Reflections on Winter Lights
Long ago, in the times when our traditions were born, winter was a fearful time. Fire was the only source of heat and light during the long cold nights; stockpiling enough fuel to keep the fire burning was as important as making the harvest last until spring. People huddled around the hearth with their family and nearest neighbors, and filled long dark afternoons and evenings with stories and songs. Is it any wonder that the traditions for celebrating holidays that fall during the winter months all prize forms of light?
From Diwali lamps and blazing Jack-o-lanterns, through Hanukkah menorahs, lit-up Christmas trees and Yule logs, to New Year’s bonfires and Candlemas, everyone with something to celebrate from October to February finds a way to light up the night. The rationales vary, but from India to Iceland, our ancestors understood the sacredness of light and warmth in winter. It is no coincidence that all these holidays also involve gathering with family and sharing food.
Winter in the 21st Century is a different experience entirely. For most of us, the cold has more impact on our fashion choices than our survival. The cities that now house most of the population are so well lit that most of us don’t know what phase the moon is in, let alone the difference between winter and summer constellations. But celebratory lighting for winter holidays hasn’t gone away; instead, we have doubled down and turned the long nights into the canvas for our lighting displays. Public spaces such as zoos and gardens create elaborate displays to draw visitors during their slow season; shopping districts and main thoroughfares compete in their decorative prowess. Instead of cutting short the time we can spend outside, early sunsets mean more hours to enjoy the lights.
Light has become our plaything; we sculpt it to imitate plants and animals, or hang it on our boats to reflect in the water. But the wonder we feel at these modern innovations is no different from that our ancestors felt for sacred oil, beeswax candles, or great tree trunks that could keep the fire burning for days. Hanukkah celebrates a specific Miracle of the oil that lasted, Christmas celebrates a Miraculous birth, but at base, all our winter holidays celebrate the miracle of survival: again and again, we are here to see the sun rise.
Once again, we light the lights; once again we gather to sing old songs and new. Choir of the Sound has curated a selection of music reflecting the miracles of the season: the light that keeps burning, the birth that brings new hope. We look forward to awakening the wonder of wintertide for our audience this December.
