A week ago, I was thinking about the fact that I have new neighbors on both sides of me who I haven't met yet, as well as one neighbor I wave to but also haven't met in person. Why not, I thought, have a party for the neighborhood? We happened to not have plans on Saturday December 21, so I decided to call it a Winter Solstice Party. I prepared flyers and my husband and I decided to invite eight households, the homes that basically surrounded ours. We dropped the invitations off in mailboxes, and went about our business. I knew with such short notice that most people probably already had plans, especially with Christmas just a few days away but I was hoping to get at least a few attendees.
Well, last night was the party. Not only did all eight households show up, but during the course of the week we invited another one as well. So we had close to 20 people join us for the party.
Even though this party was really a way to get to know our neighbors, I did pay a bit of homage to the Solstice. We turned on the orange and red (think sun and light) lights on our Christmas tree, and we had a fire going. I made wassail, a hot apple cider drink with ginger, cinnamon, anise star, and oranges. It's served with or without bourbon but apparently is a staple at Solstice celebrations. Also apparently "Waes hael!" was one of the first recorded toasts in history which happened in 5th century Britain when Rowena (a beautiful daughter of a Saxon leader) seduced an incredibly inebriated King Vortigern with a goblet of spiced wine while stating the toast above. Waes hael means something like "to your health!" I got that from the Internet so it must be true!
Anyway, I read the following poem to the neighbors, and we all shouted "Waes hael!" at the end. What fun!
The longest night, the turning year,
We gather close with those who live here.
The fire glows, the shadows flee,
A spark of light for all to see.
As darkness wraps the earth so still,
The sun’s return will warm the chill.
A promise whispered on the air—
Of brighter days and dreams to share.
So raise a glass, let hearts be light,
We’ll toast the stars and this deep night.
For though the winter winds may blow,
As days go on, the light will grow.
Waes hael!
So what's the point of sharing this? For people who don't know their neighbors, it's not that hard to meet them if you are interested in doing so. If you don't want people you don't know in your house, wait until the summer and hold a barbecue instead. People like food and beverages. And you never know when you might need to call on a neighbor for something. It would be great to personally know who they are.
The other point is, days are now getting longer and before we know it, the sun will be rising before 5am and setting after 10pm. Bring it on!
Waes hael!
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