Yule:

The Winter Solstice

December 22

When the Wheel of the Year brings us to Yule, The God (who died at Samhain) is reborn of the Virgin Goddess. The God is represented by the sun which “returns�?after this darkest night of the year to again bring warmth and fertility to the land. The profusion of light on houses and trees at Christmas is a modern version of the pagan custom of lighting candles and fires as acts of sympathetic magic to lure back the waning sun. Today it is still a custom in Ireland and Norway to leave lights burning all through the house on Yule night to not only lure back the sun, but also to honor the Virgin Goddess who gives him birth.

Interestingly enough, the word “virgin�?is one which was mistranslated and misrepresented by the early church, enough to make even people today forget that the term had absolutely nothing to do with the hymen. The term “virgin�?was first applied to priestesses in Mediterranean temples, particularly during Rome’s pagan period. The term identified a woman who was a complete entity unto herself, who was not bound to secular law, had no husband and was free to take all the lovers she chose. She needed nothing else and no one else for completeness. In other words she was said to be “intact�?- a virgin. Paganism remembers the old meaning of the word, when the Goddess, a complete and whole being unto herself, gives birth to her son, who will be her lover at the spring Sabbats and also the father of his next Yule incarnation.

Yule has been the most widely celebrated of all the Sabbats because its customs and lore have so deeply invaded popular cultures and the mainstream religions, and virtually every culture in the northern hemisphere in some way once acknowledged the return of the sun at its weakest point. Some anthropologists, such as E.W. Budge, believe Yule was first celebrated as a religious festival 12,000 years ago, and some claim it dates many millennia earlier.

Yule’s importance was obvious to early human civilizations. As the nights grew darker and longer, and the days colder and shorter, it was imperative that the sun be lured “back�?to the earth. Though most cultures understood astronomy long before we give them credit, and knew the sun was where it had always been, they still felt moved to celebrate the old rites which were symbolic rather than factual to them. The Festival was important because it kept them in tune with the cycle of the seasons, marked the New Year, allowed them a time to gather with friends and family, and to worship their deities in joy and thanksgiving.

Yule was a Sabbat of primary importance in the Norse and Roman traditions, and it is from these cultures that many of our modern Yule customs originate. For both of these civilizations, this was the time of the New Year, when the Goddess turned the wheel of the Year to its beginning point once again. In fact, Yule is an Old Norse word which literally means “wheel,�?and the Sabbat was often referred to as Hweolor-tid, the “turning time.�?/P>

In the Norse tradition, Yule is a twelve-night-long celebration, a concept which probably came from the pagan Near East where it eventually became incorporated into the Christian myths. The first Eve of Yule (the night before the Solstice) is called Mother Night, and is a night when Norse pagans sit up and await the rising and rebirth of their Sun Goddess, Freya. It is also a night for spirit and celebration with one’s ancestors in much the same manner as the Celts observe Samhain. The Norse Goddess, Holde, guardian of the spirit world, opens her doors at Yule to all sincere seekers. The final night of observance, called “Twelfth Night,�?became for a while a sort of ninth Sabbat on the Norse pagan calendar.

The popular winter song “The Twelve Days of Christmas�?no doubt has it roots in the blending of Norse and Celtic Yule customs. A very old and lengthy Scottish nursery rhyme is called “the thirteen Yule Days.�?The poem tells us what a wealthy Scottish king once sent his lady love on each of the celebratory days. Within he ballad, the number three, a number sacred to the Celts, is prominently featured:

Day 1: A Papingoe

Day 2: Three Partridge

Day 3: Three Plovers (A game bird)

Day 4: A Grey Goose

Day 5: Three Starlings

Day 6: Three Goldspinks

Day 7: A Brown Bull

Day 8: Three Merry Ducks A-Laying

Day 9: Three Swans A-Merry Swimming

Day 10: An Arabian Baboon

Day 11: Three Hinds (Hounds) Merry Hunting

Day 12: Three Maids Merry Dancing

Day 13: Three Stalks of Corn

In ancient Egypt, the Winter Solstice was not only a time to celebrate the rebirth of their Sun God, Ra, but to commemorate the creation of the universe as well. In Egyptian mythology it is taught that in the beginning there was nothing but Nun, the primordial black sea of chaos often likened to the womb of the Mother Goddess. From this ocean of unrest Ra was born, and he in turn gave birth to the other deities. After this great exertion he cried the dark tears given to him by Nun, and each tear became the many men and women of Egypt. In sun-parched north Africa, December marked the beginning of the short rainy season. If it rained on the eve of the solstice, it was considered to be a special blessing from Ra whose tears were once again bringing new life to Egypt on the night of his rebirth.

Did you know that evergreens were first used to chase away evil spirits? That Santa Clause was probably descended from the Norse god, Odin? Or that Santa’s North Pole dwelling was an American invention?

Advent Wreath: Although Advent initially came from the Lutherans, many religious sectors adopted the tradition and adapted its function to suit their own purpose. Traditionally, the wreath is made of evergreens with four candles ensconced within, and its ritual begins four Sundays before Christmas. A candle is lit each Sunday and burns throughout the week to welcome the “light of the world.�?On the fourth Sunday, all four candles burn together in welcome.

Bells: A throwback to the ancient Pagan, festival participants originally rang bells to drive away the demons that surface during the cold, dark time of the year. The Christian bible, however, stated that people should “�?make joyful noise to the lord.�?Since the tinkle of bells seemed to fit the bill, the tradition of bell ringing during the holiday season survived ad still remains intact today.

Candles: Because fire melted winter’s chill and was thought to encourage the Sun to shine, it was always an important part of the ancient winters festivals. Candles , however, are thought to have originated with the ancient Romans who gave them to each other as Saturnalia gifts. Their brightness was thought to chase away dark winter demons and urge the Sun back into the sky. In later years, the Christians embraced them as a symbols of Christ, the light of the World; hence they became a large part of the Christmas celebrations we know today.

Candy Cane: Peppermint leaf and peppermint tea has long been a part of Yule celebration for Pagans with its coolness symbolizing winter and its heat symbolizing the Sun. The candy cane, however, was invented by an American confectioner who based its form and appearance on Christian roots. He formed it of white candy to signify the virgin birth, then shaped it in a “J�?to represent Jesus. The never-ending red stripe was to have symbolized the blood shed on the cross. In spirit of the inventor’s [painstaking creativity and religious devotion, though, the cane somehow wound up as a common holiday symbol and treat- devoid of all Christian testimony and witness.

Carols: These holiday song are said to have originated from the Catholic Church during the fourth century. The religious repertoire continued to grow through the Middle Ages up until the Renaissance period. The nature of these songs continued to be religious until sometime in the nineteenth century, when European composers began to incorporate other holiday symbols and customs into their music.

Chimney: Santa’s descent down the chimney first originated in England. The reason? Santa had to come and go in secret, otherwise no gifts would be left. This tradition was brought to America by the Pilgrims, and still thrives today. (Apparently, German and Scandinavian Santa Clause don’t have to be sooty to leave gifts; it’s okay for them to come in and out of the front door!)

Elves: There are several reasons why elves may have come to be associated with the winter holidays. For one thing, the land of elves (Alfaheimr) was inhabited by the spirits who created the Sun, and including these beings in the festival would certainly encourage them to rejuvenate the Sun and make it shine again. A more Yulish theory, though, has to do with Odin the Elf King, whose magical capabilities ere incorporated into the Santa Clause we know today. More than likely, the elves were thrown in for good measure to complete Santa’s persona. After all what’s an elf king without elves?

Evergreens: Decorating with evergreens dates back to the earliest winter festivals. Because the green never faded from their branches and leaves, evergreens were thought to have power over death and destruction- enough power to defeat whatever winter demons roamed the Earth, and enough tenacity to urge the coming of the Sun.

Holly: Since holly sports vibrant green leaves and bright red berries during winter’s deathly chill, it provides an excellent symbol of rebirth. The prickly shrub was favorite amulet among early Europeans, and they often placed it in their homes to rid themselves of negative entities and nasty weather. The British have their own holiday tradition concerning the plant, though; since the thorny-leaved plants are considered male and the smooth are known as female, the variety first brought into the house during the holidays determines which gender shall head the household during the next year.

Lights: For Centuries, homes and holiday trees were decorated with candles to frighten negative entities and urge the Sun to shine. Although the candles were beautiful, the practice was dangerous; it meant that people had to keep a constant watch to make sure nothing caught fire. In 1895, an American named Ralph E. Morris finally came up with a solution; he hung some strings of switchboard lights on his tree, and electric holiday lighting was born.

Mistletoe: Although attributed to the Celts- the Druids, more specifically- historians agree that mistletoe was probably first used in the Greek winter ceremonies. When the holidays spread throughout Europe, though, the Druids gave the parasitic plant sacredness and new meaning. For them, the berried plant symbolized the semen of the god and was used to bring about great fertility and abundance. Hung over the doorway , it also protected from thunder, lightning, and malicious evil. How did we come to kiss under the mistletoe? Norse legend has it that Frigg (the mother of Balder) loved Her son so much that She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Him. She made a pact with the four Elements that nothing in Their realms would do Him harm. Loki (the God of Mayhem) was up to His regular mischief, however. He fashioned an arrow from mistletoe and gave it to Balder’s blind brother. At Loki’s instruction, the arrow was shot and Balder fell dead. The wash of Frigg’s tears restored Her son to life, and She was so happy that She declared the mistletoe a plant of luck, love, and promise. Since ancient times, people have been kissing under the mistletoe- some of them unwittingly- to receive Frigg’s blessings.

Snowflake: Because winter brings snow in many areas, it only stands to reason that the snowflake would become a common holiday symbol, right? Well, maybe. There’s more to it than that: according to legend, the snowflake was formed from the tears that Demeter cried after Persephone’s descent into the Underworld. The microscopic flakes have six sides, and since six is the numerological digit associated with affection, the snowflake was used by pagans as a winter symbol of love.

Twelve Days of Christmas: The custom of holding a twelve-day winter festival probably began with the ancient Egyptian Sun celebration, and then continued with the Babylonian Zagmuk. (Modern-day historians also allude to the fact that the twelve-day celebration may have originally been designed to honor the zodiacal wheel.) Be that as it may, the church reinvented the twelve-day custom when the holiday was Christianized. Instead of revolving around the twelve days of Solstice, their festival commenced on December 25^th (the Christ-Child’s new birthday) and continued through Epiphany, or January 6^th, which was the day the gift-laden Magi supposedly arrived in Bethlehem. During the Middle Ages, gift-giving on each of the festival days became tradition. This custom was the basis for the popular carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.�?/P>

Yule Log: Although normally attributed to the Scandinavian peoples, it might be said that the Yule log actually originated with the ancient Greeks, who burned whole trees in an effort to hold off the mischievous Kallikantzaroi. However, the Celts reinvented the custom, and gave it a whole new meaning. The log (a symbol of their Oak King) adorned with traditional evergreens (a representation of the Holly King) signifies the death of darkness and the warmth of the sun during the newly born solar year. According to tradition, the log should burn continuously for twelve days, and a bit of the wood should be saved to start the next year’s fire. The first day of the Yule fire varies depending upon religious belief. Pagans usually light the Yule fire on the Winter Solstice, while Christians wait until Christmas day.