Today the animals and I celebrated the Winter Solstice, honoring not only the shortest day of the year, but also ushering in the change of seasons.
For many Native American tribes, this is a day to celebrate the most special time of year. The Hopi hold the Soyal ceremony, it's most sacred ritual in which they welcome the waking of the sun from its long winter slumber. The Zuni hold a multi-day celebration to honor the spirits and ask them for abundance in the coming year. The Lakota hold a special ceremony to honor the bison and it's resourcefulness. Tribes in Mexico such as the Oltemi-Toltec honor the hummingbird in winter, symbolizing the time to slow down and care for people and projects closer to home.
For other tribes, such as the Apache, it is a time to usher in the season of storytelling. The celebration includes an all-night ceremony with dances and telling stories about the ancestors and sharing tribal legends, such as the "Origin of Fire." To honor the story gift, the family may share a pipe smoke or place gifts of tobacco and food outside for the woodland spirits and the animals.
For myself, I spent a bit of time in the evening hanging out in the barn with the horses, thanking them for their love, energy and service this year, writing in my journal, and in the morning I will eat a meal of bison and fry bread. I look forward to celebrating the holidays with loved ones in the coming days, reflecting on this year coming to a close, and making plans for changes in the coming year ahead.