In the Wanderlore Grove, when the days grow short and cold, we light candles for the Winter Lights Festival. This festival is a lot like Hanukkah of yore.
All the celebrations and festivals of the Wanderlores are based on ancient rites and rituals. Since I’m a Wanderlore by birth, but not by training, I’m a little vague on how the whole Great Cycle, which regulates their observances, works.
What I do know is that the Winter Lights Festival isn’t the only winter holiday that uses light as the centerpiece of the season. Christmas, Kwanzaa, Yuletide, Saturnalia are all celebrated at the time of year when the shortest day occurs.
The lighting of candles and bonfires, celebrating the sun, decorating store windows and house entryways reminds us that we all yearn for brighter days, warmer times, closer ties with friends and family, safer surroundings, and hope-filled hearts that are never shattered by darkness.
We can’t control what is in another’s mind, but we can infuse the world with the light we hold in our souls. My family and I remember this along with all of the Wanderlores who light the festival lights this time of year.
And even if it may not be your tradition, I invite all of you to do the same—even if it’s symbolic. Just imagine how bright the future can be if we all focus our light together.
Wishing you and yours a:
Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukkah
Enlightening Kwanzaa
Bright Yuletide
Party Till You Drop Saturnalia
Just leave a light on for me.
—Jellybean Reds, Creator of Little Creatures
