Luminary Workshop

Come with your friends and family and help us celebrate Winter Solstice by bringing in light and sound for a special ceremonial evening. Create your own luminary along with a ceremonial drum for the New Year.

All activities are indoors.

Included in the evening:

• Luminary & drum instruction with materials

• Light snacks and hot solstice beverage

• Ceremonial drum and luminary to take home

Symbolism:

Winter Solstice, or midwinter, is the turning point in the year when the days become their shortest and the night its longest. It’s a time for quiet preparation as we seek the light that comes from within. We will begin our evening by creating luminaries so that we may release light into the longest night of the year and climb out of the darkness. We will then move on to creating our ceremonial drums.

The spiral is often associated with the cycle of rebirth, time, and seasons, and sometimes a spiritual journey. The pattern is found throughout the natural world, as well as in sacred geometry, from DNA double helixes to galaxies. We observe it in shells, sunflowers, the path of draining water, and hurricanes.

The formation of the spiral represents the seasonal rhythms and the reflective journey we take to find our inner “light.” The beginning of the path marks the summer solstice. As we spiral inward through the labyrinth with our lanterns and drumming, we move towards and through autumn, where the days grow shorter. The center of the spiral symbolizes winter solstice: the darkest time of the year. Here we pause at the center before we spiral back outward through spring toward the summer solstice.

Dec. 21, 2024 ~ 5p-9p

Host or Publisher Art Up Montana