favourite traditions

[angelize]

One of the wonderful things about TG is that members from many cultures all over the world come together to learn from and share ideas and resources with each other. Many places around the globe celebrate holidays or festivals in December. My challenge is simple. Share an image depicting your favourite December tradition.

To start things off this is an image that I submitted for last years December group show on the Xara Xone. It is an Advent wreath. Advent is observed in many Christian churches during the 4 weeks preceding Christmas. It is a circualr wreath that is usually set on a table. the wreath holds 5 candles 4 blue and one white. On each of the 4 sundays of Advent a candle is lit. the 4 blue candles represent peace, hope, love, joy. The white center candle is the Christ candle and is lit on Christmas Eve.

[zaphodeist]

The first image is an amalgam I've been thinking about for this year's end. The winter solstice (in the Northern hemisphere) was long celebrated as aiding the solar deity to his rebirth after the shortest day. This festival is perhaps best known as Yule. Before that there was an apparently world-wide reverence (the evidence at least is world-wide) for a single lunar deity, the Great Goddess, whose avatar is the Moon (hence her common designation as the White Goddess) and who was usually represented by a tripartite symbol (another term for her: The Triple Moon Goddess) often, as here, interlocking with the moon - balance, unity, harmony, eternity. Isis, Astarte, Lilith, Venus ... her name in these islands was - and still is - Ceridwen.

[Burpee]

Frances, very beautiful candles. I like the glow and that you put the drips on the candles.

John, great metal look on the first but the second is my favorite. I like how you made the words look part of the design.

[zaphodeist]

Thank you Nancy