Plants of the Winter Solstice

by Chelsea McLean, Horticulturist, The Gardens on Spring Creek

Every year, the same phenomenon occurs, and every year, we all seem to be shocked as it plays out. The sun’s angle creeps lower in the sky, and we turn our clocks back. Then, suddenly, night seems to overtake the day before our work is complete. Moving towards the winter solstice always inspires me to grab a blanket and catch up with my bookshelf, and this season, I’ve been exploring cultural rituals and the plants that mark seasonal transitions. 

Evergreen plants have often held a place of symbolic importance due to their continuity throughout the year. Deciduous trees lend themselves to representative ideas of death and rebirth, but evergreens embody immortality, everlasting life, and adaptation. Think of the most pervasive cultural symbols we have for the wintertime. “The Holly and the Ivy” (both used as holiday decorations dating back to medieval times), yews, mistletoe, and Christmas trees are all plants whose needles and leaves persist throughout the winter. Once upon a time, people used to hang offerings in pine trees to please the gods and ensure the sun would return. Sound familiar?

The Yule Log is a concept that I’ve found to have somewhat convoluted origins. More recent traditions have the log burning for twelve days beginning at the winter solstice, with a piece withheld to begin next year’s fire. Going back further into the past, it is likely this practice came from the ancient Celtic or Norse tradition of lighting an entire oak tree on fire on the eve of the solstice. If the fire burned for a full twelve hours, it indicated the household would enjoy the fruits of the coming year. Please do not try this at home.

Pomegranates and watermelon may seem out of place during a winter celebration. However, during Yalda in Iran, they are enjoyed as a nod to longer days, the red flesh representing the coming of the dawn, and in honor of Mithra, the ancient goddess of light.

Yuzu, a winter citrus fruit, plays a large part in acknowledging Toji, the Japanese festival of the solstice. The fruits are sliced and dropped into bathwater, and it is said that whoever bathes in yuzu-infused water on the longest day of the year will avoid colds for the winter. In a more creative twist, some Prefectures will build a path through a bonfire and encourage visitors to walk the hot coals while asking for health, success, and safety. After completing the feat of strength, yuzu fruits are handed out to the firewalkers. I’ll take the bath, thank you.

The most fascinating aspect of rituals moving through time is how the forgotten past is often coded within. Many of the traditions we take for granted are customs that mark ways of life we no longer practice yet leapfrog their way into our present. Nevertheless, the one piece of continuity throughout all time and cultures is the use of plants. Evergreen, deciduous, symbolic, or literal, the choice to elevate our flora during times of transition or collective celebration demonstrates how inseparable we are from the natural world.