The winter holidays have a way of distorting time. No one
really, officially celebrates all twelve days of Christmas anymore but with family
visits, and holiday parties, we sort of do. Work weeks are shortened. People
take holiday trips. Businesses and schools are closed all or part of these
days. We really should stop pretending that we go back to work after Christmas
Day and embrace the energy of this time of year.
There is such a build up to Christmas. It’s a lot of
planning, and shopping, and cooking, and decorating, and baking. To spend all
that energy for one day is not very satisfying. Whether we mean to or not we
extend the experience throughout the days around Christmas and, with a boost
from New Year’s Eve, we keep going for a few more days. I think it’s in our
blood.
Our ancestors celebrated the return of the sun in myriad ways. Rituals and celebrations with fires and feasting happen all over the world and as far back as anyone can reckon. We make our feasts in modern ovens and capture the moments of celebration on our smartphone cameras but we aren’t that far removed in time or place from the people who prepared their feasts on an open fire and captured moments as memories. They also practiced divination for the coming year. A lot of us do too. You might seek signs in nature during the Omen Days or have your cards read. Either way you are in good company.
Whatever you and yours do to celebrate the winter holidays
it all comes to a close on January 6th. Whether you call it the
twelfth day of Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany, Little Christmas, or Three
Kings Day, January 6th is about as far as you can stretch the
holidays. (In the western world anyway) When all the celebrating is done, it’s
time to get back to your regularly scheduled life. Once upon a time, not that
long ago, that meant it was time for the ladies to get back to their spinning
and the men to get back to the plough. From this we get Distaff Day, which is
January 7th and Plough Monday which is the first Monday after
January 6th. Every few years, like this one, they are the same day.
I hope your holidays were enjoyable and satisfying. I hope there was good food, laughter and lots of love. I hope your omens were all favorable. Today is the day to get back to work. I hope you are doing so with a full and thankful heart and that you don’t have to spin any fiber unless you want to.