festivals of winter

It's Mid-Winter!  Today marks the half-way point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox and is celebrated around the world as Imbolc, Candlemas, St. Brigid's Day and Groundhog Day.  (It's also Auntie Erika's and Kate's birthday.  Happy birthday girls!)
I've talked in past years about this day and our celebrations here and here, so I'll not say much this time around except to share this lovely piece of writing from the book series I'm currently reading...

May all enjoy and embrace the returning of the light.

The Winter Feast by Hendrik van the Elder Balen

"Winterfest is as much a celebration of the darkest part of the year as a festival of the returning light.  For the first three days of Winterfest, we pay homage to the darkness.  The tales told and puppet shows presented are those that tell of resting times and happy endings.  The foods are salt fish and smoked flesh, harvested roots and fruit from last summer.  Then, on the midday of the festival, there is a hunt.  New blood is shed to celebrate the breaking point of the year, and new meat is brought fresh to the table, to be eaten with grain harvested from the year before.  The next three days are days that look toward the coming summer.  The looms are threaded with gayer thread, and the weavers take over an end of the Great Hall to vie among themselves for the brightest patterns and lightest weave.  The tales told are ones that tell of beginnings of things, and of how things came to be..."
                              
                                                                    from Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb