Child friendly winter solstice traditions - Holly King and Oak King?

[bookwormthatturned]

I'm trying to pull together some winter solstice customs for our local Woodcraft Folk group next week and would appreciate any tips or suggestions.

It's a group of 5-8 year olds. We'll be at a venue with outdoor space and are having a camp fire

I was thinking of any stories / myths associated with the solstice - the story of the Holly King and the Oak King sounds perfect but I'm struggling to find a good retelling of it for children.

TIA for any ideas

The solstice is about the return of the light, the days getting longer etc. You could maybe tell them about how many different cultures have a festival of lights at this time, and they do so because it's the turning point when the sun returns.

You might find some inspiration over on Mystic Christ which looks like it has some stuff on the winter solstice www.mysticchrist.co.uk/

I would go down the line of how all our ancesters lit fires in the dark times and awited the return of the light.

Whether is the Sun God or the Son of God most cultures instinctively celebrate at this time of year.

You might find this article useful:

deafpagancrossroads.com/2010/12/08/yule-series-ii-the-holly-king-vs-the-oak-king/