WINTER SOLSTICE

Early & traditional music from Scandinavia, Lithuania & England

Since the dawn of mankind, the sun has been a divine symbol of the lifegiving power of light. In ancient civilisations, celebrations and rituals in honour of the sun’s annual orbit were important fixed points in the annual calendar. Light festivals are celebrated in cultures all over the world, such as Diwali in India and Noroez in Persia, but also in Celtic traditions such as the feast of Yule, the festivals of Imbolc (which is now known as Carnival), Beltane or Walpurgis Night, Midsummer Night, the moon festival Samhain (the source from which Halloween arose), and in Christian festivals such as Christmas, Easter, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

In a cycle of four musical light festivals, each covering a season, Romina Lischka sets out to discover which songs are still present today in the traditional music of Ireland, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Wales, Italy, Scotland, Spain, Latvia, Iran and European early music featuring the light.

At the winter solstice, Hathor Consort moves deep into the darkness of the Far North, with echoes from ancient cultures from Wales to India.