a vessel for community
The Winter Solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is a date associated with darkness and cold, but it also marks a seasonal turning point when the days begin to lengthen and the future literally becomes brighter. It also happens to be one of the busiest days on the calendar, at the height of the festive season, when we are all pulled in so many directions. But, with children returning home and families gathered, we saw an opportunity to come together as a broader community—to reunite with old friends and mark the occasion with both reverence and fellowship.
Continuing a community tradition dating back many years, we celebrated the Winter Solstice for the first time at Hall of the Above on December 21, 2024. We thought we’d share in the hopes it would inspire other people to host gatherings of friends and family, even if it isn’t centered around a milestone event… we love a reason to gather community together.
We’ve been doing this for several years now, but last year’s event was our first at Hall of the Above. The event was a gathering of about 120 extended family and friends, with everyone contributing to the potluck. After a brief welcome speech, we handed out words and music for A Song of Peace which we sang a cappella, led by Peggy Rock, director of the Greenwood Pipes. This blessing was followed by dinner, with a live performance of handpan music providing an ethereal background for conversation. Prior to the event, a crew of volunteers had spent days installing 162 votive calendars in the shape of a sphere, representing our individual lights coming together in a unified form. With family home for the holidays, the evening provided an opportunity for old friends from all faiths to gather in a setting intended to provide a welcome respite from the hustle and bustle of the season.
Previous iterations of this celebration were held in Daniel Castor’s studio space, as part of the Geomancer project, but the votive sphere is most at home somewhere grand, like Hall of the Above. Hosting Winter Solstice in such a building is the culmination of a dream we’ve long had of creating a space for these kinds of occasions, to provide a vessel for community.
