In Northern Europe we have more than 4 seasons. First, there is carnival in February (mostly) when people celebrate the end of the dark winter season, amongst other things. Carnival is celebrated in countries like Brazil and Bolivia, so the export of the concept to warmer regions of the world has been successful. Second, there is the “between the years” season. If you live far away from continental Europe, chances are good you have never heard of it.
“Between the years” is fixed in time between Christmas and the New Year. Some traditions say it starts already on 21st of December, the time of the longest night and the shortest day in Northern Europe and official beginning of winter. Most say it starts on 24th of December, Christmas Eve. There are as well some discussions about the end of the “between the years” season. It varies between 1st and 6th of January. Depending on the start date, most say the duration is at least 12 days.
In Germany and Europe there are different names for the season, “Rau(h)naechte” “Twelve Days” “Altjahrswoche” “Romjul”, to name a few.
It is a time of silence and contemplation, the time of the year when you should take stock of the last year and get over its hardships and create space for the experiences of the next year. It is the time to breathe and recover. It is not a time for regular work. In older times, people believed in all kinds of magic taking place between the years, like that animals can speak (but don’t you dare to listen, it means certain death!) and that the future can be told if certain rules are followed. Many rituals revolve around this oldest human dream.
Just imagine living 100 years ago. It was cold and dark during those days (and still is in Northern Europe), it is a time of storms and snow, a heavy and hard time, not much lightness. No TV and Radio, only church holidays for entertainment. Normal work was forbidden during that time.
It remains the time when Europe comes closest to a standstill today, comparable to Chinese New Year a few weeks later in Asia.
Accepting the offer of a clean-out, mentally and physically, between the years is a very wholesome and healthy way of ending the year and coming closer to your inner self and strength. Of course, that is exactly why it is a frightening idea to many people, who wish not to think about their live and their place in the world too deeply. It has become much easier to avoid introspection today than it was in centuries past because we have so many entertainment options.
Between the years was also a typical time to fumigate the house to get rid of bad energy. Many people swear by fumigation with herbs like white sage, cedarwood and pine resin. Quite a few modern specialists mix herbs for that use. When you google the German word “Raeucherwerk”, you get a multitude of options for fumigation mixtures. Googling the English word, to the contrary, results in many options to get the house rid of germs. Seems the concept is still more at home in continental Europe than in the UK. Asia has a strong tradition of fumigation for a spiritual clean out, much stronger than it is here in Europe.
There are plenty of fairy tales and fables about Mrs. Perchta/ Mrs. Holle and The Wild Hunt coming to Earth between the years in Northern Europe. Whilst those mythical ghosts do have their good sides, it is still a dangerous thing to meet them – it is better to stay indoors at night, especially in the night from 5th to 6th of January. Those stories might come from the snowstorms and thunderstorms typical for that time of the year. A lot of the fairy tales revolve around punishment (often) or rewards (less so) for last year’s behaviour.
The time between the years is the perfect time to take stock of your life; what has been and what shall be. A journey inwards is never easy and needs a bit of time. It can be frightening. Self-reflection might come to unpleasant results. No one said it would be easy, but that is also true for life. To become more resilient in these hectic times, it makes sense to stop and to look where you have come from and where you would like to go to. It is not a secure way of getting where you want to go to, but it is the only way to move without just reacting. To know yourself and to be ok with yourself, independent of what other people think, is the best insurance against life’s unpredictable moves.
Daring to take up with yourself in the time between the years is a healthy thing to do. Northern European weather supports the task, as we stay more indoors than in summer, but it can be a little depressing. The dark weather certainly enhances fears. Taking stock of one’s life in a sunny Southern country or in the Southern hemisphere in general, when Christmas and New Year’s Eve fall on perfect summer days, would feel different. Maybe even better, as there is more lightness and less darkness to it.