This year, Winter Solstice, December 21st, comes with a bonus—a full moon and an exceptional lunar eclipse, visible on the night of the 20th on the west coast, because full moon occurs at 12:13AM on the 21st. Since a full moon rises at sunset and sets at sunrise, a full moon on Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, shines over us for a very long time. Almost 16 hours in Portland, Oregon. </Most of our Winter Solstice or Yule traditions come from Scandinavia and Germany. Even the name, Yule, is ancient Scandinavian for “the festival at Winter Solstice”. This year I attended a Scandinavian Yule ritual at a friend’s house that was totally new to me—the sacrifice of the Yule Goat. It seems that Thor, the mightiest of the Norse gods, rides through the worlds in a chariot pulled by two goats, tanngrisnir (teeth barer) and tanngnjostr (teeth grinder). He periodically kills them and serves their delicious, nourishing meat to his guests. The… Read More »