Happy Winter Solstice!

CELEBRATIONS | by  VALERIE GRIFFITH

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©  VALERIE GRIFFITH/Rick Steves’ European Christmas/Back Door Productions

DURING MY TRAVELS THROUGH EUROPE, I’VE BEEN intrigued by the layering of Christian ritual onto pagan traditions. In this video clip, there are echoes of  how an ancient celebration persists in an advent concert with the Norwegian Girls Choir.

Norway has one of the longest and darkest winters in Europe. Christmas there resembles a midwinter fest that honors the return of the sun by bringing light to the darkness.

The carol’s refrain “in Excelsis Deo” is a reminder that this was Christian music composed to glorify one god. But the simplicity of the stone church, the candlelight, and the unaccompanied voices reflect an earlier time when there were many gods to appease.

This scene transcends time and religion to capture something that is simply human: light, warmth and community.