Long dark nights encourage people from around the world to come together and celebrate life - and each other.
Naomi Singer, who is the Creative Director of Vancouver's Secret Lantern Society, says winter solstice celebrations unify cultures from around the world because the holiday is based on the Earth's movement in the galaxy rather than a "man-made" holiday.
Throughout history, groups of people on every continent found ways to "drive out the darkness" by coming together. In North America, the annual mid-winter holiday takes place on Thursday, Dec. 21. Since Earth's northern pole reaches its furthest tilt away from the Sun, it is the shortest day of the year.
Singer is in charge of the annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival and has been running the annual event for three decades in the city. She says she's always inspired by the positive feelings people take from the events.
"They have the most beautiful experiences when they walk through the labyrinth," she tells V.I.A., adding that some of them have even decided they wanted to marry someone based on their experience. Other people cry, while some simply have a lovely, peaceful experience.
Singer says the space is a deeply meditative, "candle-lit sanctuary" where people learn how cultures across the globe celebrate the longest night of the year. In Persian culture, for example, they celebrate Yalda, which marks the victory of light prevailing over the darkness and the birth of the sun god.
"They stay up all night to drive the dark away with positivity, music, and food. They also keep each other awake by reciting poetry," she explains.
This year, the event has expanded to include four intimate events leading up to the grand finale on Dec. 21 which will take place on three Saturdays and one Thursday over December.
Have a look at the four events taking place over December and details for the night of Winter Solstice.
Walking an Ancient Path: Learning, making, and walking a classical labyrinth. With live music and tea
Locals can take a walk back through time as the "secret headquarters" in East Vancouver transforms into a meditative, lantern-lit sanctuary to explore the 4,000-year history of labyrinths.
Singer says labyrinths have been crafted by cultures across the globe and that at least one form has appeared on every continent. The ancient patterns may come in a variety of forms, including giant monoliths, stone carvings, and small stones, while others may have been plowed or marked into the ground. Many of them have been destroyed throughout history while others have been given additional features.
UBC Mathematics Professor Susan Gerofsky and violinist/math teacher Sam Milner will lead the presentation, discussing ancient cultures that crafted labyrinths with various materials. They will invite attendees to create their own labyrinths using paper and various geometric patterns and the mathematical possibilities that grow from them.
After learning the basics of labyrinth-making, the guests will create a large-scale one in chalk on the floor and then walk and dance the ancient path "meditatively and playfully."
When: Saturday, Dec. 2, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Where: Secret Headquarters - 1398 E 3rd Ave.
Cost: Tickets are available by sliding scale: $30-$50. Suggested admission: $35. Buy Tickets.
Exploring Winter Traditions of Ukraine
Storyteller and musician Beverly Dobrinsky will share beautiful Ukrainian songs, traditions, and food that incorporate Pagan elements as well as contemporary ways of celebrating the winter solstice.
The winter celebration in Ukraine, called Koliada, celebrates a time when people were more in touch with animals and the seasons. Dobrinksy will teach songs that represent different times of the winter cycle: "one koliadka (Christmas carol) and one shchedrivka (New Year’s carol) sung during Malanka, the Ukrainian New Year festivities."
When: Saturday, Dec. 9, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Secret Headquarters - 1398 E 3rd Ave.
Cost: Tickets are available by sliding scale: $30-$50. Suggested admission: $35. Buy Tickets.
Winter Traditions of the Squamish People
Bob Baker (Squamish Ancestral name is S7aplek, Hawaiian name is Lanakila) is co-founder and spokesperson for Spakwus Slolem (Eagle Song) - a Dance Group of the Squamish Nation.
He will share "songs, stories, and traditions of the Squamish people who have inhabited these lands for over 10,000 years" and also share harvest tea from the Squamish Nation with the group.
Singer says the evening will celebrate the rich history of the First Nation and that Baker will also bring regalia and drums to show the group.
"As a Knowledge Keeper, Bob tells of his Coastal people, people of the cedar longhouses, of the great sea-going canoes, the racing war canoes, People of the Salmon."
When: Thursday, Dec. 14, from 7 to 9 p.m.
Where: Secret Headquarters - 1398 E 3rd Ave.
Cost: Tickets are available by sliding scale: $30-$50. Suggested admission: $35. Buy Tickets.
Dark Tales of Solstice Past
Presenter Shaughna Born will describe the origins of ancient myths that have "developed to explain the disappearing of the light," Singer explains, adding these stories stretch across history because it isn't a "man-made holiday." Instead, the tales align with something that humans have physically experienced happening to the planet.
"Every culture experiences and honours it," she remarks, noting that ancient shamans and elders would develop legends to explain the long, dark nights. They would also develop rituals to bring people through the longest night and celebrate the return of the sun.
Born will share several ancient tales and take questions from the intimate audience as they sip tea and "take comfort beneath the warmth of glowing lanterns."
When: Saturday, Dec. 16, from 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Secret Headquarters - 1398 E 3rd Ave.
Cost: Tickets are available by sliding scale: $30-$50. Suggested admission: $35. Buy Tickets.
30th Annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival
Attendees will walk through an illuminated wonderland in the 500-candle Labyrinth of Light at the 30th Annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival on Dec. 21.
The self-guided ceremony takes place at two locations this year, welcoming attendees to explore the installation and "release old attachments and envision new possibilities as the darkest night of the year births a new season."
When: Thursday, Dec. 21, from 6 to 10:30 p.m.
Where: Two separate event locations: Performance Works on Granville Island - 1218 Cartwright St. and Roundhouse Community Centre in Yaletown - 181 Roundhouse Mews.
Cost: $11.00 - Children under 13 are free
