If daydreams of snowball fights, tray sledding and winter wonderlands are helping you get through the final push of the semester, put on your winter gear and celebrate the season with the Aldo Leopold Nature Center Friday night.
The center will be holding its 13th annual Winter Solstice Celebration, complete with a nighttime hike, stories about solstice traditions and hot cocoa and snacks around a campfire.
“The solstice celebration is a time for us to get together and celebrate both the longest night of the year and the return of longer days and the winter season in general,” Aldo Leopold Nature Center Director Virginia Wiggen said.
The Aldo Leopold Nature Center, which operates on a 22-acre piece of land, specializes in environmental education programs. Their mission is to “teach the student to see the land, understand what he sees and enjoy what he understands,” as designated by the famous Wisconsin conservationist and nature center namesake Aldo Leopold.
There’s something for all Madison winter lovers at the solstice celebration, from families to students to other individuals of the community. Those geared into the winter recreation scene can participate in a short, naturalist-led twilight hike around some of the nature center’s property.
Various types of wildlife can be seen on the center’s trails, including deer, sandhill cranes, wild turkey, squirrels, snakes, fox, possums, woodchucks, many birds and, uncommonly, coyotes. In warmer months, hikers might spot fish, frogs, salamanders, muskrats, ducks and herons in the pond and wetland area.
But for now, the winter solstice provides hopefulness for future months with longer days and eventually, warmer temperatures.
“The solstice is the perfect opportunity to acknowledge the power and mystery of our planet moving in the dark of space, of days lengthening and of life patiently awaiting the coming of spring’s warmth,” Wiggen said.
Although spring’s warmth may be a depressing three to four months away, solstice snacks and a campfire will keep you warm on a cold December night. The campfire will burn a traditional Yule Log, and in addition to hot cocoa, wassail (a non-alcoholic version with apple cider) will be served in a replica of Aldo Leopold’s tent.
Around the campfire, ALNC staff will tell stories about solstice lore. One features the Celtic myth of the Holly King and the Oak King, two brothers and rivals who trade off ruling every six months; another discusses the Native American lore of the cardinal directions.
Each direction is associated with different qualities, qualities that participants will be asked to identify with: North represents challenges and coldness; East represents an awakening and triumph of the spirit; South represents stability and origins; West represents restlessness and wandering spirits.
“Participants in the program are asked to stand or move to the symbolic direction they experienced in the past year or hopes for the year to come, and which direction they find the most peace in,” Wiggen said. Finding peace in the middle of finals week is a must.
So, if you need a place to wind down and relax before, after or in between the chaos that is finals, the Winter Solstice Celebration will be a great way to chill out (literally).
“This celebration is all about slowing down and enjoying nature’s offerings, which is especially important during both finals and the chaos of holiday plans,” Wiggen said.
The celebration will be held Friday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center, 300 Femrite Dr., Monona. Tickets are $7 per person or $25 per family. For more information, visit www.naturenet.com/alnc.
