Amid the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, the Eastpointe Free Store and Urban Seed Community Garden are hosting an Ember and Light Solstice Night event celebrating the winter solstice on Dec. 21.

“Around this time of year, it can feel hard to escape the bombardment of consumerism,” said Eastpointe Free Store founder Tim Kniaz.”The holidays are wrapped in endless commercials advertising bargains so we wanted to take it back to its roots and celebrate the longest night of the year in a traditional fashion.”

The day that the earth’s axial tilt positions the Northern Hemisphere at its farthest point from the sun resulting in the shortest amount of daylight for the year has been celebrated since ancient times.

Many cultures view the winter solstice as a very spiritual time signifying the rebirth of the sun. After Dec. 21, daylight is extended a little bit more each day until the summer solstice on June 20, which boasts the most daylight of the year.

The winter solstice is explained in Finnish mythology as the day the witch goddess of the north, Louhi, kidnapped the sun and the moon and held them captive inside of a mountain, causing the long darkness of winter days.

The Urban Seed Community Garden located at 16425 Nine Mile Road in Eastpointe will be aglow with solar lights, candles, and campfires from 5-9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 21. The event is meant to bring people together to relax and take some time out from the holiday hustle.

“The event is simple; we will have warm stews, soups and hot drinks,” said Kniaz. “It is a great place to enjoy the outdoors and the rebirth of the sunlight as the days continue to get longer going into the new year.”

The event is open to all ages and is family friendly.