Superstitions of German-Russians, List of

Last Update 17 July 2003

Stories of Supernatural and Witchcraft told by German-Russians, their Ancestors and their Descendants continued....

Superstitions Connected To Winter and Summer Solstice

[Shortest days and longest days of the year]

A pagan rite of burning away winter on the longest day of the years, [21 June; Summer Solstice], and the lighting of the shortest days [Dec 21 to 23; Winter Solstice] has been practiced by many Germans from the times the Germanic people walked out of the mist of time.

Since the need for the sun to shine in those times were just important to mankind as it is, now, one can understand the rituals, which mankind must have felt, were necessary to continue the rebirth of the sun.

One of the tribal members came up with the idea to stuff a huge wheel full of straw, light it and roll it down the mountain and this became part of the ritual.  If the wheel was meant to symbolize the sun rolling across the heavens,  I don't know.  But the historians seem to repeat this symbolic gesture as true.  

When the Christian missionaries entered the area of Germany they "displaced" the pagan rituals of "the sun's rebirth" to the "birth of the son of God" on the 25th of Dec. .  Since no one knew the real date of Jesus' birth,  someone in the Christian world must have thought the "birth of the sun" and "the birth of the son" was almost a perfect "displacement" of a pagan rite.  

The Germanic pagan gods linked to the Winter Solstice were those who wandered the earth before entering "Walhalla", [home of the gods] which took 12 nights.  I can visualize how and why the tribal shamans [merlins] came up with the idea of this theory.  During this time period in Germany were / are the severe storms of winter.  There have been many a storm I've witnessed where it does seem the gods are angry or restless or making sure man on earth is aware of their existence.  

The German word for Christmas is "Weihnachten" which translated means "during the holy nights", the twelve nights.  The nights the gods wandered.....

I think most of the pagan rites and Christian rites during Christmas have fully blended and most people would be surprised as to which ritual, such as kissing under the mistletoe, is based on old pagan rites and Christian rites.

German Christmas Calendar with history and superstitions.....

Do Germans continue to celebrate the Solstice?  Funny you should ask.  I received this e-mail and photographs from a distant cousin Alfred Hein: 

In a message dated 6/22/03 2:16:44 AM, Alfred-Hein@web.de writes:

<< Hi Judy

...Last night, the 21 june, there was sun-changing, the longest daylight in the year. Like our ancients, we made a bonfire with a stack of wood in "Obersulm". (Obersulm is my residence village 12.000 people near the town Heilbronn not far from Stuttgart.)

On the changing from spring to summer we burn the cold season. In ancient times we also burn the winter on the shortest daylight-day 21. decembre.

Your bessarbian-german cousin

Alfred

>>

#1- From Alfred Hein's Collection

I think the entire story, from tribal to modern times, should be taught to our younger people so they can understand where we have been and where we are now.

#5- From Alfred Hein's Collection