It’s Winter Solstice time, with ceremonies in full swing.
Although it’s cold outside, we have joyous songs to sing.
The Jews keep lighting candles for eight days until they’re through.
They also wrote some Christmas songs, in fact, wrote quite a few. (1)

The Hanukkah rededication, centuries ago,
Tells of a tyrant over Jews and of his overthrow.
They smashed his statue and the Temple was repurified. (2)
Now, every year the Jews recall the tyrant they defied.

The Christians tell the story of the night when Christ was born.
It’s also near the solstice, Christmas Eve and Christmas Morn.
The timing has been fiddled. (Were there shepherds in the field?) (3)
And some details spruced up a bit, like Wise Men came and kneeled.

Now, Kwanzaa’s the most recent of the Solstice holidays. (4)
It celebrates Black culture, seven principles to praise.
It always lasts for seven days, while Hanukkah lasts eight.
Although, who’s counting anyway? There’s no need for debate.

And then, of course, there’s Festivus, from Jerry Seinfeld’s show,
A writer’s dad thought it all up, a secular, “Ho, ho.” (5)
The airing of the grievances, the feats of strength, a pole,
The holiday is secular, which was the writer’s goal.

Though rumors from the ancient times say human sacrifice
Was part of solstice rituals, now lights and songs suffice.
From lengthy observation, after virgins were incised,
Results were unaffected; virgin numbers stabilized.

The purpose of these rituals: returning fading light,
To make the days grow longer, thereby shortening the night,
From every culture, all time-tested, all are working well,
It doesn’t matter which you choose, the darkness will dispel.

(1)Look it up; you might be surprised.
(2)The tyrant overthrown by Judas Maccabeus and his sons was
Antiochus IV, somewhere between 167 and 160 BCE.
(3)In ancient Israel, the shepherds and sheep were usually out in the
fields in the warmer months. The story of the Three Wise Men is likely
apocryphal.
(4)Established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga.
(5)The Seinfeld show writer was Daniel O’Keefe. His father developed the
holiday for his family in the 1960s.