Journey through an illuminated labyrinth at this magical Vancouver event
By Elana Shepert
Long dark nights encourage people from around the world to come together and celebrate life – and each other.
Naomi Singer, who is the Creative Director of Vancouver’s Secret Lantern Society, says winter solstice celebrations unify cultures from around the world because the holiday is based on the Earth’s movement in the galaxy rather than a “man-made” holiday.
Throughout history, groups of people on every continent found ways to “drive out the darkness” by coming together. In North America, the annual mid-winter holiday takes place on Thursday, Dec. 21. Since Earth’s northern pole reaches its furthest tilt away from the Sun, it is the shortest day of the year.
Singer is in charge of the annual Winter Solstice Lantern Festival and has been running the annual event for three decades in the city. She says she’s always inspired by the positive feelings people take from the events.
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“They have the most beautiful experiences when they walk through the labyrinth,” she tells V.I.A., adding that some of them have even decided they wanted to marry someone based on their experience. Other people cry, while some simply have a lovely, peaceful experience.
Singer says the space is a deeply meditative, “candle-lit sanctuary” where people learn how cultures across the globe celebrate the longest night of the year. In Persian culture, for example, they celebrate Yalda, which marks the victory of light prevailing over the darkness and the birth of the sun god.
“They stay up all night to drive the dark away with positivity, music, and food. They also keep each other awake by reciting poetry,” she explains.
This year, the event has expanded to include four intimate events leading up to the grand finale on Dec. 21 which will take place on three Saturdays and one Thursday over December.
Have a look at the four events taking place over December and details for the night of Winter Solstice.
Elana is a reporter for Vancouver Is Awesome who currently lives in Vancouver. She covers everything from travel to health care, the film industry to social issues, and writes breaking news, regular updates and feature stories. Before she started working for V.I.A., Elana was the managing editor at 604 Now. Prior to that, she worked as a travel agent and travel writer, where she visited 19 countries across the globe. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University with a double major in English and Political Science, as well as a certificate in New Media Journalism.
