Winter Solstice Celebration Brings Back Ancient Traditions Trent Warner November 30, 2014 Featured When I was growing up just outside of Buffalo, New York we didn’t have cable, we didn’t have smart phones and we didn’t have tablets. But we did have PBS. Alright, so maybe I’m not old enough to use the when I was growing up line, I grew up with the Internet, but I can say that PBS was the only TV I ever watched beyond NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw (which isn’t exactly thrilling when you’re 6 years old). PBS served as my entertainment and while most of my generation was off watching Full House, I was off watching Little Bear. At this point, you may be wondering where I’m going with this; how does this relate to the winter solstice? Well, if you’ve watched Little Bear there is an episode where Little Bear and his friends celebrate the solstice under the moon by a gigantic tree. And, ever since then I have been fascinated with the celebration of the holiday. So, when I learned that there was a Winter Solstice Celebration in New York City I was overcome with joy. Here is what you need to know about this years 35th Annual Winter Solstice Celebration. What is the Winter Solstice Celebration The Winter Solstice Celebration was a time when ancient people’s gathered together on the longest night of the year to celebrate the darkest night of the year and to celebrate the birth of a new year. But, how did it end up in New York? Well, we have Christmas, we have Hanukkah, it only makes sense that we have a Solstice celebration as well. The celebrations began almost 35 years ago, now and will continue this year with performances from Grammy Award-winning saxophonist Paul Winter who hopes to interweave a multitude of diverse performances to help encapsulate the natural and ancient feel of the Solstice. Shows will be played at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine on the Upper West Side on from Thursday, December 18th through Saturday, December 20th. Tickets are on sale now for $35, $55 and $90 so be sure to book your tickets before they run out. Let us know what you think about the Winter Solstice celebration. Take care!
