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 parchment 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 walk around the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights when I was a young girl, a practice I admit to love doing with my husband. 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 Bethlehem 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 amusing.
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 Zeus. The white berries represented Zeus' 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 Zeus.
- 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 Sabat 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
