Yule

Yule, also referred to as the Yuletide, Winter Solstice and Christmas is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. This is usually around December 20th or 21st. With the shortest day, Yule marks the time when the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. Yule begins on 'Mother Night' and ends twelve days later, thus the origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas. On this day the Holly King, who represents the death aspect of the God, is overcome by the Oak King, who embodies the rebirth of the God, also referred to as the Divine Child. The aspect of the God invoked at this time by certain Wiccan traditions is Frey, the Scandinavian Fertility God and a deity associated with peace and prosperity. Love, family togetherness and accomplishments of the past year are also celebrated. This is also a good time to reflect on your achievements of the last year and what you desire to achieve in the coming year.

Yule is a solar festival, celebrated by fire and the use of the Yule log. The seasons colors are red and green, originating from Pagan celebrations of this time of year. Red represents the females menstrual blood, while the color green represents the fertility of the coming growing season. Fancy breads, cookies and holly wreathes are also a part of the original Pagan (Witch) tradition. Food is prepared for the after dinner Yule celebration when the tree is lighted and the Yule log is burned.  A portion of the Yule log is saved to be used in next years lighting of the Yule log. This piece of the yule log is kept throughout the year to protect the home.

Place a piece of holly bush on your altar for the Yule celebration, in keeping with Pagan tradition. After the celebration, before dismissing the Quarters and taking down the Circle, write down a wish or wishes on pieces of parchament paper and tie them to the holly bush branches on your altar. You can write down as few or many wishes as you desire. However try to keep it simple. Bury the holly bush limb with your wishes attached to it during the next full moon, giving thanks to the Lord and Lady, to assure that your wishes will be realized during the coming year.

At sunset place a bayberry candle or two on your dining table and light them. Allow the bayberry candles to burn themselves out to ensure wealth and happiness throughout the following year. Plus you can set another pair upon the mantle and lighted at the beginning of the Yule ceremony. Not only do they smell pleasant, but are also another part of the Pagan Yule tradition.

If you are having difficulty choosing a card(s) to send to non-Pagan friends and family members, why not choose a card with a representation of the reindeer stag as a reminder of the horned God. The card(s) could include a nature scene with a reindeer stag amongst pine trees. It is Pagan and non-offensive to those who have different beliefs.

My family used to drive around looking at Christmas lights when I was a boy, a practice I admit to still doing with my wife. I remember seeing the five pointed star on many a home and/or tree. How Pagan, displaying a pentagram...grin. Although they use it to represent the star of Bethleham I can not help but wonder if they know they are using one of the most important symbols to Pagans and Witches as a Christian decoration...the pentagram. Probably not. Just one of the little things about modern Yule celebrations I find amussing.

Other modern customs with Pagan/Witchy roots include:

Do you still put up a Yule tree? The Yule tree lights and ornaments originally symbolized the sun, moon and stars as they looked on the Tree of Life. The Yule tree decorations also represented the souls of the departed who we remember at the end of the year. And then there is the modern day gift giving which originated from hanging sacred presents on the Yule tree as offerings to deities such as Attis and Dionysus. And to think all of this sprung from the pine groves equated with the Great Mother Goddess.

Hanging mistletoe and holly. Druids considered Mistletoe to be very magickal and referred to it as the Golden Bough. Druids believed Mistletoe to possess great healing powers. Plus Mistletoe gave mortal men access to the Underworld. Once in our history Mistletoe was once thought to resemble the genitalia of the God Zeuss. The white berries represented Zuesss sacred semen. This is in contrast to the red berries of Holly, which symbolized the sacred menstrual blood of the Goddess. Mistletoes symbolic life giving essence is representative of divine substance and immortality for those who hand it at Yule. While we merely kiss under the mistletoe, in ancient times sexual orgies accompanied the rites of the great oak God Zuess.

Another custom dating back to Pagan roots is the burning of the Yule log. Originally the Yule bonfire was meant to give renewed life and power to the sun, thus the sun was reborn with the shortest day marking the time of year when the days started becoming longer. Traditionally Yule logs are oak, with the oak tree symbolizing the Cosmic Tree of Life, per Druid lore. Pine is also used to represent the dying Gods Attis, Dionysus and Woden.

Of course modern day Santa Claus has Pagan/Witchy roots too. In ancient times he was known as "Christ on the Wheel" to the Scandinavians...a title for Sun God who was reborn at the time of the Winter Solstice.

Placing cakes in the boughs of the oldest apple trees in the orchard and pouring on cider as a libation was an old Pagan Yuletide custom practiced in England, and known as Wassailing the Orchard Trees. It was said the cider was a substitute for the human or animal blood offered in primitive times as part of the Winter Solstice fertility rite. After offering a toast to the health of the apple trees and giving thanks to them for producing fruit, the farmers would then enjoin the trees to continue producing abundantly.

Traditional Pagan foods of Yule/Winter Solstice Sabbat are roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcakes, caraway rolls, eggnog and mulled wine.

Use bayberry, cedar, pine and rosemary incense at Yule.

Traditional Yule Sabat candle colors are gold, green, red and white.

Traditional Yule Sabat gemstones are cats eye and ruby.

Sources of information include (1)"Power of the Witch" By Laurie Cabot and
(2)"To Ride A Silver Broomstick" By Silver RavenWolf

Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, much celebration was to be had as the ancestors awaited the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth and made her to bear forth from seeds protected through the fall and winter in her womb. Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider.

Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun, the boughs were symbolic of immortality, the wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly, mistletoe, and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes. It was to extend invitation to Nature Sprites to come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to pay visit to the residents.

The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder' s land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze be a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.

A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black (the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.

Deities of Yule are all Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.

Symbolism of Yule:
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future.

Symbols of Yule:
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.

Herbs of Yule:
Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar.

Foods of Yule:
Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples).

Incense of Yule:
Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.

Colors of Yule:
Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange.

Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds.

Activities of Yule:
Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule

Spellworkings of Yule:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness.

Deities of Yule:
Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon.

--Adapted by Akasha Ap Emrys For all her friends and those of like mind--
Copyright © 1997-99 Akasha, Herne and The Celtic Connection wicca.com.

Pagan/Wicca: Yule - occurs on the date of the winter solstice. It is also known as Winter Rite, Midwinter, and Alban Arthan. Yule is celebrated on the longest night of the year, and it is seen by many as the time when the sun begins its journey back from the darkness to the fullest light, celebrated at the Summer Solstice. It is the festival of the Sun's rebirth, and a time to honor the winter aspects of the God and Goddess. The festival of Yule was originally celebrated in Norse and Germanic countries, and many Pagans choose to honor those aspects of the God and Goddess at this time of year.

Celtic: Alban Arthuan (Winter Soltice)

Stregheria: La Festa dell' Inverno, Saturnalia

(Southern Hemisphere) Midsummer - Summer Solstice (also known as Alban, Hefin, and Letha) is the longest day of the year when the Sun is at its zenith. It is the celebration of the fullest light of the Sun, and the time when the Sun turns back towards the darkness of the year. In many Wiccan traditions, It is the ideal time for divinations, Healing rituals, and the cutting of divining rods, dowsing rods, and wands.

Pre-Solstice Ritual Bath
During the Winter Solstice, we often place emphasis on celebrating and sharing this joyous, but often difficult, holiday. For Witches, however, now may also serve as a time to attune to a quiet, internal spirituality. To begin to do so (with the solstice less than ten days away now), prepare a ritual bath with oils of rosemary, pine, and orange. Add a touch of patchouli for grounding. Light gold and green candles, and immerse yourself in watery solitude to refresh your weary holiday spirit. Meditate on the winter goddess and her lesson of stillness. Find the cool and clean space she offers, free of clutter and activity. It is the season for centering and grounding ourselves, and for defining who we really are. After the bath, take your journal and write down your goals by candlelight. Contemplate the coming rebirth, and identify which direction you wish to channel your energy and focus your intentions.By: Karri Allrich

Sources : GrannyMoon's Morning Feast Archives
Remember the ancient ways and keep them sacred!

Yule - December 22nd

Image used with Permission (C) Jane Brideson Dark Moon Design Yule herbs: Bayberry, blessed thistle, laurel, pine, sage, yellow cedar, rosemary Yule colors: Red, White, and Green, Gold Yule offerings: Cream, beer, and bread, Cakes, Cider Yule is a time to honor Hades/Pluto, Odin, Frigg/Frigga, Skadhi, Thrym, Uller, Crone, Auriel/Uriel, Hag, Nyx/Nox.

Yule, also referred to as the Yuletide, Winter Solstice and Christmas is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. This is usually around December 20th or 21st. With the shortest day, Yule marks the time when the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. Yule begins on 'Mother Night' and ends twelve days later, thus the origin of the Twelve Days of Christmas. On this day the Holly King, who represents the death aspect of the God, is overcome by the Oak King, who embodies the rebirth of the God, also referred to as the Divine Child. Love, family togetherness and accomplishments of the past year are celebrated. This is also a good time to reflect on your achievements of the last year and what you desire to achieve in the coming year. Yule is a solar festival, celebrated by fire and the use of the Yule log. The seasons colors are red and green, originating from Pagan celebrations of this time of year. Red represents the females menstrual blood, while the color green represents the fertility of the coming growing season. Fancy breads, cookies and holly wreathes are also a part of the original Pagan (Witch) tradition. Food is prepared for the after dinner Yule celebration when the tree is lighted and the Yule log is burned. A portion of the Yule log is saved to be used in next years lighting of the Yule log. This piece of the yule log is kept throughout the year to protect the home. Place a piece of holly bush on your altar for the Yule celebration, in keeping with Pagan tradition. After the celebration, before dismissing the Quarters and taking down the Circle, write down a wish or wishes on pieces of parchament paper and tie them to the holly bush branches on your altar. You can write down as few or many wishes as you desire. However try to keep it simple. Bury the holly bush limb with your wishes attached to it during the next full moon, giving thanks to the Lord and Lady, to assure that your wishes will be realized during the coming year. At sunset place a bayberry candle or two on your dining table and light them. Allow the bayberry candles to burn themselves out to ensure wealth and happiness throughout the following year. Plus you can set another pair upon the mantle and lighted at the beginning of the Yule ceremony. Not only do they smell pleasant, but are also another part of the Pagan Yule tradition. If you are having difficulty choosing a card(s) to send to non-Pagan friends and family members, why not choose a card with a representation of the reindeer stag as a reminder of the horned God. The card(s) could include a nature scene with a reindeer stag amongst pine trees. It is Pagan and non-offensive to those who have different beliefs. Other modern customs with Pagan/Witchy roots include: The Yule Tree: The Yule tree lights and ornaments originally symbolized the sun, moon and stars as they looked on the Tree of Life. The Yule tree decorations also represented the souls of the departed who we remember at the end of the year. And then there is the modern day gift giving which originated from hanging sacred presents on the Yule tree as offerings to deities such as Attis and Dionysus. All of this sprung from the pine groves equated with the Great Mother Goddess. Hanging mistletoe and holly: Druids considered Mistletoe to be very magickal and referred to it as the Golden Bough. Druids believed Mistletoe to possess great healing powers and gave mortal men access to the Underworld. Once in our history Mistletoe was once thought to resemble the genitalia of the God, with the white berries representing his sacred semen. This is in contrast to the red berries of Holly, which symbolized the sacred menstrual blood of the Goddess. Mistletoe's symbolic life giving essence is representative of divine substance and immortality for those who handle it at Yule. The Yule Log: Originally the Yule bonfire was meant to give renewed life and power to the sun, thus the sun was reborn with the shortest day marking the time of year when the days started becoming longer. Traditionally Yule logs are oak, with the oak tree symbolizing the Cosmic Tree of Life, per Druid lore. Pine is also used to represent the dying Gods Attis, Dionysus and Woden (Odin). Cakes and Cider: Placing cakes in the boughs of the oldest apple trees in the orchard and pouring on cider as a libation was an old Pagan Yuletide custom practiced in England, and known as Wassailing the Orchard Trees. It was said the cider was a substitute for the human or animal blood offered in primitive times as part of the Winter Solstice fertility rite. After offering a toast to the health of the apple trees and giving thanks to them for producing fruit, the farmers would then enjoin the trees to continue producing abundantly. Traditional Pagan foods of Yule/Winter Solstice Sabbat are roasted turkey, nuts, fruitcakes, caraway rolls, eggnog and mulled wine. Sources of information include (1)"Power of the Witch" By Laurie Cabot and (2)"To Ride A Silver Broomstick" By Silver RavenWolf Silver Eagle- used with permission.