Fires are lit and food prepared for this, the longest night of the year…the Gathering at Bealtaine Cottage.

Loved ones meet again to join the celebration from as far away as Canada, London, Belfast and Dublin.

A night to gather around the fire and light the candles around the home.

Missy has found her warm spot and will not be moved…we celebrate around her!

As preparations for the winter feast are under way, we join together in toasting the year and the time to come.

In Latin, solstice means sun set still. This is the still night, the silent night, the longest night of the year…

Winter Solstice is the great stillness before the turning, as the days grow longer.

The cottage is small, so the tree stands on the veranda outside the window.

This is the celebration of the silent night, a sacred time of rest before the awakening, and the slow build toward longer days.

The human race has observed the solstice for millennia.

This night is a continuation of that sacred tradition.

Tomorrow we are past the dark and facing into the light.

The ascent to Spring will begin once more.

Happy Solstice Everyone!