Midwinter Magic: Winter Solstice World Folk Jam
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TEA TRIBE PRESENTS:
MIDWINTER MAGIC
A WORLD FOLK JAM
ON THE WINTER SOLSTICE
SAT. DEC. 21ST, 7PM-2AM
San Francisco Unitarian Center
1187 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94109
All Ages. Kids Under 12 Free. Wheelchair Accessible.
At this gathering we honor diverse traditions of ritual, reverence, reverie and revelry.
“I wish I could show you,
when you are lonely or in darkness,
the Astonishing Light
of your own Being!” ~ Hafez
THREE STAGES OF
MUSIC, DANCE, POETRY & CEREMONY:
Nature Dreamweaver (Solstice Nature Altars)
Free Gourmet Tea Service by Tea Tribe
SANCTUARY
7:30 PM True Life Trio (Eastern European Solstice)
9:00 PM Teokalli Aztec Dance (Panquetzaliztli - Aztec Solstice)
9:30 PM Singing the Bones with Miriam Peretz (Persian Solstice)
10:45 PM Barron Scott Levkoff (Saturnalia Coronation - Roman Solstice)
11:00 PM Soriah (Avant-Shamanic Throat Singing)
12:30 AM Oshan Anand (Solstice Poetry)
12:45 AM High Tide (Pancha Ganapati - Hindu Solstice)
CHAPEL
7:00 PM Pagan Interest Circle (Pagan Solstice)
9:00 PM Lama Mike Crowley (Tibetan Buddhist/Welsh Druidic Solstice)
9:45 PM Dalyte Kodzis & Roland Sayn (Koledy - Polish Solstice)
10:30 PM Paul C. Wang (Dongzhi - Chinese Solstice)
11:15 PM Aaron Mayer (Jewish Solstice)
12:00 AM Triángulo (Latin American Solstice)
1:00 AM Amre Leon Dana (Oklahoma Solstice)
STARR KING ROOM
7:00 PM Sean T Fox (Daoist Medical Qigong)
8:00 PM Arula (Sacred Beats)
10:00 PM Orchestra Gold (West African Psychedelic Rock)
12:00 AM AguaMayyim (Mystical Mixmasters)
FIRESIDE ROOM & OUTDOOR COURTYARD
World Folk Acoustic Jams
Bring your instruments and join the spontaneous jams around the event.
Low-income musicians can apply here for free ticket to participate.
WHAT TO BRING
Your open mind, kind heart, and playful spirit.
Offerings to place on the Solstice altars.
Musical Instruments for the Acoustic Folk Jams.
$$ for Healthy Food, Non-Alc. Drinks, Coat Check, Vendors
Sun deity, the Sun, the moon, stars, the night sky.
Natural materials, evergreen branches, laurel, ivy, & mistletoe.
Pileus hat - a conical felt cap traditionally worn during Saturnalia.
SOLSTICE OFFERING
Do you have a traditional Winter Solstice performance, ritual, art, or experience for this event? If so, please contact us here.
VENDORS
If you're interested in vending at this event, please contact us here.
No fee for facepainters and henna artists.
VOLUNTEERS
Jam musician? Fill out this form.
Photo/Video Tics for Pics? contact us here.
ENGAGE ON SOCIAL
You may be recorded and recordings may be used for promotional purposes.
ARTIST BIOS
“The Tuvan throat singing phenomenon that is SORIAH will take you to that holy place whenever you lend an ear to his music.” – David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets, Night Crickets)
Soriah is the stage persona of Enrique Ugalde, an internationally-acclaimed throat singer and ritual artist who generates experimental soundscapes where ancient traditions are revealed through the lens of modern experience. Birthed in one of the most historically isolated locations on the planet, Tuvan throat singing is a musical sound like no other. Mysterious, primordial and awash in a deeply visceral drone, it invokes the full range of the natural world – from deep mountain roots to the whistle of birds in flight. Soriah weaves Tuvan throat singing, pre-Columbian sounds, classical Indian raga, and modern Western styles, looping and processing his voice and traditional instruments into lush sonic tapestries. His lyrics are often written in Nahuatl (Mexica/Aztec) or Tuvan, preserving and expressing cultural mysteries with reverence and wonder.
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Orchestra Gold (Mali, West Africa)
It’s 1976 and you just stepped inside a smokey club in Bamako, Mali. The air is thick with the gritty analog sounds of funky folkloric music, psychedelic guitar swirling with jazzy horns and hypnotic bass. As the crowd shakes their bell bottoms to the infectious grooves, the singer commands the stage with her soulful vocals and dance moves that give James Brown a run for his money. This is the vibe that Oakland’s own Orchestra Gold creates in their live shows as well as their recordings.
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AguaMayyim (Mystical Mixmasters)
AguaMayyim is a collaborative music project between Rose and Franky Garcia, born out of their deep love and mutual passion for the healing power of sound. Together they DJ, lead breath work and sound healing gatherings, and produce EDM & ecstatic dance events in Santa Cruz, CA.
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True Life Trio’s music is an elixir of ancient traditional songs made new. In rich 3-part vocal harmony, they will enchant you with ritual winter caroling and spiritual songs (koljadki and shchedrivki) from Ukraine, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, weaving nature, pagan and religious themes for this darkest of nights.
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Arula (Sacred Beats)
Arula is a singer-songwriter, electronic music producer, DJ, & sound healing facilitator. She views music & movement as sacred expressions of a universal language; a language that unites and empowers people from all backgrounds. As a musician and movement artist she values expression as a path to awakening; a gateway to exploring the different parts of ourselves, the light & the shadow, exploring duality as a path to unity.
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Singing the Bones - Shab-e Yaldā (Persian Solstice)
Singing The Bones is a diasporic healing project, a collaboration of 3 American artists from different ancestries sharing folk and roots music of our ancestral cultures. Kele Nitoto plays songs from the Congo, Haiti, South Africa, M'Gilvry Allen from Ireland, Scotland, and Sweden, and Lydia Violet from Iran and Armenia. As we take turns centering the music from these places, we musically support each other in arrangement and performance, creating a multi-cultural, rich performance.This engages a mix of performance and community singing, as we also teach some of these root songs to the audience, facilitating community music-making in a supportive, accessible environment.
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Yaldā Night (Persian: shab-e yalda) is an Iranian winter solstice festival, also celebrated in Armenia, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and other countries. It was a night in which Ancient Iranians celebrated the deity of light, Mithra. On Yalda Night, family members get together and stay awake all night long. Fruits and nuts are eaten, especially pomegranates and watermelons. Prayer is offered. Poetry and mythologies are read aloud. Faal-e Hafez (Hafez Omen) is a Yalda night tradition, added in recent centuries, in which the poems of Hafez, the 14th century Iranian poet, are used for divination and read aloud. Lydia Violet will lead the Shab-e Yaldā and share Persian songs and poetry. There will be a spread of fruits and nuts. Poetry-sharing will continue in the Saturnalia Room.
Miriam Peretz (Persian Solstice)
Miriam Peretz is an internationally acclaimed dance instructor, performer, and creator of the Nava Dance Collective, whose signature style blends sacred dances, Central Asian traditions, Sufi whirling, and contemporary movement. With a background in martial arts, Flamenco, and global dance forms, Miriam’s classes integrate spirituality, healing, and physical challenge, fostering inclusivity and deep connections among students. As a performer, she explores cross-cultural and devotional themes, collaborating with master musicians and drawing inspiration from her extensive studies and travels across the Middle East, Central Asia, and beyond.
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Amre Leon Dana (Oklahoma Solstice)
Join nationally acclaimed folk musician, educator, and multi-instrumentalist Amre Leon Dana for solstice inspired music from the traditions of the Dana people of Southern Oklahoma.
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Triángulo (Latin American Solstice)
Join members of Inti Mystica, The Four Fives, and That Band Frank for an evening set that marks the Winter Solstice. Experience a dynamic blend of medicine music and bass-driven grooves, looping guitar, jazz influences, poetry, and soulful singing — all reflecting the solstice's symbolism of transformation, renewal, and the shift from external action to internal reflection gaining influences from Chile, Guatemala and all Latin America. Let the music guide you through this seasonal passage from darkness to light.
Aaron Mayer (Jewish Solstice / Hannukah)
Aaron Mayer is a Klezmer vocalist, pianist, storyteller, composer, humorist, and dance leader. Join him for an evening of collective movement, traditional Hebrew folktales, and songs that celebrate the light in the dark of winter. All who use their voices to connect with the divine are welcome.
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Pagan Interest Circle (Pagan Solstice)
For over 28 years the Pagan Interest Circle (PICT) of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, has been meeting for monthly Full Moon Rituals on the Saturday evening closest to the Full Moon, and for the solar pagan holidays of Winter Solstice and Beltane. We are an open circle dedicated to providing ritual space for all respectful families and individuals of any age.
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Barron Scott Levkoff (Saturnalia - Roman Solstice)
Saturnalia is an ancient Roman festival in honour of the god Saturn. Romans spent Saturnalia partying, gambling, singing, playing music, feasting, socializing and giving gifts to one another. It was a time when the ordinary rules were turned upside down, and social roles were inverted. Men dressed as women and masters acted as servants. A common custom was the election of a "Ruler of the Saturnalia", who would preside over the merrymaking and give orders to people, which were to be followed. "Yo Saturnalia!" was the characteristic shout or salutation of the festival.
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Paul C. Wang (Dongzhi Chinese Solstice)
冬至 Dongzhi means “Winter Utmost” and is the ancient Midwinter Solstice Festival celebrated in East and Southeast Asia. Midnight this day is both maximum Yin dark and when Yang light returns. By receiving its divine spark, we can ignite our sacred intentions for 2025. Join a special once-a-year Dao Alchemy transmission to powerfully shift on this holy day. Come practice embodied cosmology, philosophy, community with magic music, mystic movement, mythic meditation.
Dao Arts Alchemist, Dr. Paul C. Wang (DACM, LAc), is a Doctor of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Board Licensed Acupuncturist, Sifu of WingChun, Guqin Player, and Chinese Astrologist, Calligrapher, Woodcarver. For nearly three decades, Dr. Wang has passionately transmitted self-cultivation teachings to thousands in over 20 countries.
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Dalyte Kodzis & Roland Sayn (Koledy - Polish Solstice)
This Polish-American artist will be weaving together ancient Polish solstice customs with contemporary celebrations, featuring classic Polish "koledy" while exploring the origins and enduring beliefs predating Christianity's arrival in Poland. Join us on this captivating journey as we revive and share the vibrant tapestry of cultural traditions.
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High Tide (Pancha Ganapati - Hindu Solstice)
High Tide is more than a meeting of genres; it's an emotional and spiritual journey. Each performance is designed to engage the audience and create space for people to connect on a deeper, introspective level. The music invites listeners to imagine and expand their states of consciousness. With High Tide, you're not just a listener; you're a participant in a shared musical exploration. Established by Sasha Bayan in 2019, High Tide is a fusion music project that blends the intricacies of Indian Classical music, the improvisational spirit of jazz, and the structure of Western classical music. While Sasha's sitar leads the way, the ensemble thrives on collaboration with a rotating cast of skilled musicians.
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Lama Mike Crowley (Tibetan Buddhist & Welsh Druidic Solstice)
Michael Crowley was born February 26th, 1948 in Cardiff, Wales. He began studying Buddhism with a Tibetan lama in 1966, becoming an upasaka of the Kagyud lineage in 1970. In order to augment his Buddhist studies, he acquainted himself with Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Mandarin Chinese. Mike has lectured at the Museum of Asia and the Pacific, Warsaw, the Jagiellonian University, Cracow, the California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco, and at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work has been published in Fortean Times, Time and Mind: The Journal of Archaeology, Consciousness, and Culture, Psychedelic American, and Psychedelic Press UK. In January 2016, Mike received the R. Gordon Wasson Award for outstanding contributions to the field of entheobotany. He currently serves on the advisory board of the Psychedelic Sangha, a group of psychedelically-inclined Buddhists, based in New York and he teaches at the Dharma Collective in San Francisco.
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Nature Altars by Nature Dreamweaver
Nature Dreamweaver has been creating and building sacred spaces in the form of altars, mandalas, and human-sized nests for 15 years at parties, festivals, weddings 💒 and more. The intention is to create a space of love ❤️ that carries feeling of connection to the self, the earth, each other, and the great beyond.
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Live Painting by Ishka Lha
Ishka Lha is an internationally celebrated visionary artist, musician, writer, ritualist, and mentor. Ishka is part of a growing visionary art movement that is dedicated to the happiness of all beings, and approaches her creative process as a spiritual practice. Her art explores and celebrates the natural radiance inherent in all dimensions of life through the use of neo-traditional iconography and mythology, and she is especially interested in what universal archetypes have most helpfully guided humankind's passage through time into greater avenues of mutual respect, understanding, and heartfelt livelihood. Her work is primarily featured in private collections, galleries, healing centers, and transformational art and music festivals across the globe.
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Sean T Fox (Daoist Medical Qigong)
We will be breathing, stretching and flowing through Daoist Medical Qigong sequences to explore the alchemy of breath, embodied movement, and meditation. Sean T Fox is a certified Acupuncturist, Hatha Yoga and White Tiger Medical Qigong Teacher.
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TEA TRIBE PRESENTS: WORLD FOLK JAM
Our events celebrate diversity and honor ancient traditions, featuring world-renowned folk music and performance arts. These events seek to nurture and support the Bay Area's world folk communities and to facilitate networking, collaboration, friendship, and cross-cultural understanding. Sign up for our events list here.