Christmas (Nollaig) and
Winter solstice (Grianstad an gheimhridh)
Mid winter has always been a pivotal point in the lives of human beings through time. In the Christian faith, the birth of Jesus is remembered, as a star lit up the sky to the East. In Irish homes there was a tradition of leaving a lighted candle in the window, to represent a welcome to strangers who may be in need of shelter. In more ancient times, the winter solstice was celebrated to mark the passage from the darkness of long nights to the hope of returning Spring. The spiralled stone, represents the large entrance stone of Brú na Bóinne, Newgrange, (c.5,500 years old), in which the inner chamber is lit by the rising sun of mid winter. The holly is long associated with this seasonal time though in the Irish Tree Lore calendar, it is the tree of July which may at first seem strange. However, this is because it was said that at this time, the Holly and the Oak (the tree of summer), battled and in the end, the Holly ultimately won, to reign supreme during the winter months. Whatever your tradition may be, it is one of celebration of friends and family. Nollaig shona daoibh (Happy Christmas). Grianstad sona daoibh (Happy Solstice).
Illustration from an original by Margaret McKenna