Shining some light on the winter solstice

The winter solstice is traditionally known as a dark time, but for the past six years the Elgin Public Museum has been able to turn it onto a bright time. The sixth annual Ancient Cultural Traditions and the Solstice program will take place on from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 21, at the museum, 225 Grand Blvd., Elgin.

Guests can arrive at 6:30 p.m. to enjoy the exhibits at the museum, while the event itself will start at 7 p.m. Admission is $5, but if you are a member of the museum it will be $3. Hot cider and cookies will be available.

After enjoying the exhibits, guests will head outside to start the event.

“Outside, we will talk about how the ancient cultures celebrate the solstice in European countries,” said Sara Russell, education coordinator for the museum.

The event was formerly held at Lords Park in Elgin, but due to its popularity and the indoor exhibit, it was moved to the museum.

The solstice might not seem significant in the modern era, but was to Celtic people and other cultures who decided to turn the dark time into a celebration of the winter holidays with family, friends, lights, and the burning of the yule log, according to Russell.

“The yule log is a celebration of Christmas in which you burn the log in a fireplace for 12 days,” Russell said. “At the museum we burn it outside and use the log ashes and coal for next year as part of the tradition.”

According to Russell, the winter solstice is the basis for holiday traditions such as holiday lights, wreaths, Christmas trees, and most of all, the yule log. Ancient cultures found those things to be a positive when the time was dark.

Guests will also hear about the Druid Oak King and Holly Queen, along with other ancient traditions and scientific facts. The winter solstice is the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, Russell said.

“The event is a really great way to learn about other cultures, and it is a beautiful time of the year with the snow on the ground and the fire going. It’s hard not to enjoy it,” Russell said.

For details, visit elginpublicmuseum.org.