The holiday season offers dishes that warm the body and comfort the soul. At the Winter Solstice the focus is on rich, hearty, and nurturing. The season celebrates displays and masterful cooking through roasted dishes, slow cooked stews, bright salads with pops of fruity flavor, and sweets that double as delicious gifts. Seasonal fruits and vegetables include beets, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, Citrus Fruits, Cranberries, dates, escarole, fennel, horseradish, kale, parsnips, pears, persimmons, pomegranate, radishes, sweet potatoes, and winter squash.

At this time of the year I like to honor the traditions and the foods that my family cooked. I love the nostalgic feeling of creating recipes that my parents had at Christmastime, so you may find recipes inspired by that. Do you have a dish that reminds you of the winter season and December holidays? Is there something you traditionally make for your Yule or Winter Solstice celebrations that I didn’t put on this list? Please let me know and I will add it!

Main Courses

The main courses of the winter holidays are warm and inviting for a full table of friends and family. Common main courses are rich, filling, and lavish – classic main courses include roasted or baked bird, hearty beef dishes, pot roasts, and meat pies.

·      Chicken and Dumplings with Mushrooms

·      Coq au Vin

·      Cranberry Hazelnut Turkey Wellington

·      Fennel & Rosemary Beef Tenderloin with Creamy Mustard Sauce

·      Herb-Crusted Roast Beef with Horseradish

·      Mushroom Wellington

·      New England Lamb Bake

·      Old-Fashioned Honey Glazed Ham

·      Perfect Turkey Recipe

·      Pomegranate and Fennel Chicken

·      Pork Schnitzel with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

·      Roast Goose

·      Simple Crock Pot Turkey Breast and Dressing

·      Slow Cooker Pot Roast

·      Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic, and Anchovies

·      Stuffed Cornish Hens with Cranberries and Apples

·      Tourtiere: French-Canadian Meat Pie

Soups, Stews, and Chilis

There is nothing like a rich and hearty soup to warm you up during the winter season. Soups that kick up their spice game are a great feature at the Winter Solstice.

·      Creamy Spinach and Pear Soup with Pancetta

·      Farro and White Bean Soup with Swiss Chard and Herb Oil

·      Golden Turmeric Chickpea Chicken Soup

·      Pasta e Fagioli with Escarole

·      Parsnip Soup with Pears, Ginger, and Coconut

·      Slow Cooker Winter Vegetable Soup with Split Red Lentils

·      Sopa Azteca (Mexiccan Chicken Tortilla Soup)

·      Swedish Meatball Soup

·      Turkey and Butternut Squash Chili

·      Winter Solstice Soup

·      Winter Solstice Stew

·      Winter White Soup

·      Wintertime Braised Beef Stew

Salads

During the winter months salads become creative dishes featuring root vegetables, nuts, and citrus fruits.

·      Brussels Sprouts Salad with Apples and Walnuts

·      Citrus Endive Salad

·      Millet & Pumpkin Winter Salad

·      Roasted Beet and Winter Squash Salad with Walnuts

·      Roquefort Pear Salad

·      Warm and Roasted Winter Salad Bowl

·      Winter Chicory Salad with Kumquats and Date Dressing

·      Winter Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad

·      Winter Solstice Salad

Breads

There are many traditional breads baked at this time of year all around the world – some favorites are featured in this list below, along with flavors perfect for the holidays.

·      Ham and Cheese Quick Bread

·      Holiday Rum Eggnog Bread

·      Panettone (Italian Christmas Bread)

·      Krendel (Russian Christmas Bread)

·      Pecan Maple Loaf

·      Savory Christmas Bread

·      Savory Rosemary Goat Cheese Quick Bread

·      Spiced Anjou Pear Bread

·      St. Lucia Saffron Buns

·      Stollen (German Christmas Bread)

Side Dishes

Casseroles featuring in season vegetables and rich side dishes, all served piping hot, are familiar fares at the Winter Solstice.

·      Farro Risotto with Walnut Cream and Roasted Butternut Squash

·      Glazed Parsley Carrots

·      Macaroni and Cheese in Acorn Squash Bowls

·      Parsnip Latkes with Horseradish and Dill

·      Persimmons and Watercress Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat’s Cheese

·      Potato and Parsnip Gratin

·      Roasted Winter Squash with Kale Pipian

·      Seared Radicchio and Roasted Beets

·      Spicy Broccoli Rabe with Parmesan and Pine Nuts

·      Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Rosemary Parmesan Cream Sauce

·      Twice-Baked Cheddar Potato Casserole

·      Winter Pastry Wreath

·      Yorkshire Pudding

Desserts

Sweets flavored with nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, or peppermint work out perfectly for Yule. Other classic sweet treats for Yule include traditional holiday cookies like shortbread, snowball, caraway, or ginger snaps. Pears and oranges are also a nice touch to a dessert at Yule.

·      Buche de Noel

·      Cardamom Orange Sugar Cookies

·      Chocolate Pavlova with Spiced Pears and Butterscotch Sauce

·      Christmas Pudding

·      Christmas Rice Pudding

·      Classic Yule Log

·      Cranberry and Peppermint Honey Cake

·      Cranberry Bliss Bars

·      Cranberry Chestnut Cake

·      Cuccia

·      English Toffee

·      Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies

·      Grand Fir Dark Nougat: Winter Solstice Sweets

·      La Befana Cake

·      Maple Pecan Shortbread

·      Partridge in a Pear Tree Pie

·      Pecan Pie Truffles

·      Potato Chip Cookies

·      Roasted Chesnut Cookies

·      Salted Caramel Brownie Truffles

·      Salted Dark Chocolate, Pecan, and Rosemary Bark

·      Snickerdoodles

·      Solstice Shortbread

·      Sparkling Butter Toffee Cookies

·      Spiced Brown Butter Linzer Cookies

·      Spice Parsnip Cake

·      Sugar Plum Cupcakes and Sugar Plums

·      Swedish Ginger Thins

·      Tiramisu Yule Log

·      Vanilla Crème Brulee

·      Vegan Gingerbread Man Donuts

·      Walnut Cardamom Snowballs

·      Winter Solstice Cake

·      Winter Solstice Cake (Festive Carrot Coconut Cake)

·      Winter Solstice Cookies

·      Woodland Shortbread: Evergreen Biscuits Three Ways

Beverages

Nothing says “Happy Holidays” quite like a warm and rich drink curled up in front of the fire. Yule and the Winter Solstice feature beverages that warm the soul and bring cheer to hearts.

·      Harry Potter’s Hot Butter Beer

·      Hot Buttered Rum and Cider

·      Hot Wassail (Non-Alcoholic)

·      Mulled Wine

·      Old-Fashioned Swedish Glogg

·      Slow Cooker Gingerbread Latte

·      Slow Cooker Mulled Wine

·      Toffee Eggnog

·      Tom and Jerry

·      Vegan Eggnog

·      White Chocolate Peppermint Mocktini

·      Winter Sangria (Non-Alcoholic)

·      Yule Tea

heatherwitch:

May the autumn months bring you closure, understanding, and a feeling of contentment.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

(John Carpenter/Alan Howarth, MCA 1982)

Samhain. What is Samhain and How to Celebrate Witches’ New Year. Samhain Traditions and History.

Samhain is finally upon us!


One of the MOST favourite holidays of many Pagans and Wiccans, Samhain is the moment when the Time stops and the underworld is staring at you.

This day is covered with a veil of secrecy and mysticism. Today we will talk about the history of Samhain and its traditions that remain still in the year of 2021.

Samhain Elements, Tools & Correspondences


Samhain Colours: red, orange, brown, black

Elemental Work:Fire

Candles: black, plain beeswax

Flowers & Plants: pumpkins, marigold, sage, oak, chrysanthemum

Food:bread,pumpkins, apples, turnip, meats, milk, cheese and nuts

Drink: apple cider, beer and wine (often represents blood of the Horned God Cernunnos)

Samhain Gods & Goddesses:Cernunnos

Crystals: carnelian, agate

Samhain Animals: deer, fox, bat

Incense & Herbs: cinnamon, mugwort, sage, rosemary

Other Samhain Ritual Attributes: skulls, pentagram (reversed too), horns

OTHER NAMES OF SAMHAIN

As always, let’s start by reviewing all the possible names you can come across that are related to Samhain period:

Samhainn, Samhuinn, Samain, Samuin (older forms)
Sauin (Scottish Gaelic)
Halloween
Hop-to-Naa (Oie Houney, Oíche Shamhna)
Dziady (Forefathers’ Eve, Slavic)
Nos Galan Gaeaf (Welsh)
Witches’ New Year

As you can see, there are A LOT of names for Samhain period (and by the way, Samhain is the Irish version but it is the most commonly used term to refer to this holiday as the part of Wiccan Wheel of the Year).

But this just highlights the significance of this date and its powerful energy that was recognized worldwide, even if celebrated differently. It does not mean that this is the same holiday that is differently named. It means that the energy of this time was recognized in different countries, in different eras thorought their own ways and celebrations.

How to Pronounce Samhain?

Samhain pronunciation varies but the most correct version is thought to be the Irish one. As such, Samhain is pronounced as Sau-wn or Sau-ihn. Although I hear many people pronouncing it as Sam-ain.

How Did the Word “Samhain” Originate?

It is possible that the etymology of the word Samhain lies is Sanskrit - Indo-European language. The word “samana” means “gathering” or “coming together. At the same time, in the Gaelic language the word Samhain means the third month of Autumn, November.

The History & Origin of Samhain

Despite it being quite clear that Samhain was celebrates widely for many centuries, it is common to believe that it has originates with ancient Celts. They occupied British Island but their colonies stretched through many territories of Europe including France, Italy, Germany and Austria. That said, the historians mostly agree that the birthplace of Samhain holiday belongs to the territories of modern Scotland and Ireland.

When is Samhain Celebrated?

Unlike some other holidays of the Wheel of the Year, Samhain has a fixed date and is celebrate on Eve of October 31st into the night of November 1st. But was this always a fixed date, even during the old times of our ancestors?

No, of course it wasn’t.

Hundreds and thousands of years ago, at the times of Old Celts there was no October or November.

Like many other holidays, Samhain was celebrated according to the Lunar Calendar and as you may know, it is changeable. The historians think that the celebration of Samhain fell of the beginning of the third Autumn Moon.

As for many modern Witches, for our ancestors Samhain was something similar to a New Year. It was the end of a cycle and beginning of a new one. There are multiple variations as for how long the holiday was celebrated for, from 3 days to 8 days (seven nights). But it is important to note that Samhain is the day that does not belong to any cycle. It is a pause, a transition, a moment of darkness when the world becomesstill.

As I discuss in all of my Blog posts dedicated to the Wheel of the Year, these Pagan holidays were, first and foremost, connected to what was the most important to our ancestors: Mother Earth, crops and harvest.


RELATED POSTS: What Is Pagan Wheel of the Year and How to Celebrate It? Beginner Pagan’s Guide


Samhain was not an exception. It is the holiday when all agricultural work was wrapped up at last and it was the time to

prepare for a new and long season ahead.

It was also the time when people put their trust into Gods more that even in themselves. Therefore, an integral part of Samhain was to thank the Gods, as well as to ask them for a blessing for a year ahead.

This was the time when animal pasture would come to an end and meat preparation would be taking place. Therefore, animal slaughter was seen as both sacrifice to the Gods and an opportunity for a great feast.

The Mythology of Samhain

As the thinning of the veil between the worlds was recognized, Samhain became surrounded with many myths and legends.

Celts thought that on Samhain come Aos Sí, supernatural creatures similar to fairies, beautiful and very powerful. So, it was customary to celebrate their appearance on this night.

Another myth is associated with the coming of the icy Divine Being Cailleach or Winter Queen, who was to replace Brigid and Áine, the fertility and Summer Goddess. It was also the time of Cernunnos who was seen as the bringer of long winter and the energy of death associated with the season.

Christian Influence on Samhain

Of course, we cannot talk about Samhain history without taking a moment too discuss the Christian influence on the holiday. Unfortunately, much like all other Pagan holidays and traditions, Samhain was not positively impacted by the Christian wave.

Christianity saw all Pagan holidays as the work of the Devil and did everything possible to eradicate the culture and traditions. And so the holiday of abundance, fertility and transition between the cycles of nature and between the Worlds turned into a demonic rite.

This followed by an idea of Samhain being not a "New Year” but a dark dark time when demons and creatures of the underworld come to our world on a hunt.

And so the All Hallow’s Eve (All Hallow e'en) was moved to October 31 and All Saints Day to November 1st to push out the celebration of Samhain.

Of course, even by reading this rather short Blog post on the great history of this holiday, you may say that there is absolutely no association between the Christian and Pagan versions. But you need to understand that many people were illiterate at the time. Moreover, simple folks were busy with their jobs and survival. And so, the Christian story about demons, ghosts and hell became widely accepted.

And lastly…


What is the difference between Samhain and Halloween?


Samhain and Halloween are the same, technically. But from the historical perspective, Samhain precedes All Saints Day. As it happened with many Pagan holidays during the period of Christianization, a Christian holiday would superimpose a pagan one. This resulted in the mixing of traditions and rites.

Samhain has lostits sacral meaning, in my opinion. The only traditions that have reached modern days are fire and costumes (although the meaning of dressing up on Halloween has nothing to do with the origins, when people would change their appearance to confuse and ward off spirits, not to look like a “sexy nurse”). Jack o’lantern,giving out sweets and Halloween decorations are traditions that are quite modern.

All that said, I do believe that the rise of Neopaganism will aid in rebirth of Samhain and by studying its roots and traditions, we will be able to revive this holiday as it should be.

If you’d like to read more about Samhain traditions and celebrations, please continue to my blog post

Much love and have a blessed Samhain

The Season is upon us….

You can find our Seasons of the Witch Samhain Oracle here or by inquiring at your local bookseller’s

And today the new Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle is finally out! You can find that one here.

did this spooky shroom on stream the other day. going to be doing Halloweeny themed artwork all week over there be sure to catch today’s stream at 4pm CT!

natasturgess:

I normally don’t repost things but I will definitely make an exception for this! Lana & Kat are two of my favourites!

Source:@natasturgess

Halloween III: Season of the Witch(1982)