Winter Solstice 2024
Happy Winter Solstice! This year marks the 25th edition of artwork celebrating the spirit of the Winter Solstice (technically, the 2000 edition was a generic holiday greeting with Winter Solstice overtones, so it does not really count). 2024 has been a tumultuous year with many challenges as well as a fair amount of divisiveness. Some people have met these challenges with grace an aplomb while others, not so much. In the end, we are all mostly still here going about our lives as best we can. Seeing as I am still here, this means it is time for another piece of Winter Solstice art.
Traditions of the Winter Solstice usually revolve around bringing light into the darkness, usually with fire in some form. The candle, which is a portable way to transport fire, provides both light and warmth. During the holidays, a lit candle is often seen glowing brightly in a window. It can be thought of as a welcoming beacon in the darkness for travelers or lost souls. A burning candle in a window can also symbolize the hope for the safe return of someone who is absent or a remembrance for someone who has passed away. While a lit candle in a window is a holiday tradition, what is the origin of this practice?
The Irish tradition of placing a lit candle in the window, which is primarily a Catholic practice, is thought to symbolize the house had room and board for Mary and Joseph on the night Jesus’s birth. While the folklore is simple and pleasant, another story hints at a different origin. During the 17th century, the primarily Protestant Irish Parliament passed the Penal Laws which essentially prevented Catholics from practicing their faith. A single lit candle would be placed in a window as a signal to traveling priests the home was safe and welcoming for them to say mass. When government officials inquired about the candles, they were told a candle at Christmas time as a sign for Mary, Joseph and Jesus there was room for them in this house. With this seemingly harmless explanation, families were left alone.
In Colonial Williamsburg, the tradition of displaying lit candles in the windows of historic buildings during the holidays dates back to the 1930’s. After the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg, historians were trying to revive holiday traditions but, the original founders barely decorated or even celebrated the holidays. Arthur Shurcliff, while working on the restoration project, suggested an old tradition his family had begun in their own home in the 1800’s of putting candles in the windows at Christmas. Candles were lit from 5 pm to 10 pm between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. The town of Williamsburg decided to adopt the tradition which continues to this day.
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.