Bringing An Ancient Winter Celebration Into Your Home

Have A Party Where Our Duchess Would Wear Her Necklace!

Every year, our wonderful neighbors host a Winter Solstice party. We look

forward to greeting the dukes, counts, duchesses, knights, fortune tellers, even barmaids from the neighborhood who arrive in time to celebrate the crowning of this year’s Solstice king and queen.

We all bring a dish to share and eat, drink, and be merry. When it’s over we can’t wait for next year’s party. This year’s upcoming event made me wonder about The Winter Solstice and what customs and traditions are part of its history. How would my Duchess Amelia in “The Duchess’ Necklace” have celebrated The Solstice?

Meet The Duchess Amelia!

The Winter Solstice marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere while at the precise time marks the first day of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. On June 21^st the Winter Solstice moves to the Southern Hemisphere while The Northern Hemisphere celebrates the Summer Solstice. The mid-season periods between Solstice are called the Equinox with Spring (Vernal Equinox) arriving March 21^st and the Autumnal Equinox occurring on or about September 23^rd each year.

Ancients recognized the regularity of these events. The Romans celebrated “solstitium” as far back as the first century. They as well as other ancient civilations marked celestial time by these events. Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. Many cultures around the world hold long feasts and celebrate with fire and lights. The Romans celebrated Saturnalia around the time of Winter Solstice. The holiday turned Roman social order upside down where for one week slaves became masters and peasants ran the city.

In Scandinavia, the ancient Norsemen feted Yule on Winter Solstice. Large logs were lit and everyone would feast until the logs burned out. In Japan, people were encouraged to light bonfires even on Mt Fuji. The tradition starts on the beginning of the New Year for good health and good luck. It is a very sacred time for farmers who welcome the return of the sun that they hope will help grow their crops. Iran, Peru, and China all have their own Solstice traditions.

Of course, since our neighborhood party features Royal English traditions, I wondered how and if my Duchess Amelia celebrated.

Royals in Amelia’s time did celebrate Solstice with The Boar’s Head Festival, one of the oldest and most unusual Christmas traditions still celebrated today. Beginning in ancient times, hunters found the wild boar to be the tastiest and most dangerous game in what is now Great Britain. Because it could weigh as much as several hundred pounds, it would take too long to cook at the party so the boar would be butchered and cooked before the festival began. The Boar’s head then became the centerpiece of the festivities. Its head decorated with greenery and fruit was displayed on a platter as a tribute to the hunter who brought the beast down.

Duchess Amelia would have opened her manor house to celebrate this tradition with the Boar’s Head platter to be paraded around the room of guests before being presented to Amelia as hosting royalty. (We have paraded roasted turkeys at our local party.) The Boar’s Head Carol is sung during the parade, a tradition from ancient celebrations. The popular version of this carol still sung today dates from the early 16th century while the tradition of serving the Boar’s Head at the celebration of the Winter Solstice (“Yule”) – and later, Christmas – has been practiced since ancient times. This ritual meal is celebrated annually for more than 600 years. The stateliness and order of the procession and the succulent aroma of this rarest dish, is a meal fit for royalty.

Many of Amelia’s guests were more than likely dressed in costumes, much like we do at our neighborhood party. Costumed King Wenceslas, Robin Hood, and Maid Marion take part in the song and the parade. Amelia would have enjoyed watching her party attendees perform a skit and song. Knowing how feisty and untraditional she was, she may have snuck off and disguised herself to participate in these antics before returning to enjoy the pomp of the parade in the presentation of the Boar’s Head to her. She may have started the festivities by proclaiming “All Hail the Boar’s Head!” I’m sure a fun night was had by all.

I wish everyone a happy healthy holiday season and all the best for the New Year. Mariah

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Celebrate New Year's
Walking in the Steps of Our Ancestors

December 2018-January 2019

With DNA tests and family research so popular this holiday season, there’s nothing better than to literally walk in the footsteps of your ancestors. My husband’s father escaped the Armenian genocide when he was five years old, his family fleeing to France before acquiring safe passage to the US.

A few years back, we visited The Mormon Family Research Center in Salt Lake City Utah and were helped by knowledgeable people who were fluid in the languages of both our families. We were happy to learn about each of our parents’ past. We’ve been to Italy but never in our wildest dreams did we ever think we would visit Armenia. It felt so far away from Florida and it was: 14 hours not counting connections and two flights starting from Miami.

Armenia is a modern thriving country especially in its capital city of Yerevan, but the nation is older than Egypt. Archeologists discovered a cave named Arena-1 containing 6000 year old wine making jugs along with an ancient shoe and more. It was home to Mt Ararat, home of Noah’s Ark, which is now part of Turkey. I recently read on “Armenian Fact of the Day” that St Nicholas, yes that St. Nick - “Santa Claus”, was born in 280 AD to wealthy parents in Antalya Turkey and his mother was of Armenian descent!

Throughout our fifteen day visit, we met so many kind and wonderful people. In the city Gyumri, devastated in the 1988 earthquake, I sat at an outdoor cafe having a cold drink with a couple on our tour from California. The husband, a college professor, was knowledgeable and fluent in the Armenian language as well as the country’s history. An elderly lady

carrying sunflower seeds in a basket with a clear shot glass in its center walked over and was invited to sit down with us. I could see by her clothes and shoes, she was poor. The woman looked at me and told us she wasn’t a beggar. She refused to ask for money but instead offered to sell shot glasses full of her seeds for whatever you wanted to pay. She said the money would help her family members, many of whom were out of work.

She leaned over and touched my hand speaking to me in Armenian. The professor translated. “She wishes you good health and a long and happy marriage.” The woman attracted a small crowd from our group all of whom bought her seeds. Anyway, the professor who had met her on a previous trip told me that locals told him that if she made a wish for you, it would come true. For some peculiar reason, she only gave her wishes to me. When it came time to leave, she followed me to the bus and waved. What a sweetheart.

the artist colony of Dilljan, a spa town often called Armenia’s

Switzerland, I walked into the studio of a wood carver who carried on his family tradition. He showed me photos of ornaments he had carved for the U.S. White House Christmas tree twenty years ago. His work was intricate even on his larger pieces. You know I had to buy a carved egg.

Many of the country’s modern celebrations take their roots from the ancient Persians, New Year’s, especially. Ancient Armenians celebrated New Year’s on the 21^st of March which is the birthday of the pagan god God Vahan preparing huge feasts to welcome and celebrate the rebirth of nature. If you have any Armenian relatives or friends, you know every family meal is a feast. One of the most ancient peoples of the world who respect their traditions, March 21^st remained New Year’s until the 18^th century, when it was changed to Jan 1^st.

New Year’s remained the symbol of renewal and remembering the past. Ancient Armenians had a thoughtful cycle of customs, many still

practiced in villages today. The New Year is a time to begin again, to think over your mistakes, and try to avoid repeating them. It’s a time to leave all the bad things in the old year and look forward to the new.

Fire helps with that! Since ancient times, Armenian families have gathered around a fire passing all their bad memories and mistakes into the fire while receiving the fire’s healing light so the New Year would begin bright and welcoming.

On New Year’s Eve, Armenian girls, as in ancient times, hurry to the nearest river, lake or whatever body of water is near to throw a piece of traditional New Year’s bread “tarechats” or a handful of grain, to bless the water.

On the first day of the year, the head of the family gave gifts to everyone in the family as was done thousands of years ago. Family members exchanged gifts, while children hung hand knitted socks on the yerdik, a type of chimney, carrying out the tradition of their ancestors. They hoped their stockings would be filled with sweets and presents. Sure sounds like St. Nick to me.

On New Year’s Eve, girls read their own fortunes by placing an egg in a plate with ashes and colors. The next morning if they found more color than ashes, they would have a good year. The New Year’s table was bountiful and the head of the family first blessed the table offering a taste of honey so all would have sweet days in the year ahead.

     For thousands of years homemade baked bread decorated with small figures and temples symbolized a request for the pagan gods to send a good year. Women baked coins inside the wheat bread before dividing it into several parts as family hurried to find the coins giving them luck in the year to follow.

    We actually experienced something similar. We were at lunch in the Ruben School for Young Artists and cake was served for desert. One of the pieces of cake had a coin baked inside. The finder would have good luck for the next year. No one in our group found it but luckily our wonderful bus driver took a piece home to his kids and they found it. He said his kids loved it.

    We

saw so many wonderful sights like Gerhard Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site carved out of the side of a mountain, the History Museum that traced the country’s origin from ancient Persia to the present, wineries, bakeries, and farms.

Also, we visited the last remaining pagan temple of Garni
and celebrated Armenia’s Independence Day complete with fireworks

andstreet performers. At a carpet weaving company we were feted , eating among the gorgeous and expensive Oriental rugs, while enjoying a show of traditional dancing and music. We visited the Genocide memorial, and the National Theater of state folk dancing and song.

Finally, We survived the world’s longest cable car ride, the Wings of Tatev. Armenia is full of life, history, and, for us, making wonderful memories as we learned about my husband’s heritage.
Please share you ancestors’ holiday customs in your comments! Some may be similar and many different but reading them makes all our lives richer! Happy Holidays!
- Mariah

This Year Treat Your Favorite Reader to a 3 Pack of My Novels for a Very Special Price!

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Includes: Shadows Across Time, Seabliss, The Duchess' Necklace, A World Traveler Bookmark and Free U.S. Shipping!

a $36.00 Value!