The Solstice, Newgrange, and Christmas

 The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
    on them light has shined.

 

Isaiah 9:2  (NRSV)

Earlier this year Canadian writing celeb Margaret Atwood and partner Graeme Gibson visited Newgrange in Ireland. It would have been much more difficult for them to do so yesterday, the Winter Solstice, because a small group of people chosen by lottery were the only ones allowed to be present as a ray of light illuminated the inner chamber of this Neolithic tomb. The monumental Newgrange was only rediscovered and excavated in the 1960's but it's estimated to be 3200 years old -- older than portions of Stonehenge. Well, yesterday there was no sunlight and so no illumination for those chosen from 28,000 applicants.




Inside Newgrange

There are Christians who would cringe at the popularity of this pagan site, although it's likely that it was built for a religious purpose. And yet we know that our celebration of Christmas happens in December because of the Roman celebration of the solstice, Saturnalia, which was a public festival which was a time for feasting, goodwill, generosity to the poor, the exchange of gifts and the decoration of trees -- sound familiar? Jesus was likely born in the Spring of the year but the early Christians adopted this festival as their own.

There is something to be said for acknowledging the wonder of changing seasons, the tides, the movement of Sun and Moon and planets in their orbits. If the Jesus we follow and worship was aware of all of these rhythms during his Earthly existence, we can be as well.

I would much rather intertwine my celebration of Christ's birth with these rhythms than have the Incarnation coopted by commercialism. How about you?



Stonehenge