Yule (Winter Solstice) Rite
Saturday, December 17, 2016
Doors at 2:00
Ritual 4:30 pm (please try to be there by 4:00 for the briefing)
The Cottage, South Park, PA
Join the Druids of Sassafras Grove for our annual Yule ritual on Saturday, December 17, 2016 at The Cottage in South Park!
A Norse Sumbl will be held! We welcome the community to come join us as we celebrate the season.
We will be honoring Odin as the deity of the occasion, with a round of toasting and boasting during the ritual. Dinner will follow the ritual, and toasting and boasting will, of course, continue! Appropriate offerings to Odin are: mead, beer, any good quality alcohol, gifts of service or task, handmade offerings, and, of course, whatever your heart tells you he would like (or, possibly, he tells you!). **NOTE: Oaths must be discussed with our grove leaders prior to the ritual, as we are all tied into the Wyrd of an Oath made at a public event.**
The schedule is as follows:
Event start: 2:00pm come help us sing, craft, decorate, and celebrate pre-ritual!
Ritual briefing: 4:00pm
Ritual: 4:30pm
A Potluck Dinner will immediately following ritual. Please bring a dish to share if you are able.
Our Yuletide charity this year is The Foster Love Project – a local charity collecting needed items for children in foster care. Children in foster care often are moved to homes with nothing, or next to nothing, in garbage bags. Please remember there are FAR more children over the age of 6 in foster care than infants or toddlers. Their needs are often not met, but donations for any age child will be gratefully accepted. Good places to shop are 5 Below, Dollar General, and any book store where you can get discounted books.
The Foster Love Project is asking for (keep all items in a bag for the same aged child):
- A duffle bag or large backpack (zippered bags only). It is requested NO bags be purchased from 5 Below, as they have found the bags have poor quality and rip. (Other items are fine from there.)
- Then Fill with:
Then Fill with:
- Pajamas (include winter + summer, if possible)
- Throw Blanket
- Stuffed Animal (or small pillow for teen bags)
- Book (age appropriate for pj size)
- Bath Soap + Puff
- Toothbrush + Toothpaste (fluoride free for under age 5)
- Socks
OPTIONAL items that can be included if they fit and the bag can still be zipped:
Infant: formula, diapers, bottles, pacifier, baby lotion
Toddler to school age: hooded bath towel, underwear, wide-tooth comb, nightlight
Teenager: feminine products, brush, deodorant, journal, small flashlight (no razors please)
Diapers and Pull-Ups can also be left at the Drop Off Locations.
We hope to see everyone this Yule!
There is no cost to attend our rites and events, but we do rely on donations to help us cover the cost of space rental and supplies. If you can, please support your local Druids!
The Cottage is located in South Park in southern Allegheny County. If you are approaching the park from the northeast side via Route 51, then simply follow Brownsville Rd to the County Fairgrounds. If you are approaching from the northwest side of the park via Route 88, then turn left onto Corrigan Drive and go through the park all the way past the tennis courts to the County Fairgrounds. Once at the old fairgrounds stadium and racetrack, turn onto Brownsville Rd just after the police station and drive down through the gap between the oval and the old museum hall. The Cottage will be ahead and slightly to the right. If you are using a GPS the coordinates of 40.303553, -79.997324 will get you close. You can find a map of South Park here: http://www.alleghenycounty.us/parks/maps.aspx.
Sassafras Grove 