Winter Solstice 2020
Happy Winter Solstice! This year marks the 21st edition of artwork celebrating the spirit of the Winter Solstice (technically the 20th edition since 2000 was a generic holiday greeting). Normally, this would be a joyous time but, due to the many challenges and unrest over the past year, a pall has been cast over the holiday season for many. This has caused people to dwell on the swirling negatives, losing sight of the positive aspects in their lives. With this as the background, finding an inspirational Winter Solstice theme presented a challenge to say the least. After mulling it over, I finally settled upon Wheat. So, you may ask, why wheat and how does it relate to the Winter Solstice?
Wheat, with its links to agriculture, has played an important role in many cultures. It has come to symbolize the fertility of the earth, renewal, rebirth, abundance, and good luck. During the Winter Solstice, wheat is baked into bread, cookies, and cakes for solstice feasts as well as being woven into wreaths and straw figures to encourage sustenance, fertility, and an abundant harvest. Children would be escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were lain in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun. The boughs were symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did not "die" thereby representing the eternal aspect of the Divine). The wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life.
In Serbia, after elaborate rituals, the Badnjak (Serbian Yule log, usually a young oak log) is placed on the fireplace, it is kissed then offered various food sacrifices. The head of the household pours wine and throws wheat grains on the burning Badnjak while saying "Hail Badnjak! I give you wheat and wine, and you give me every good thing and peace!" Tossing wheat onto the burning Badnjak is also believed to increase livestock bounty.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Winter Solstice and a happy holiday season. Please enjoy the artwork and, as always, I look forward to hearing everyone’s feedback.