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| Celtic Radio Community > The Grove > Yule |
| Posted by: Celeste of the Stars1 17-Dec-2003, 03:21 AM |
| Why do we celebrate? Yule is celebrated at the winter Solstice, and the precise date is governed by the astronomical forces of the universe, but it's typically around December 21st or 22nd. This the time of the longest night of the year, and shortest day. From this day onward, the days will start getting longer. So we celebrate the return of light and warmth of the Sun. Along a more mythological story-line, the God is reborn at Yule after sacrificing himself at Samhain's harvest. The Goddess has mourned him through the dark months of November and December, and now rejoices at his return. She is seen in her virgin, Maiden aspect at this time of year. This idea of rebirth, is how Yule got tied in with the Christian story of the birth of Jesus. Though the holiday has become heavily Christianized, most of the traditions are based on older, Pagan beliefs. Things to do Many mainstream Christmas traditions stem from original Pagan practices, so a lot of these will seem familiar even if you are new to the Pagan path. Yule Log - A special log was chosen on the eve of Yule, for the holiday fire. A small piece from last year's log is used to light the fire. Charred pieces from the fire would be kept to protect the house through the coming year. Today, the Yule log is sometimes represented as a log cake instead. Or a small log is decorated with candles. Kissing Under Mistletoe - The roots of this habit are unknown, but is likely tied with the fertility aspects of mistletoe and that it was viewed as a bringer of peace by the Druids. Some earlier versions of this tradition say to remove one berry with each kiss. When there are no more berries on the sprig of mistletoe, no more kisses. Tree Decorating - There is some debate on the origin of this tradition. Druids (and some other ancient culture s) saw evergreen trees as symbols of everlasting life, because they seemed to live through the winter undaunted by the cold. So using evergreen branches as decorations symbolized the undying strength of the Sun. Decorating the trees may have come from the ancient Roman festival of Saturnalia (held around the Solstice). Gift Giving - The Christians attribute the giving of gifts at Christmas to the three wise men who brough gold, frankinsence and myrrh to the newborn Jesus. But this tradition was common well before the time of Jesus, during Saturnalia. Herbs - Mistletoe, holly, evergreens Colours - Red, green, white Oils/Incense - Cedar, pine, myrrh, cinnamon, frankincense Other Symbols - Wreaths, Yule log |
| Posted by: RavenWing 17-Dec-2003, 08:54 AM |
| Thanks for posting this, Celeste of the Stars! |
| Posted by: Richard Bercot 21-Dec-2003, 10:17 AM |
| Thank you Celeste, this is very informative indeed. I knew of most of these traditions but I did not know how they came about. |
| Posted by: Aaediwen 21-Dec-2003, 03:34 PM |
| Thanks =) I knew that several of these were Pagan traditions, and I've heard it said that the date recorded as that of Christ's birth was moved to be closer to the Winter Solstice, although I've not heard when it actually was if this is the case. In any case, I had not discovered the actual Pagan roots of many of the traditions listed here (save the Yule Log). Thanks for the info =) |