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Chapter 5:
What Witches Do: The Sabbats
Yule or Midwinter pgs 68 – 72 copied verbatim
From: if you want to be a WITCH by: Edain McCoy
The winter solstice is the New Year’s of Norse and Teutonic Pagans. The Old Norse word jul literally means “wheel,” as in the ever-turning wheel of the year. In most of the Teutonic traditions, the Yule celebration is a twelve-day event, culminating on the Twelfth Night in the first week of January.
If all this sounds more like a Christmas custom than a Pagan one, remember again that it was the church that had to make its new mythology appealing to the people of Europe who’d been worshiping and celebrating the old ways for centuries. In the lives of the poor, these festivals dates were eagerly anticipated, not only as holy days, but as a chance to gather with friends and family and take a break from the work of providing for a family or community.
The church could not compare with the allure of Yule, so it merely laid its own veneer of legends atop of what was already accepted practice. Decorated evergreen trees originated with the Teutonic or Saxon Pagans. The tree symbolized eternal life because, unlike other trees in the forest, it never lost its foliage in Winter. The candlelight and foods that adorned the tree represented the desire of the people to have the sun return to them on this, the longest night of the year. The food was a sacrifice, a wish that all the tribe would survive throughout the long Winter.
In England, the Yule log harkens back to the days of the Druids when the oak was sacred. Oak is a hard wood that burns hot and slowly in the hearth. Like the candlelight on the Saxon evergreens, the Yule log was, in its infancy, an act of magick to lure back the sun.
The Celtic tradition marks Yule in a slightly different way. Their name for the sabbat, Midwinter, comes from the fact that the Celtic winter begins six weeks earlier, on Samhain. Winter ends six weeks after Yule on the sabbat of Imbolg. Therefore, the date we acknowledge today as the start of the winter season was, for the Celts-and those modern Pagans who follow Celtic paths-the midpoint of the winter season, hence Midwinter.
On the solstice night, the god is born to his virgin mother. This is the start of their never-ending lifecycles, which continue throughout the year. The God is son, lover father, and consort to the eternal Goddess from whose womb all life is born.
It’s worth mentioning that the original meaning of the word “virgin” is notably different from the current English usage, referring to a female who has not yet engaged in sexual intercourse. The term originated in Greco-Roman Paganism when virgo intactus was a who was whole and complete unto herself. She needed no mate or family to make her whole. Often she was a priestess, one free to take or leave as many lovers as she chose.
Most group rituals will reenact the seasonal battle for supremacy between the archetypes known as the Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King is the divine ruler of the waxing year and will be victorious in his battle, and the Holly King will die. In truth, they are two faces of the same being, but only one aspect may be with us at any time during the year. Note the white beard of age and the sprig of holly sported on Santa Claus’ cap. He embodies the Holly King who is soon to leave us to the rule of his other half, the Oak King.
For those who grew up loving Christmas traditions, please know that you never have to give them up just because you choose Paganism as your path. Many Pagans have tree-trimming parties for their Yule Tree, light Yule Logs, feast on eggnog and cookie, and sing and dance. Those were Pagan customs long before they were adopted by Christianity.
beginner’s yule ritual
Again, start with only two unlit candles. Be cautious about putting seasonal decorations on the same alter with an open flame. Evergreen can dry out quickly and become extremely flammable. Instead of evergreens, you might prefer to use more candles of any style or size you choose. You may also use lanterns, penlights, or any other objects that can illuminate your ritual area.
After you cast your circle and evoke the elements (see page 44), invite the virgin Goddess and her newborn son, the Sun King, to your circle. If you find this uncomfortable, you can always just ask the God and Goddess to be present. The main concept of this ritual is to welcome the sun’s returning to warm the earth. (Please be conscious of your sleeves, hems, pets, children, draperies, or any other flammable items, and never leave a burning candle unattended, even for a moment.) You may wish to chant a short rhyme, or you may wish just to call back the sun with extemporaneous word. As you do this, you may light all the candles, lanterns, ect., that around you to symbolize the sun as it grows from its shortest appearance at Yule to its longest appearance at the summer solstice.
Stand facing east, the direction of the rising sun, and call upon it to return to you, to warm the earth once more.
When you are finished with this ritual, thank your elements, and ground the circle and yourself.
Pagan Site
Rae Schwarz
BellaOnline's Pagan Editor
The Winter Solstice
The word “solstice” comes from the Latin, from “sol” meaning sun, and “sistere,” to cause to stand still. The winter solstice is when the longest night of the year is observed, when the angle of the earth tilts furthest away from the sun as it moves on its lowest track in the sky. The sun is directly over the tropic of Capricorn at the winter solstice, at which time the sun is 23°27' south. This night was both solemnly and joyously celebrated. For the Northern hemisphere, this is the start of winter. Most commonly this holiday is observed around December 21st. At this time of year, pagans in the Southern Hemisphere observe the summer solstice.
This night is about praying for the rebirth of the sun. Many believe the tradition of celebrating the birth of Christ was moved to this date by the Ancient Christians to better be able to gain new converts. Some evidence of this can be seen in the phrase describing the shepard’s tending their flocks at night. Shepard’s attend their flocks at night in the spring, when the ewes are lambing, not during midwinter. Traditions such as burning all night fires in the barren fields, the yule log, and bringing in a tree and decorating it were done in many cultures as part of celebrations on this date and were later incorporated and included in more modern religions.
The strongest roots of this winter holiday come from Scandinavia, where the shortening days and longer nights would have been most intense. Evergreen plants such as holly were cherished at this time of year as a natural symbol of rebirth and life amid winter whiteness. Because of it’s prickly qualities, holly was favored as a decoration around entrances. Placed on doors, windows and mantels, the belief was that the leaves would snag or capture malevolent spirits before they could enter and cause harm to the household.
In Iceland, there is an unusual tale of The Yule Cat. In this fable, it took everyone's help to get the autumn wool work done. Those who helped got a new item of warm clothing for winter as a reward. Those who were lazy and did not help would not get a new item of clothing. The Yule Cat would prey on these poor unfortunates.
How the long night is spent is often chosen by each family group or coven, and other than keeping a fire burning all night, not much is said of the middle parts of historical Yule celebrations. Singing songs, eating, playing games, making music and sharing stories seem to be popular choices. Some people take a brief nap in the middle of the night before getting up and holding rituals again at sunrise. This is the moment when the Sun is celebrated has having been reborn and thus risen at dawn. A solstice celebration can be wound down with the group singing a few songs, the saving of some of the ashes and some charred bits from the fire as kindling for next year, and a nice holiday breakfast to ground and nourish everyone.
Winter Solstice: A Witch's Yule Story
Author: Lady Abigail
Posted: December 18th. 2005
Times Viewed: 8,443
It seems that this year the Yuletide season hit the stores even faster than last year. We seem to expect that rush from commerce, to make a buck. While we are out buying our Thanksgiving turkey, we expect to hear, “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas.” But this year I noticed, while I was picking up candy for the trick-or-treaters, that Bing Crosby was already playing over the stores’ intercom systems. Then, driving home that evening, I noticed one of the homes in my neighborhood already had up holiday lights, to include a fully decorated tree in the window.
I just don’t think the ancients had any idea that the day we honor the returning of the sun was going to be turned into such a money-making occasion. I am personally proud of the fact that our Pagan traditions and celebrations are in no way responsible for this one.
Now don’t get me wrong. I love the holiday of Yule and the celebration of the Winter Solstice. I decorate, put up a tree, and prepare a delicious Yule feast. We exchange gifts and even sing Yuletide songs. And while it may seem odd to most, I am normally undecorated and have everything packed away by the 25th.
But, I didn’t always have the freedom to celebrate as I desired. I celebrated the Winter Solstice and Yule within the disguised decorations of Christmas. Perhaps all this misplaced jubilation is one of the reasons for the ‘holiday blues’ so many have during this time of year.
The confusion I dealt with surrounding the Winter holidays was my own. I knew the truth, but I learned as a child that speaking of it was not acceptable. You could talk about Christmas, Santa, gifts, and eating, but not the truth. Even today, our Pagan children are not allowed the freedoms of their holiday beliefs.
Yet, once I allowed myself the freedom to rejoice within the Solstice Rites and Yule, I found the inspiration to enjoy it all, even when I am sitting with family members, who have no idea what I believe, on the 25th of December.
Winter Solstice and Yule, which I learned meant, ‘Feast of the Wheel,’ was a celebration of the ancients. Solstice celebrations were not concepts practiced only by the ancient Europeans; these traditions and customs of honoring and welcoming the sun can be found throughout history, being celebrated by people on every continent. I learned that in this rite of Winter, we welcomed not only the coming of a new year, but the excitement and preparation of the rebirth of life. It was a time of readying and a time to reflect; a time to help others and honor those who had passed into the veil.
One of my favorite parts of this holiday is the tradition of the Yule Log. This Yule Log is a Witch’s Yule Log and is, perhaps, done a bit differently than others of which you have heard. A Witch’s Yule Log is used to call the spirits of your loved ones that have passed.
I can see my Great Grandmother’s house as clearly as if I was there today. It was made of wood; grayed by time and age. There were great stones which made the fireplace wall and flat ones stacked at the corners of the house that held it up from the ground. In the Winter, the back porch was filled with wood waiting for the fire. The windows give a warming, luminous glow from the candles placed in them for the holiday. And in my eyes, as a child, that was what love and peace must surely have looked like.
In December, it was fiercely cold, even in the house. You had to wait until the fires were rekindled and had time to warm each room. I didn’t always look forward to getting out of my cozy soft bed. It was warm and I liked being in a little nest of my own. I would sink deep into the down mattress, bundled tightly in my Great Grandmother’s handmade quilts; each quilt made from tiny pieces of the past, filled with stories of people and lives long passed from this world. But, I only needed to be called once, quickly grabbing my clothes and running into the kitchen where it was warm. I would stand behind the stove where the pipe came out of the wall and there I would dress, being cautious not to touch any part of the red hot stove.
I remember how I looked over and, on the kitchen table, saw a small box wrapped in green and red cloth and tied with brown cord. I was so excited and wanted to find out what might be in the box. My Great Grandmother sat down at the table with her cup of coffee and told me that I could open it. I shook it; it felt light. Then, as if I was performing some great act of discovery, I opened the box to find a big chuck of shiny, gray charcoal. I looked at my Great Grandmother with a curious eye, wondering what secrets this small black stone might possible hold. Smiling back at me, she said, “This is a key, a key to a doorway of those we love, but no longer see.”
That evening at sunset, Yule Eve, my Great Grandmother asked me to help her bring in the big log we had picked for the Yule fire. She stirred the coals in the fireplace, then put the small piece of charcoal from the green and red box onto the coals.
Soon, the small piece of coal began to glimmer again with new life. Then we carefully placed the new Yule Log into the fireplace. The shadows within the room danced from the light of the fire as it grew within the hearth. I lay on the floor looking into the fire, my chin in my hands, as my Great Grandmother begin to explain about this key of Yule. As she told me the stories of family that had passed, and of those she loved, I could sense the room fill with the spirits of those of whom she spoke. I began to see them as she did and to share in the memories of those all about me.
The Yule Log is burned to open the doorway between the veils. The small piece of charcoal is the key to the thinning of the veils. It allows the years past, and today, to join, that the spirits of our loved ones who have crossed over may join us during this holiday season. As long as the Yule Log burns, the spirits of those you love may cross, but only until it burns out.
While the Yule Log burns, you may talk, see, and visit with all those you love that have passed on to other planes. It is a time to share the stories of family and those you loved. It is a time to share traditions and honor those who have given us our history. This is not a scary thing, but something we look forward to each year, in love and joy.
Before the Yule Log burns to its end, you must take a piece and save it for the next year. (Of course, you must make sure it is completely out, a cold coal. I know this is silly to say, but if I don’t, someone will get burned.) Save the bit of charcoal until the next year, preferably in a red or green cloth.
The burning of the Yule Log and sharing the past is also a part of the magick used to assure the turning of the Wheel of Life or bringing on of the seasons. We are joined with our past as we look forward to our future. Maybe this is where the saying, "May the Spirit of the Season be with you always,” truly comes from.
May your holiday be filled with the magick that really makes up the season. Have a shining Solstice, happy Yule, and blessed New Year.
Copyright: Copyright © 012212000
Lady Abigail
High Priestess Ravensgrove Coven
Yule Lore (December 21st or 22nd)
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 Kris 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. All rights reserved.
Many Pagan traditions are still seen today.
Many of the holidays we celebrate today are considered Christian, but the origins of many modern-day holidays are older than Christianity.
Christmas
Even non-Pagans use the term "Yule" around the Christmas holidays. Yule is celebrated on the Winter Solstice (December 21st or 22nd), the shortest day of the year. Since the days get longer from this point in the year, Yule is a celebration of the returning sun and the rebirth of the God who died at Halloween. As with Easter, the Christian story of the birth of Jesus fits nicely with the Pagan mythology of a God reborn. Traditions such as wreaths and Yule logs are remnants of the original beliefs. Gifts were exchanged at Yule long before the Wise Men offered their gifts to the baby Jesus.
Celebrating the Seasons: Winter Solstice
Lore and Rituals by Selena Fox
Winter Solstice also known as Yule, Christmas, and Saturnalia, occurs in mid December. It celebrates the birth of the new Solar year and the beginning of Winter. The Goddess manifests as the Great Mother and the God as the Sun Child. The God also appears as Santa Claus and Old Man Winter. Colors are Red, Green, and White. This is a festival of inner renewal.
Strengthen bonds with family and friends by visiting and/or exchanging gifts and greetings. Decorate your home with lights, greens, and holiday colors. Bless your home with a Yule wreath on your front door and sprigs of mistletoe inside. If you are part of a group, take up a collection of food and/or clothing at your Yule gathering and give what you collected to a social service agency to distribute to the needy. Place sunflower seeds outside for wild birds to feast upon. Greet the Sun at dawn on Solstice morning by ringing bells. Do magic for a more peaceful planet.
• Celebrating Winter Solstice
• Sacred Plants of Winter Solstice
• Pagan Yuletide Greenery
• Pagan Yuletide Chants
• Winter Solstice Celebrations for Families and Households
• Saturnalia: Winter Solstice in Pagan Rome
• Saturnalia Poem
• Wintertime Wassail
• About Circle Sanctuary's Annual Winter Solstice Celebration in Madison
• About Circle Community Yule at Circle Sanctuary Nature Preserve
Contents © 1998-2006 by Circle Sanctuary. All rights reserved worldwide.
Circle Sanctuary shall not be liable in the event of incidental
or consequential damages arising from the use of information supplied herein.
If you have any comments or questions about this webpage, please email our webmaster@circlesanctuary.org.
Christmas and Yule Customs
by Rick Hayward
This article was a text file in the library of a local Pagan BBS years ago.
Now that Christmas is fast approaching and the year has once more come full circle, most of us will soon be busy adorning the house with brightly colored decorations, a Christmas tree and all the other paraphernalia that goes to create a festive atmosphere.
Holly and mistletoe will almost certainly be included in our decorations as evergreens have been used in the winter festivities from very ancient times and definitely long before Christianity appeared on the scene.
What Christians celebrate as the birthday of Christ is really something that was superimposed on to a much earlier pagan festival--that which celebrated the Winter Solstice or the time when the Sun reaches its lowest point south and is reborn at the beginning of a new cycle of seasons.
In Northern Europe and Scandinavia it was noted by the early Christian scholar, Bede, that the heathens began the year on December 25th which they called Mother's Night in honor of the great Earth Mother. Their celebrations were held in order to ensure fertility and abundance during the coming year, and these included much feasting, burning of lamps, lighting of great fires (the Yule fires) and exchanges of gifts.
The Romans, too, held their great celebrations--Saturnalia-- from December 17th to 25th and it was the latter date which they honored as the birthday of the Unconquered Sun. The Saturnalia was characterized by much merry-making, sometimes going to riotous extremes, with masters and slaves temporarily exchanging roles. The use of evergreens to decorate the streets and houses was also very much in evidence at this great winter festival.
That we now celebrate the birth of Christ at the same time is largely due to the early Church Fathers who found it was much easier to win converts to the faith by making Christ's birthday coincide with an already long established pagan festival. In fact, it wasn't until the 4th century that Pope Julius I finally established the 25th as the official birthday of Christ; earlier Christians differed widely as to this date-- some choosing September 29th, while others held that January 6th or March 29th were the correct dates.
As we have seen, the pagan element in Christmas lives on in the festival at the Winter Solstice. But these elements are also very much alive in our use of evergreens as decorations at this time of year.
Like most evergreens, the holly and mistletoe have long been held to symbolize eternal life, regeneration and rebirth.
Holly, with its bright red berries and dark spiky foliage, has been revered from ancient times as a symbol of life everlasting. It was associated with strength and masculinity and was considered useful in the treatment of various ailments which were seen to lower the vital spirits.
In old England, a decoction of holly leaves was considered a cure for worms; but most of all this prickly evergreen was looked upon as a luck bringer--particularly in rural areas where a bunch of holly hung in the cow shed or stable was thought to favor the animals if placed there on Christmas Eve. Many people used to take a piece of holly from the church decorations at Christmas as a charm against bad luck in the coming year. Holly was also considered a very protective tree which, if planted outside the house, was believed to avert lightning, fire and the evil spells of witches.
An old holly spell describes how to know one's future spouse. At midnight on a Friday, nine holly leaves must be plucked and tied with nine knots in a three-cornered cloth. This is then placed under the pillow and, provided silence is observed from the time of plucking until dawn the next day, your future spouse will come to you in your dreams.
In certain areas of Wales, it was thought extremely unlucky to bring holly into the house before December 24th and if you did so there would be family quarrels and domestic upheavals. You would also be inviting disaster if you burned green holly or squashed the red berries.
Turning now to mistletoe, it seems that this is by far the most mystical of the plants associated with Christmas and has, from very ancient times, been treated as magical or sacred. It is often included in modern Christmas decorations simply for the fun of kissing beneath it and, though this seems to be a peculiarly English custom, it probably harks back to the mistletoe's association with fertility.
The real reason why mistletoe is now associated with Christmas is very much a carry-over from ancient practices, when it was considered as somehow belonging to the gods. The Roman historian, Pliny, gives an early account of how the Druids would hold a very solemn ceremony at the Winter Solstice when the mistletoe had to be gathered, for the Druids looked upon this unusual plant, which has no roots in the earth, as being of divine origin or produced by lightning. Mistletoe which grew on the oak was considered especially potent in magical virtues, for it was the oak that the Druids held as sacred to the gods.
At the Winter Solstice, the Druids would lead a procession into the forest and, on finding the sacred plant growing on an oak, the chief priest, dressed all in white, would climb the tree and cut the mistletoe with a knife or sickle made of gold. The mistletoe was not allowed to touch the ground and was therefore caught in a white linen cloth.
On securing the sacred mistletoe, the Druids would then carry it to their temple where it would be laid beneath the altar stone for three days. Early on the fourth day, which would correspond to our Christmas Day, it was taken out, chopped into pieces and handed out among the worshippers. The berries were used by the priests to heal various diseases.
Mistletoe was considered something of a universal panacea, as can be gleaned from the ancient Celtic word for it--uile, which literally translated means 'all-healer'. A widespread belief was that mistletoe could cure anything from headaches to epilepsy; and indeed modern research has shown that the drug guipsine which is used in the treatment of nervous illnesses and high blood pressure is contained in mistletoe.
Until quite recently the rural folk of Sweden and Switzerland believed that the mistletoe could only be picked at certain times and in a special way if its full potency as healer and protector was to be secured. The Sun must be in Sagittarius (close to the Winter Solstice) and the Moon must be on the wane and, following ancient practices, the mistletoe must not be just picked but shot or knocked down and caught before reaching the ground.
Not only was mistletoe looked upon as a healer of all ills, but if hung around the house was believed to protect the home against fire and other hazards. As the mistletoe was supposed to have been produced by lightning, it had the power to protect the home against thunder bolts by a kind of sympathetic magic.
Of great importance, however, was the power of mistletoe to protect against witchcraft and sorcery. This is evident in an old superstition which holds that a sprig of mistletoe placed beneath the pillow will avert nightmares (once considered to be the product of evil demons).
In the north of England, it used to be the practice of farmers to give mistletoe to the first cow that calved after New Year's Day. This was believed to ensure health to the stock and a good milk yield throughout the year. Underlying this old belief is the fear of witches or mischievous fairy folk who could play havoc with dairy produce, so here mistletoe was used as a counter magic against such evil influences. In Sweden, too, a bunch of this magical plant hung from the living room ceiling or in the stable or cow-shed was thought to render trolls powerless to work mischief.
With such a tremendous array of myth, magic and folklore associated with it, reaching far back into the pagan past, it is understandable that even today this favorite Christmas plant is forbidden in many churches. Yet even the holly and the ivy, much celebrated in a popular carol of that title, were once revered as sacred and magical by our pre-Christian ancestors.
In view of what has been said, one could speculate that even if Christianity had never emerged it is more than likely that we would still be getting ready for the late-December festivities, putting up decorations, including holly and mistletoe, in order to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun, the great giver and sustainer of all earthly life.
Midwinter Night's Eve: Yule
by Mike Nichols
Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak a few days before the 25th, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, caroling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the Baby Sun-God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course.
In fact, if truth be known, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even made illegal in Boston! The holiday was already too closely associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes. And many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the Christian Savior.
Ultimately, of course, the holiday is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is the Winter Solstice that is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.
That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps even more so, as the Christians were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month. Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons.
There was never much pretense that the date they finally chose was historically accurate. Shepherds just don't 'tend their flocks by night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus’ birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night' -- to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of the Church continued to reject December 25, preferring a 'movable date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon.
Thus, despite its shaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a single day, but rather a period of twelve days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations.
Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations of Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of last year's log. Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn dollies were carried from house to house while caroling, fertility rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins.
For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. This year (1988) it occurs on December 21st at 9:28 am CST. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred object.
Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not medicinally! It's highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was the 'wassail cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term 'waes hael' (be whole or hale).
Medieval Christmas folklore seems endless: that animals will all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm' on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow, that 'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that 'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May', that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on.
Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!'
This file contains eight seasonal articles by Mike Nichols. They may be freely distributed provided that the following conditions are met: (1) No fee is charged for their use and distribution and no commercial use is made of them; (2) These files are not changed or edited in any way without the author's permission; (3) This notice is not removed. An article may be distributed as a separate file, provided that this notice is repeated at the beginning of each such file. These articles are periodically updated by the author; this version is current as of 9/28/88.
