Three Ways to Celebrate the First Snow

I woke up on Monday morning and found the yard blanketed with pristine new snow. The first snow of the year is always a special occasion for me. The quarter and cross quarter days and the astronomical change of seasons are important seasonal markers (and they do represent real perceptible changes!) but the first snow is such a tangible, concrete marker for the beginning of winter. I always like to take a moment to mark the first snow as a mini holy day.

Just a dusting. Image by Olia Gozha, CC0 license.

Here are three things I've done to honor the first snowfall:

Fill the Well with Snowmelt

The centerpiece of an altar in my tradition are the three hallows - Fire, Well, and Tree. The well represents the deep, cool, subterranean energy of earth. The well goes deep under the ground and forms a conduit to the underworld below. It represents all the waters of the world, the cauldron of inspiration, and forms a pathway for our offerings. I try to keep a little water in the Well most of the time, and use it for purification and blessings. I usually fill the Well with water from the Kennebec River (the major waterway in my area). But after the first snowfall, I like to gather a little bowl of snow and add the snowmelt to my Well as a way to mark the season.

public domain image via pixabay.com

Snow energy is cold and clean, it's winter by definition. Filling the Well with snow is a way to bring that winter energy inside that's a bit more comfortable than opening the door and inviting the wind in! That tangible connection to the seasonal cycle makes the winter feeling real to me, so I can settle into the routines of the dark and restful season. 

Make an Offering to the Nature Spirits

A big part of my practice is honoring and connecting to the land I live on. That's not something that comes naturally to me, even though I've been a tree-worshipper since I was a little girl. But doing it intentionally, to build a relationship, requires give and take from both sides. It's not as simple as doing it when you feel like it. 

The winter months are the time I least like being outside, which makes the first snowfall a good time to give an offering to the nature spirits that I will most likely be neglecting a little bit during the bitter cold. It's both a farewell gift and a promise that I'll be back in the spring. 

After work on Monday I went home and made a garland from popcorn and cranberries to hang outdoors as an offering. I was tempted to put it someplace where I can see the birds and squirrels enjoy it from my bedroom window, but in the end I decided to take it into the woods somewhere I couldn't watch. I want my offerings to be about the beings I am offering to, not about me. 

public domain image via National Fish and Wildlife Service.

Other things I've offered to the nature spirits include food items like eggs, bread, and honey or molasses, and structures like bark/twig fairy houses or rock cairns.

Decorate!

The last "first snow" tradition I've celebrated is to use it as an occasion to decorate for the winter holidays! Everyone likes to squabble over whether it's acceptable to put up winter holiday decorations early (whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Solstice, or Festivus!) But I find that the day or day after if you need prep time, is a great time to put up the holiday decor. The first snow usually triggers the beginning of the holiday season for me, and definitely symbolizes the beginning of winter. 

public domain image via pixabay.com

I find it especially appropriate to put up lights right as the season of darkness is beginning. Tonight I will put out my "electric candles" in the windows and hang a wreath on the door. I usually avoid obvious holiday references, but my "winter theme" decor replaces "fall theme" around the time of the first snow.