15 Winter Solstice Recipes That'll Make A Dark Day Seem A Little Brighter (2024)

FAQs

What food do you eat on winter solstice? ›

Grate, steam or roast turnips, celeriac, beets both red and golden, carrots, parsnips and cabbages both red and green. Use fruits like apples, pomegranates and citrus to add sparkle. Don't forget the dried fruits— cranberries, blueberries and figs are indispensable.

Common main courses are rich, filling, and lavish – classic main courses include roasted or baked bird, hearty beef dishes, pot roasts, and meat pies. There is nothing like a rich and hearty soup to warm you up during the winter season. Soups that kick up their spice game are a great feature at the Winter Solstice.

On December 22, countless Chinese families will gather for a hearty winter solstice dinner which serves up many delicious dishes, each bearing a different lucky meaning to its name. The winter solstice is the shortest day, or the longest night of the year.

The winter solstice also affects the body's circadian rhythm, which regulates sleep-wake cycles, hormonal release, and other physiological processes. Disruptions to the circadian rhythm can contribute to sleep disturbances, fatigue, and changes in mood.

The idea of burning a yule log during the winter solstice is believed to date all the way back to early Germanic or Scandinavian paganism. The log was burned on the winter solstice, the shortest and darkest day the year, when ancient peoples would worry that the light may cease to exist.

Traditional Yule foods include festive meats, winter vegetables, and colorful preserved fruits.

A family hoping for a year of prosperity might burn a log of pine, while a couple hoping to be blessed with fertility would drag a bough of birch to their hearth. In our house, we usually make our Yule log out of pine, but you can make yours of any type of wood you choose.

In ancient times, the twelve days of Yuletide began on the winter solstice and ended on January 1. Christianity revised this pagan celebration to the Twelve Days of Christmas, also known as Twelvetide, beginning Christmas Day and ending on the 5th of January, with the last day being Twelfth Night (Epiphany Eve).

Yule will be celebrated by Wiccans and many other Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere on Dec. 21, the day of the winter solstice. For Pagans, the shortest day of the year marks the end of the descent into darkness and the beginning of the return of the light as the days begin to get longer after the solstice.

What do you wear to a solstice party? ›

Different colors have different properties; as red energizes us, yellow revitalizes us, and orange connects us with our creativity. Warm-toned colors that imitate the sun are perfect for the solstice, as is wearing plenty and plenty of gold. So put on your favorite yellow dress and hit the park in style.

But why do people eat dumplings in midwinter? It is said this custom is to commemorate the great medical sage Zhang Zhongjing. Zhang Zhongjing, who wrote treatise on exogenous febrile disease and miscellaneous disease, was from Canglang of Nanyang. Doctors of successive dynasties recognized the work to be classic.

- Avoid much food ...from Winter Solstice to the New Year, remember not to eat and drink too much. The Yang energy has been the weakest and can't digest that much food. - Avoid the cold ... due to the weaker immunity at this time, dress up warm when stepping out to avoid catching a cold.

For the Winter Solstice, you might choose white for purity and hope, green for renewal and growth, or red for vitality and strength. Each color holds its own energy and symbolism, which can enhance your intentions. The physical form of the candle can also play a role in your ritual.

Ancient Origins

We can see alignments and monuments dedicated to the Winter Solstice in the remains of ancient societies. One of the earliest recorded celebrations of the this natural event traces back to the Neolithic period, with structures like Newgrange in Ireland, designed to align with the solstice sunrise.

Around the solstice, Pagans would feast, drink and dance in honour of the return of the sun god. We have carried on this tradition, as Christmas almost always entails an abundance of food and wines, and an overwhelming but permissible, fullness.