Winter solstice is a special time of year. In the Southern Hemisphere the path of the sun is farthest north and provides the shortest amount of day light; making the solstice the shortest day of the year. In Australia this occurs around June 21, and in the Northern Hemisphere it falls near December 22. This day is celebrated in many cultures and is often seen as a time for rebirth.
Steiner spoke to the way in which humans from earlier times lived in harmony with the seasons. Festivals such as the winter solstice were integral to human life and would happen as a matter of course and without question. As the weather grew colder people would be drawn to modelling and creating form. They would spend more time in quiet activities using materials which they had available. It was a time for reflection.
As summer came and the summer solstice arrived, people would celebrate with days of song, dancing and poetry. It felt like the natural thing to do; to celebrate this change in the Earth’s atmosphere.
‘Thus the human being was inwardly intimately linked with the course of the year, so intimately linked that he had to say to himself: “I know about what I am as man only when I don’t live along stolidly, but when I allow myself to be lifted up to the heavens in summer, when I let myself sink down in winter into the Earth mysteries, into the secrets of the Earth.”’
Rudolf Steiner
In our modern society it can be hard to feel this connection to the Earth. We use electricity to heat/cool and light our homes all year round. We spend vast amounts of time indoors and it can be easy to miss the changing of the seasons. Although we cannot reach the same level of connection which humans previously had to the Earth, we can still change aspects of our life so that we are more aware of the world around us. Spending time in nature and celebrating the festivals are two ways in which we can do this.
In Steiner schools the winter solstice is a time of celebration and ritual. Children make homemade lanterns and then gather together as a community to light their lanterns, sing, eat and have a bonfire. The light from the lantern symbolizes what is to come and is a message of hope in the dark.
How to Make Winter Solstice Lanterns
DIY Step-by-Step Lantern Instructions ~ Toddler Friendly
There are many different ways to make winter solstice lanterns. Here is another beautiful design for older children. These simple lanterns can be made by toddlers and young children. They can be used as candle holders to decorate your home or attached to a stick on a lantern walk.
Materials
- Coloured kite or tissue paper
- Craft glue
- Glue brush or old paintbrush
- Clean, glass jar (Old olive or nut spread jars work well. Soak in hot, soapy water to remove label)
- Tealight candle
- Wire for handle
- Stick for carrying lantern
- Scissors – optional
- Tear the kite or tissue paper into small pieces. Kite paper was too hard for my 2-year-old to tear apart – he was very frustrated by it! Tissue paper would be easier or you can use scissors to cut the paper. You may want to experiment with different sizes of paper and cutting vs ripping the paper – all will produce different results. I prefer to break the paper into small pieces, but it depends on which effect you are trying to create.
- Brush the glue onto a small section of the jar and stick the paper on. Continue to work in small sections around your jar.
3. After you have covered the jar with paper, you can cut out feature images with scissors. I cut out a sun using two layers of paper (and no ripped paper behind it) and a tree. The brown was dark enough to cover the other colours with only one layer.
4. Dab a small amount of glue onto the base of the jar and stick the candle in.
5. Leave the paper and candle to dry.
6. Curl a wire ring around the rim of the jar. This will hold your handle.
7. Make a wire loop for a handle and then attach it to the wire around the rim of the jar. The wire and jar will get quite hot when the candle is lit, so you can use a stick to carry the lantern. Twist the middle of the wire handle around one end of the stick.
8. Once the glue is completely dry you can light the candle and enjoy the result.
Let me know if you try these lanterns and how you celebrate the winter solstice.
Further reading:
The Steiner Connection 