The Winter Solstice Shadow Puppet Show will be performed this year at North House Folk School in Grand Marais on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 6:00 pm. The Good Harbor Hill Players will present the beloved annual show for children, parents, and grandparents of all ages outside at the south end of the Red Building on the North House campus.

The Winter Solstice celebration honors the darkest day of the year and heralds the return of the light. This year's performance will feature our feathered friends, Black-capped Chickadees.

In the Ojibwemowin language, “Gijigijiganeshiinh” means chickadee. Chickadees are well-insulated, extremely active in the winter, and, they have a very good memory. “Torpor “ sounds like a name for a Norwegian Warrior Goddess but it actually helps chickadees to survive the winter. Torpor is a controlled state of hypothermia the birds use to regulate and thrive during cold temperatures.

There are varied rituals, views, and perspectives on the meaning of Winter Solstice dating back thousands of years. Author Paul Bogard has written extensively about Dark Skies and shared some thoughts on this time of year and what it means to him.

“Winter Solstice matters to me most symbolically as the longest night, and therefore, the longest period of darkness, of the year. Much of my work is about the value of natural darkness, emphasizing all the ways that darkness is vital for life on earth including human life. So, the longest night is symbolic of how darkness has always been part of life and continues to be—or should be,” Bogard said.

Steve Gohde, the Hydrology Program Manager at the National Weather Service Duluth said the Winter Solstice is the instance where the direct rays of the sun hit the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. That is 23.5 degrees south latitude. The instance where the sun is directly overhead the Tropic of Capricorn this year occurs December 21 at 9:27 pm Central Time.  

 “The solstice is a reminder of this fact, a reminder of the vital and natural role that darkness plays in our lives. It is part of our lives whether we like it or not, and the Solstice is a reminder to embrace the dark. I also like that within this longest period of darkness is also the turn toward light. This is an old idea across time and cultures, that in the darkest time, we see the light. This again points to the value of darkness—it gives us a chance to see and treasure the light and not just take it for granted,” he added.

The Good Harbor Hill Players have been creating this winter magic and wonder for years.

“For most of the past twenty Winter Solstices (Who’s counting?) I have been involved tangentially with our shadow puppet show.  I do it to interact with the clever, sweet, good humor of my compatriots in the Good Harbor Hill gang. Every Wintertime I love to be a small part of the music and the dance between light and dark, cold and coziness with which our northern home place entertains and sustains us,” reflects Marco Good.

Be sure to write down your Gloomies for the bonfire after the performance to send all of your worries and fears from 2023 up in smoke.  Also! A delicious potluck community meal will follow in the North House Folk School Blue Building. Bring your favorite winter dish if you like.

Will darkness prevail? Or will sunlight, love, and kindness conquer all? Will the heart of the Mournful Moose be uplifted? Get ready to cheer the chickadees on!

Gloomies away!

Winter Solstice Puppet Show presented by Good Harbor Hill Players

North House Folk School

(Outside event.)

December 21, 2023

6:00 pm

·  Wheelchair accessible.

·  Accessible restrooms are also available on campus.

·  Running time is about 45 minutes.

·  Free and open to the public.