Spirit of the Seasons, part 16: Why the New Year Is Celebrated in Winter
- zhaawano
- Dec 31, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: 4 days ago
Bibooni-giizis (Winter Moon) - December 31, 2024
Boozhoo, aaniin! Biindigen miinawaa nindaadizooke wigamigong; enji-zaagi'iding miinawaa gikendaasong. Ninga-aawechige noongom giizhigad! "Hello my relatives, I greet you in a good way. Welcome back in my Storytelling Lodge, a place of love and knowing. Let's share a teaching today!"
With the last day of 2024 nearing, I thought it appropriate to reflect on its importance for the Anishinaabe People.
The Anishinaabeg traditionally adhere to a lunar calendar. The concept of a 'year' as outlined by the Gregorian solar calendar does not align with traditional Anishinaabe beliefs. We view everything as a continuous cycle, with solstices and equinoxes serving as significant markers on this continuum, each having its own distinct medicines.
Therefore, traditionally, the concepts of 'year' and 'new year' are foreign to the Anishinaabe Peoples.
For most Indigenous Peoples of Turtle Island, new beginnings (the start of a new lunar calendar cycle) occur in ziigwan, or spring. For those who follow the moon's cycles, ziigwan starts with the appearance of the full moon that marks the flow of the life-giving maple tree sap. Some Anishinaabeg recognize the rising of the Sugar Making Moon as the New Year.
The full moon that emerged around March 25, 2024, was the closest full moon to the vernal equinox on March 19. According to the solar calendar, this date marks the astronomical beginning of spring in the Northern Hemisphere—when Giizis the Sun crosses the celestial equator moving northward. Ziinzibaakwadooke-giizis (Sugar Making Moon) is the name we use for the full moon that occurs in March.
We call the spring equinox, or late spring, Minookamin. Traditionally, Minookamin signifies the beginning of the new lunar calendar for the Society of the Dawn People (Waabanoowiwin), unlike the Midewiwin, who believe that new life starts in Winter. The Spring Equinox celebration or ceremony occurs immediately following the Sugar Bush camps.
According to Midewiwin belief, new life (the beginning of a new lunar calendar cycle) starts in abitaa-biboon (midwinter), around akiinaaniwan (winter solstice).
For some Anishinaabeg, new life, marking the beginning of a new lunar calendar cycle, starts in spring when Mother Earth awakens. For others, particularly the Misi-zaagiwinini Anishinaabeg (Mississaugas), the lunar calendar—and thus the New Year—begins with the full moon in February, coinciding with bears emerging from their winter dens. In the southeastern region of Anishinaabe Aki, February is called Makwa-giizis, or Bear Moon; another name for this time is Makoonsag-gaa-nitaawaadi-giizis; Moon when the bear cubs are born. Additionally, some Anishinaabeg view the moons when the maple tree sap begins to flow as the start of a new year, occurring, depending on the region, from mid-March to mid-April.
In Midewiwin tradition, new life (the start of a new lunar calendar cycle) begins during abitaa-biboon (midwinter), around akiinaaniwan (winter solstice). This time was usually spent organizing spirit dishes, feasting with the community, and participating in sacred storytelling. It was also a period for gathering and preparing for spring ceremonies and initiation rites. For the Ojibweg living in the west, the winter solstice signifies the beginning of preparations for the summer solstice thirst dance (sun dance). The "beginning of the sun" fire is ignited, and four songs are prepared for the thirst dance, along with tying the tobacco bundle for the summer solstice.
For the members of Animikiigamig (the Thunder Lodge), the start of spring and the winter solstice are closely linked. In Animikiigamig tradition, there are four animikiig (Thunders). The oldest, the Waabishki-animikiig (White Thunders), bring snow and ice, while the youngest, the Ziigwan Animikiig (Spring Thunders), bring spring rains. When the Thunders herald the arrival of spring during winter, baby bears are born. The Thunders awaken the bears and give the Anishinaabeg thunder names. In winter, the Thunders allow rain to melt the ice and snow, marking the awakening of Mother Earth. With the arrival of the winter solstice, the Thunder people of Animikiigamig begin preparing tobacco offerings. They prepare their tobacco offering for the Thunderbird anticipated at the summer solstice. Four lodge members, representing the four Thunders, place the asemaa in a white cloth that symbolizes winter. During the Thirst Dance (Sun Dance) at the summer solstice, this tobacco offering is used in the first pipe to offer the Thunders a smoke. The same four individuals smoke the first pipeful of tobacco—the first plant of Creation—as a thanksgiving to the first Thunderbird that brings rain. This tobacco bundle is kept in a bison skull until it is opened at the summer solstice.
These activities—such as feasting, offering spirit dishes, storytelling, and preparing asemaa for the Thunder Grandfathers—occur around what is considered the annual beginning of the lunar calendar.
While the traditional Anishinaabe 'New Year' rarely coincides with January 1, it typically happens in the week before or after, depending on when the full moon appears following the Winter Solstice. In 2025, the full moon after the winter solstice will rise on January 13.
The ancient wiigwaasabakoon (birchbark scrolls), safeguarded for centuries within the Midewiwin's spiritual traditions, disclose that numerous characters in the aadizookanan (sacred stories) are beings that originated during the last ice age. Animikii-binesiwag (the Thunderbirds) have persisted, Mishiginebig (The Great Horned Snake) has persisted, Mishibizhiw (the Great Horned Lynx) has persisted, Gichi-misaabe (the Giant) and Baagak (the Flying Skeleton) have persisted and are still observed, Wenabozho (the Great Shapeshifter) and his brothers remain subjects of discussion, and most of our ceremonies honor the endurance of those from the last ice age.
Why do most Anishinaabeg now celebrate the "new year" in winter? The answer isn't simple. Some argue that celebrating New Year on January 1 was imposed by European invaders who brought the Gregorian solar calendar to Turtle Island. While this is true, there's more to consider. The traditional start of a new lunar cycle rarely aligns with January 1, but it can occur in the week before or after, depending on when the full moon appears following the Winter Solstice. An ancient teaching, likely from pre-contact times, has been preserved by an old warrior society called the Windigookaan (No-flight Contraries; literally: 'Society of the Cannibal Winter Monster'). This teaching suggests that the wiindigoog were responsible for creating biboon (winter) to save the planet; their actions from the sky formed the polar caps and the seasons, marking the start of the Anishinaabe lunar calendar.
The ancient wiigwaasabakoon (birchbark scrolls), safeguarded for centuries within the Midewiwin's spiritual traditions, disclose that numerous characters in the aadizookanan (sacred stories) are beings that originated during the last ice age. Animikii-binesiwag (the Thunderbirds) have persisted, Mishiginebig (The Great Horned Snake) has persisted, Mishibizhiw (the Great Horned Lynx) has persisted, Gichi-misaabe (the Giant) and Baagak (the Flying Skeleton) have persisted and are still observed, Wenabozho (the Great Shapeshifter) and his brothers remain subjects of discussion, and most of our ceremonies honor the endurance of those from the last ice age.
It is believed that in ancient times, the wiindigoog were not humans but spirits living along the banks of the Jiibay-ziibi, the majestic River of Souls flowing through the Galaxy. These spectral entities appeared as enormous, terrifying skeletons with bones jutting through their skin, which had the ashen color of death. In this celestial domain drifting across the sky, surrounded by gas, debris, and vast clouds of water, they would lie in wait to capture and devour those unfortunate deceased humans whose souls were unprepared for their journey home to Waakwi—the Land beyond the stars where their ancestors dwelled.
A prominent aadizookaan (spirit being, antagonist of the sacred stories) from the last ice age is Wiindigoo, the cannibal spirit from the North. The lesson of Wiindigoo demonstrates that everything in the universe stays frozen until it is warmed enough to melt by a planet or a sun/star. This is where the Wiindigoo spirits come into play. No matter their location—be it on earth or in space—wiindigoog mark the boundary between ice and water.
It is believed that in ancient times, the wiindigoog were not humans but spirits living along the banks of the Jiibay-ziibi, the majestic River of Souls flowing through the Galaxy. These spectral entities appeared as enormous, terrifying skeletons with bones jutting through their skin, which had the ashen color of death. In this celestial domain drifting across the sky, surrounded by gas, debris, and vast clouds of water, they would lie in wait to capture and devour those unfortunate deceased humans whose souls were unprepared for their journey home to Waakwi—the Land beyond the stars where their ancestors dwelled.
However, ages ago, in a time spanning countless lifetimes, the earth experienced a transformation that brought chaos to the world. During this turmoil, the sky wiindigoog appeared to restore equilibrium. They came directly from the stars, crossing the void of space and moving through the earth to stabilize its rotation and ensure the steadiness of the Earth's poles. As a result, the wiindigoog were endowed with the power of ice to uphold the Earth's true poles. This event signified the creation of biboon (winter) and the commencement of the Anishinaabe calendar, initiating the cycle of the seasons around the Winter Solstice — just a few days before the full moon rises, when the sucker fish give themselves to the Anishinaabeg...
Mii'iwe. Miigwech gii bizindawiyeg. That's all, thank you for listening.
For additional information on the lunar calendar of the Anishinaabe Peoples, check out Stories and teachings from the Earth: Dance of the 13 Moons