#winter solstice festival

[sikfankitchen]

Tang Yuan 汤圆 (Chinese Glutinous Rice Balls) with Black Sesame Filling for #WinterSolstice

[y0uc4n7kn0w]

Weebsmas Day 4 - Japan's Winter Wonderland

On the fourth day of Weebsmas, four foxes hopped in the snow. One mystical thing about Japan is how elegant it is when it snows. Many anime and movies have showcased the nation as a gorgeously deadly climate. But in the modern-day reality of Japan there are many special things that happen in the snowy season. With the culture of beauty in silence comes an active and lively setting. Winter…

[galina]

Winter solstice in the city: dark, cold, crisp, quietening, lit from within by something warm and bright

[thewhimsyturtle]

Happy first day of winter?! With below freezing temperatures?! These ice crystals may be pretty, but I want the summer sun back! ❄️😤🐢🎅

[buffetlicious]

Sending you and your loved ones a very beautiful and blessed Winter Solstice (Dongzhi Festival) with warm rays of sun which will soon bring the season of spring.

忙碌的是生活，离别的是距离，问候的是祝福，期待的是团聚，思念的是情谊，想到的是心意，冬至节日悄悄，温暖慢慢送到，烦恼越来越少，幸福一生。冬至快乐 !

Dongzhi (冬至) literally means “Winter's Arrival”. It is one of the 24 solar terms of China's traditional solar calendar. It has long been celebrated on Winter Solstice when the night is longest and the day is shortest in the Northern Hemisphere. The main Chinese Winter Solstice traditions are worshipping the Heaven and ancestors. Dumplings and Glutinous Rice Balls (汤圆) are popular food eaten during the celebration of the festival in China and many parts of the world.

[xponentialdesign]

Generative night time Mediterranean coast

[chronicallykiki]

[bobauthorman]

It's the Winter Solstice...

And that means only one thing...

It's time for Fraggle Rock's Festival of Bells!

[shadow-book-wren]

Yule Superstitions

Animals

Legend says animals can speak on Christmas Eve but not to listen for them because it is unlucky to hear them

Some cattle ranchers believe that if the first person to cross the threshold on Christmas eve is female, only heifers will be born on the ranch for the next year. however, if it is a male, many male calves will be born

Feeding a sprig of mistletoe to the first calf-bearing cow of the new year ensures future fertility for both

Some British believe that ivy leaves fed to each cow after milking and before noon on Christmas morning will force the devil away from the herd and keeper for the next 12 months

If the stars are bright on Christmas Eve, hens will lay well the next year

Monsters

In Sweden, its believed that trolls travel freely through countryside from dusk on Christmas eve to dawn on Christmas morning. its common practice to stay indoor during those hours, in Sweden.

Greece and Poland considers it unlucky to be born on Christmas eve and Christmas day because the roaming monsters - kallikantzaroi (Greece) and werewolves (Poland) can capture the newborn's spirit for their own devices

It is customary, in Greece, to burn all old shoes to ward off misfortune in the new year

Ghost refuse to come out of hiding on Christmas day, babies born then are said to be forever free of ghostly troubles

Food

Refusing mincemeat pie on Christmas brings bad luck in the next year

You will lose a friend before next Christmas, if you don't eat plum pudding during the holiday season

Eat an apple at midnight on Christmas Eve for ensuring good health

Leave a loaf of bread on the table, after Christmas Eve, to guarantee plenty of bread for the household in the coming year

Christmas cakes must remain uncut until December 24, and one piece left uneaten until after Christmas day to ensure good fortune

In Germany, it's customary to eat greasy pancakes on the winter solstice and leave some on the table to feed the winter hag so that she doesn't "hunt you down, slice open your belly, and take the cakes right out"

Gift Giving

When giving clothing for a gift, don't wash or iron or it will press in bad luck and wash away good

House

Make sure all fires in your home burn throughout Yuletide season in order to be free of evil spirits

Some Scandinavian families place all their shoes side by side on Christmas Eve to bring harmony in the home

If you have holes in your stocking, hanging them upside down on the hearth before bed on Christmas Eve is said to have them repaired by St. Nick

Place a cherry tree branch in water two weeks before Christmas. if the branch blossoms by Christmas Day you'll have good luck in the new year.

If you fix a hole in your roof between Christmas and New Year's Day it will reappear

You'll have bad luck if you bring holly into your home before Christmas Eve, and triple bad luck if it's removed before January 6th

Mistletoe has to stay hung in place for one year to ensure good luck and when replaced, the old one should be burned

Burn evergreen and decorations of evergreens to ensure good luck

There is an ancient German custom that states that things with wheels, especially spinning ones- may not be used from 5 days before the solstice until six days after it or else the sun causes all fleece and fiber to tangle beyond repair

Marriage Omens

In Germany, girls play a holiday game, seemingly similar to duck-duck-goose, where the first player to be touched by the blindfolded goose will be first to marry of the participants.

In England on Christmas Eve, its customary for unmarried girls to knock on the hen house door... if a rooster crows in response, she'll be married within 12 months

In Northern Europe, some girls arrange three buckets of water in their bedroom, pin three sprigs of holly to their nightgowns before sleeping and are awakened by three shouts and three chuckles. an apparition of their future husbands will appear and if the buckets are rearranged - the marriage proposal wont have any issues ; If they aren't - they may not be a willing partner

In Poland, it is believed that grinding poppy seed on Christmas Eve will ensure a quick marriage for unmarried women

Tossing twelve sage leaves on Christmas Eve winds will make the image of your future lover materialize

Weather

If the night sky on Christmas Eve is clear and starry, summer harvest will be abundant

The 12 days of Christmas tells the weather for each following months. ex: first day of Christmas = snowy ; January = snowy

Easter will be cold if it doesn't snow on Christmas

if Christmas Day is breezy there will be good luck for the new year

[aria-illustration]

Winter Solstice ♡

[parkerphillips]

Winter Solstice Arrives

It's the shortest day of the year. Embrace it!

🌬️❄️ Embrace the Enchanting Chill! ❄️🌬️

As the sun dips low on the horizon and the night grows long, we welcome the Winter Solstice of 2023! 🌅🌌 Today, the world pauses to celebrate the longest night and the return of the sun's warmth. 🌞🌟

Gather 'round the hearth, light those candles, and sip on some steaming hot cocoa or spiced mulled wine. 🍷☕️ Let's cherish this magical time when the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. ✨🌒

May your hearts be filled with the joy of togetherness, and may your hopes and dreams shine as brightly as the stars in this season of reflection and renewal. 🌠🕯️

Happy Winter Solstice, fellow Tumblr friends! ❄️🌙✨

[deathsweetblossoms]

Dancing and drinking, feasting and gifting. Roaring fires made from entire tree trunks and cauldrons full of mulled wine, the singing of a thousand minstrels flowing throughout their palace, answered by the bells ringing on the large sleighs pulled by those beautiful white bears. - The Winter Court's Solstice, A Court of Frost and Starlight

[elmonstro]

Happy Saturnalia!

Let's celebrate the end of chaos and the return of light by partying for a week straight, offering sacrifices to the god Saturn, and breaking social conventions!

[wicked-witch-dude]

Wishing all my pagans and witches a happy winter solstice and Yule. ❄️🐐🌲🌬🌲🫎❄️ and foe anyone in the southern hemisphere a happy summer solstice☀️

[burn--bunny]

Merry Christmas and Happy Yuletide everyone!

Here's an illustration of my favourite Christmas tradition, Mari Lwyd!

BONUS!

Here's the black and white line art too because I like it too much not to post as well

[spicylove4ever]

2023 Winter Solstice Tea

White Tea: I and 1/2 parts

Black Tea with cacao (you can't convince me cacao isn't a must): IV parts

Sage: 3/4 part

Orange dried peel: II parts

Rosemary: 1/2 part

Ginger: I part

Vanilla: 1/2 part

Almond: I part

Notes:

The black tea has three parts of tea with one of cacao, it doesn't have to be that proportion, but that's how I found it on the store. You can't find cacao peel anywhere god fucking dammit.

You might want to put less vanilla if you don't like it much since it has a strong sweetness (hence the ginger). Also it's expensive as fuck, so you can just add the liquid version for sweets making to your taste after infusing the tea.

As for the almond, make any necesary changes in case of allergies.

I'm going to try it with anisette, sometime, but you guys can use any sweet liquor to spice it a little bit. Just a little bit, though, since the idea is to retain the warmth.