THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE WHILST WE EXPERIENCE MORE WARM WEATHER - WE WON'T BE ABLE TO SEND OUT ORDERS UNTIL TEMPERATURES ARE BELOW 25 DEGREES. SORRY FOR ANY DELAYS!
EXPLORING SOLSTICE TRADITIONS ACROSS THE WORLD
Winter Solstice: Celebrating an Age-Old, Worldwide Tradition
Have you spotted our new Winter Solstice Collection? It’s a beautifully designed box containing two pine-tree shaped chocolates: one in a warming Red Hokkaido Pumpkin Spice flavour, and the second in sweet Orange Blossom, infused with orange oils. To celebrate, we wanted to tell you more about the significance of this celebration on the shortest day of the year.
What is there to celebrate when it’s so cold and dreary, you may be wondering. Well, there’s a lot of historical and cultural traditions attached to the solstice, and we think it’s a pretty exciting time. Without darkness, there isn’t light – and without Winter, there won’t be Spring. So settle in (maybe make yourself a hot chocolate from our delicious range?) and enjoy this exploration of traditions from the UK, Ireland, Poland, Japan and Peru.
firstly, what is the winter solstice?
In the northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice falls in December; in 2025, it is on the 21st, though it can shift between the 20th-23rd year to year. It’s the shortest day with the Sun setting in the UK at approximately 3 pm… eek! The reason this happens is that the Earth’s northern pole is tilted furthest from the Sun at this time.
FUN FACT: In the Southern Hemisphere, just as the seasons are mirrored, so are the solstices. Their Summer Solstice will fall between December 20th-23rd, whilst their Winter Solstice is in June. In 2026 it will be on the 21st of June, and this is when the southern pole is tilted furthest from the Sun.
its historical significance
Humans have observed the Winter Solstice as far back as the Neolithic period, which began approximately 12,000 years ago. It’s also during this period that structures like Stonehenge were built. Megaliths like this (of which there are many scattered around Europe and further afield) have astronomical significance. On the Winter Solstice, the very last rays of the setting sun are channelled between two stones in Stonehenge, showing that – even without all the technology we have today – the Neolithic people had a great understanding of the cosmos.
tales of the winter solstice
ALBAN ARTHAN – The Welsh Dictionary states that Alban Arthan means Winter Solstice. However, it doesn’t directly translate to this. Other variations are “Light of Winter” or “Light of Arthur.” But the etymology of the two words is closer to Alban – meaning “extreme place” (and fun fact: it’s also the Welsh name for Scotland!) and Arthan – meaning “Bear”. So how did this become the term used for the Winter Solstice? Well, as is a theme in many Winter Solstice traditions, the focus is to celebrate the return and rebirth of the sun. In poetic interpretations, the “Light of Arthur” refers to Arthur Pendragon. It is thought that this well-known King is sleeping inside a mountain and will wake up when his people need him again. So, imagine Arthur as the Sun, and his sleep as the darkness of Winter. Once the Solstice passes, he is awoken again – just as the sun returns to us with the days getting longer. The term Alban Arthan was popularised by the poet Iolo Morganwg, who was a collector of Medieval Welsh Literature and someone whose concepts have greatly influenced modern druidry. Thus, Alban Arthan has been adopted by modern Druids and Neopagans to refer to the Winter Solstice.
OIDHCHE NAN SEACHD SUIPEARAN – Oidhche nan Seachd Suipearan is simply Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) for “The Night of the Seven Suppers”. This term, often used to describe the Winter Solstice, doesn’t seem to have a single origin. However, it is thought to have been passed down orally and was documented in 1972 on the Isle of Lewis as part of a linguistic collection effort. The Night of Seven Suppers refers to the length of the night of the Winter Solstice. It is long enough to hold seven meals.
FUN FACT: Another version of the term, also logged on the Isle of Lewis, is Oidhche nan Trì Suipearan, which swaps the seven for three… a little less grand, but interesting to see the evolution of the same saying!
GRIANSTAD AN GHEINHRIDH – Grianstad an Gheimhridh is Winter Solstice in Irish Gaelic (Gaeilge), and translates more directly to “Winter Sun Stop”. In Ireland, there is a Neolithic stone structure that dates back around 5000 years. Commonly known as Newgrange, the structure is built so that the rising sun on the Winter Solstice shines through a gap in the roof above the entrance and illuminates the chambers… how cool is that? Its Irish name is Brú na Bóinne, meaning “Palace of the Boyne”, and refers to the dwelling of the goddess Boann. In Irish Mythology, Dagda (an influential chief of the Tuatha Dé Danann, a supernatural Irish race) seduces and impregnates Boann. To hide the affair from Boann’s husband, the powerful Dagda causes the Sun to stand still for 9 months – meaning that only a day passes outside Newgrange. The baby Aengus is then born on the same day as he was conceived. The light that enters the structure on the morning of the Winter Solstice is thought to represent the conceiving of Aengus in Boann’s womb and the mark of the rebirth of the Sun.
SZCZODRE GODY – Szczodre Gody refers to a Slavic Pagan tradition and translates as “Generous Feast” from Polish, though it is more commonly known as Koliada. It is celebrated during and around the Winter Solstice. A time for feasts and bonfires and honouring ancestors by connecting Jawia/Yav (the middle, terrestrial world) and Nawia/Nav (the underworld), one would make an offering of food to their ancestors and spend time revering them. The celebration has evolved a lot from its Pagan roots. Koliada is often now linked with Christmas and other Winter celebrations, where people can be seen carolling and celebrating with drums and other musical instruments.
TOJI (冬至) – If you’ve read one of our recent blogs introducing a new flavour creation of ours – our Hokkaido Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate – you may have seen Toji (冬至), the term for Winter Solstice in Japanese. It is tradition in Japan to bathe in yuzu, an East Asian citrus fruit, eat foods ending in “N” and pumpkins during the Winter Solstice. Bathing in yuzu is thought to fend off a cold for a whole year. The fruit contains Vitamin C, antioxidants and gives off a calming scent. Toji no Nanakusa, which translates to “Seven foods of the Winter Solstice”, refers to the foods ending in the “N” syllable in Japanese, which are thought to be auspicious and even double one’s fortune, as the syllable rhymes with the word for fortune, Un (運). Lastly, the pumpkin usually eaten during Toji (冬至) is the Kabocha squash… and you can read about how you could eat pumpkin to promote good health in our introduction to Red Hokkaido Pumpkin Spice.
INTI RAYMI – In honour of our Peruvian Lover’s Bundle, let’s explore how the Winter Solstice may be celebrated in Peru. As mentioned before, the Winter Solstice falls in June in the Southern Hemisphere. Inti Raymi, which translates to “Sun Festival” from the Quechua language, was a 9-day celebration initiated by the Inca Emperor Pachacutec in 1430AD. Following colonisation and the arrival of Catholicism, the festival was banned in 1535 in a ban which lasted centuries. During this time, Inti Raymi was still re-enacted and kept alive by the Quechua people in the privacy of their homes. It wasn’t until 1944 that the festival became a public ceremony again, and it returned to its former grandeur of parades, music and dancing. Inti Raymi symbolises the mythological origin of the Inca people, in which their rulers descended from the Sun God, Inti. It marks the Inca New Year as well as the Winter Solstice, and is of course a time to appreciate the rebirth of the Sun in the return of longer days.
THE SUN IS REBORN!
As we’ve seen, an overarching theme of a Winter Solstice celebration is to show appreciation towards the Sun. It seems that with the darkest day comes a time for reflection and the hope for renewal. It emphasises the cyclical nature of the seasons, life, death and rebirth. So, how will you celebrate the Sun on the shortest day of the year… will you be trying our new Winter Solstice Collection? Whatever you do, we wish you a happy Winter Solstice from the Radek’s Chocolate Team!
Subscribe today for 10% off your first purchase
Copyright © 2021 Radeks Chocolate Ltd
Units 4 & 5, 5-7 Clay Hill, Bristol, BS5 7ES