Then comes winter solstice - the sun's turn around point from darkness to light. The cross quarter day between the solstice and spring equinox is in early February - now celebrated in the church as Candlemas. The purpose of seasonal festivals is periodically to revive the topocosm. Gaster coined this word from the Greek - topo for place and cosmos for world order. The topocosm is not only the actual and present living community but also that continuous entity of which the present community is but the current manifestation.
Seasonal festivals make use of myths, art, dance and games.
All of these aspects of ritual serve to connect - to keep open the essential connections within ourselves. You can begin by looking into the records of the tribes of Indians who lived there and see what their totem was. Look into the accounts of the early explorers and very early settlers. Barry Lopez relates that the Eskimo told him that their totem animal was always the one who could teach them something they needed to learn. Beginning in the Northwest, because In Context is published in the Northwest, it is fitting that we talk of Salmon.