar, or daily newspaper can provide you with the exact date, which will vary from December 20 to 25. Solstice is best observed after sunset. Midnight is also a very appropriate time, if you can manage it, or at dawn, to greet the sun on its return.

Final Thoughts:

December 21 is also celebrated for another reason. World Peace Day is a Global celebration for all people of Planet Earth. Imagine people all over the world sharing an hour of prayer and song, dance and chanting, meditation and ritual honoring themselves, their families --living and dead -- their town, country and global family. Each person brings to this celebration the love, compassion and understanding to embrace the healing of social, ecological and spiritual challenges before us and our World Community.

Hymn and Closing Circle of Hands We link arms in a circle surrounding the flames. One member reads the words in regular type and everyone responds with the words followed by "All":

I salute you! There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much, that, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.

All: Take Heaven!

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.

All: Take peace!

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach, is joy.

All: Take Joy!

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you, with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

All: Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again

*Hymn:    Go now in Peace     

Go now in Peace, Go now in Peace,
May the Love of God surround you
Everywhere, everywhere, You may go




Please join our mailing list now receive notices of all our services and social events Join with us in the creation of a world that is just and compassionate, respects all sexual orientations, a planet totally free of nuclear arms and the methods of their production.
New: LISTEN TO THIS WEEK'S LIBERAL RELIGIOUS HOUR ON LINE and Pod Casts
Mail us now info@uupuertorico.org
Outside of Puerto Rico
Find a Congregation Near You in US, Australia, New Zealand , Canada , United Kingdom, Uganda, South Africa , Singapore , Mozambique ,   Philippines ,Belgium
Meet, chat, find friendship and spiritual growth with other persons who identify as Unitarian Universalists, people like you interested in an open liberal nondogmatic religion for themselves and their children.
Still can't find a Congregation Near You?
Visit the Church of the Larger Fellowship (CLF http://www.uua.org/clf ). Your church at home anywhere in the world! Or in the Virtual World First Unitarian Universalist Church of Second Life website.