The Return of the Light, Or Procopius and the Primitives
At a Yule gathering on the Eve of the Solstice we all hailed Sunna, and the dedicated people kept vigil until sunrise. I feel an additional need to celebrate now: with the days getting perceptibly longer, I find myself rejoicing every day at Her return. Yet as a rational person I can’t help second-guessing the need to do this — surely I should know that the light will return on schedule?
My sense of spirituality is very deeply connected to seasonal cycles, but since I was raised Orthodox Secular Humanist I still feel a sense of embarassment about this, as though it is something that the human race really should have outgrown by now. Even in the sixth century A.D., the ulta-civilized historian Procopius takes the natives of Thule to task for their irrational exuberance at the return of the sun, which they should have realized would happen every year:
And when a time amounting to thirty-five days has passed in this long
night, certain men are sent to the summits of the mountains–for this is
the custom among them–and when they are able from that point barely to
see the sun, they bring back word to the people below that within five
days the sun will shine upon them. And the whole population celebrates a
festival at the good news, and that too in the darkness. And this is the
greatest festival which the natives of Thule have; for, I imagine, these
islanders always become terrified, although they see the same thing
happen every year, fearing that the sun may at some time fail them
entirely. (History of the Wars VI, trans. H.B. Dewing, courtesy of Project Gutenberg)
Of course Procopius never went through a Northern winter. I think my “primitive” Northern ancestors had the right idea after all, so I will join them and celebrate, rationality be damned. Hail, Sunna!
Kevin on 18 Jan 2008 at 6:09 pm #
For those of us who have to cope with Seasonal Affective Disorder (and its rotten abbreviation), the lengthening of days is nothing but good news. I see nothing wrong with the irrational celebration of longer days, as to me it means a decreased chance of severe depression setting in, or something worse.
I once read a study that noted that SAD effects people of Scandinavian heritage more than any other ethnic group. I vaguely recall commentary in the sagas about how some people would enter a deep malaise during the winter months, only to come out of it once the sun had returned to the sky. That sounds like early records of SAD.
Additionally, the return of long days meant that food was going to be readily available, your stores of firewood could be restocked, and that you weren’t going to freeze to death. There is nothing irrational about it. It is, in truth, a celebration of the source of life-energy that we all depend on. Failing to celebrate this, seems to me, to disregard the value of the sun in our every day lives. Let Procopius run his mouth, if he likes, but he didn’t understand and was engaged in a campaign of demonization.
I say climb a hill, light a wheel on fire, and let the good times roll!