April 12, 2023 at 7:00 a.m. EDT. The candles are also important. Decorate the home with ribbons and garlands, and the Yule Tree. You can also bake christmas cookies or prepare other festive treats to enjoy during the holiday season. Thewinter solstice is a time of reflection, during the darkest and longest night of the year. The year is coming to an end quickly, on this day one should take time to finish up any tasks left to do. These are just some of the ways that you can celebrate the 12 days of yule. Similarly, some Wiccans project a parallel ever-shifting nature onto the masculine deity. Its known as a kissing plant, but its great for protection as well! Some people like to add a small incantation to the process, like this one: Yule is here, and I smudge this place,Fresh and clean, in time and space.Sage and sweetgrass, burning free,as the sun returns, so it shall be. Today Yule is still an important holiday. I recommend casting a defensive protection spell during the Winter Solstice rather than an offensive spell. Its a day to pull out preferred divination sets and use them for the coming year. Another common tradition is to exchange gifts. All rights reserved. Are there really 12 days of Christmas? Gifts are often exchanged, and special foods are enjoyed. Yule is a time to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the new year ahead. Focus on this time of new beginnings with your [47] Sextus Julius Africanus (c.160 c.240) gave 25 March as the day of creation and of the conception of Jesus. The yule log was a huge log that was part of European Christmas celebrations for centuries. And yes, its the origin of the Christian 12 Days of Christmas. then simply light a fire during the morning and let it burn all day. Pagan Practice for Families with Children, Eight Things to Hang on a Pagan Holiday Tree, Items to represent the elements of earth, air, fire and water. For Yule, you will need a Yule log, candles, a bowl of water, herbs, and a bowl of salt. The other Wiccan festivals are thought to represent various points in the courtship of these two deities. "Merry Christmas!" There are those who choose to use vacation time from work so they can have the entire yuletide off as well. Newspapers? If you have a fireplace (gas, electric, real, etc.) In modern times Yule as a solstice celebration is observed by many Neo-Pagans, both as individuals and as groups. Winter is represented by fir, Spring by daffodils, Summer by roses, and Fall by oak leaves. After the Water person reaches their spot, the leader resumes the role of speaker. Each holds one of the three white candles. Get your bathroom clean. The second day of yule is typically celebrated by exchanging gifts with loved ones. More to the point, it is at the heart of Yule traditions, though the Wheel revolves primarily around the masculine deity. After all, that is when the shortest day is on that side of the planet. Many people around the world celebrate the Christmas holiday season, and many of those people celebrate for 12 days. [48] The tractate De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae falsely attributed to John Chrysostom also argued that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as 25 March. Many Wiccans use green Yule decorations to invite all these things into their homes in the upcoming year. Before you hold your Yule ritual, you may want to set up an altar to celebrate the season. The upcoming winter solstice is a great time to reflect on the past year and start thinking about what you would like for next year. This blog post will provide an overview of Yule in general, including its history as well as some popular rituals and traditions you can use to celebrate the holiday! Some historians think that sacrifices were an important part of the observance, either to the gods and other supernatural beings (such as elves) or to the dead or both. You're not obligated to keep things you don't like, don't need, or don't use, and the less physical clutter you have laying around, the easier it is to function on an emotional and spiritual level. Of course, some Wiccans believe that the end-of-the-year festivities should start on Samhain, which is also known as the Witches New Year. Remember the song of 12 Days of Christmas includes: Your article about the yule log repeats a debunked theory about the date of Christmas. he Philocalian calendar of AD 354, part VI, gives a festival of NATALIS INVICTI on 25 December. And while we do, try to figure out how these pagan festivities have influenced the creation of Christmas. Yule is typically celebrated around the winter solstice, which is the shortest day of the year. So that may be another potential origin of the Christian Santa Claus character. Many people spend time cooking traditional holiday foods and enjoying time together. You can also start wrapping christmas gifts to get ready for the holiday season. Perhaps your deity has blessed you in some special way, and to honor him or her, you want to share your good fortune with others. Customs and traditions associated withYule vary widely. Adorn your home with evergreen boughs, holly, pine cones, and other winter trinkets. Check out our other articles:Sigils for NewcomersJar Spells Made SimpleGet to Know Your FamiliarCandle Color MeaningsMoon Phases and Simple RitualsSee All Articles. Of course, the Winter Solstice doesnt fall on the same dates in the Southern Hemisphere as it does in the Northern part of the globe. Day 4: Coyote Day!! Copyright 2023 Wicca Academy. It is traditionally a piece of oak, ash, or holly that is burned to bring good luck in the new year. There is limited evidence that this festival was celebrated before the mid-4th century. The 12 days of Christmas are also a time for reflection. Other natural items like pine cones, herbs, There is no one answer to this question as Yule is a holiday that is celebrated by a variety of different religions. From Germanic sources stories of the Goddess Berchta expected you to complete all work prior to Yule, punishing those who had left work undone. Amen.". The date varies with location, but it always falls before or after December 21st each year. But even if youre not familiar with the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, you might still recognize elements of this festival in another mainstream holiday Christmas. Yule is one of the oldest pagan winter solstice holidays. If your family uses a holiday tree during the Yule If nothing else, gathering items associated with Yule is much easier and cheaper than getting Christmas decorations. During the Winter Solstice, you can celebrate light (as the days will get lighter from here on out), friendship, health, winter, darkness, and just about anything else youd like. Yule is a time to celebrate the return of the sun and the beginning of a new year. The celebration of the Yule holiday is a time to clean your home and purge everything that no longer serves you. Tied with red ribbon, such logs make ideal Christmasgifts! The Yule log would feed the fire through the 12 Days of Christmas (from Christmas Day through the evening of the 5th of Januaryknown as TwelfthNight). Its often associated with money, wealth, and good fortune. This evening is to honor the male spirits that protect us. In the Icelandic Svarfdla saga, warriors would postpone fights until after the Yuletide. The salt is used to represent the ocean and the sky. The yule log was lit on Christmas Day and burned for the following Twelve Thank you for everything you all do in honor of those of us who are Pagan and celebrate Yule. Today, Wiccans would get a 1418-inch long log and decorate it with dried berries, evergreen twigs, pine cones, ribbons, feathers, and cinnamon sticks. Wigington, Patti. Here are the themes for each traditional day of Yule based on the twelve astrological houses and the values of the Wheel of the Year. One of these is the Yule log, still popular today although usually in altered form. Cover the altar with a winter-themed altar cloth if possible, and in the center, three white candles in individual candleholders. Take a moment now and consider how much good your donation might do.. The person standing at the north should take their bowl of earth or stones, and begin walking around the outside of the circle. The Christmas tree is a symbol of the Yule log and is traditionally decorated with candles, ornaments, and garland. Other possible explanations include the fact that many Christmas traditions originated in Ireland and Scotland. If you can't get something put away, get rid of it. Yule became a name for Christmas about the 9th century, and in many languages yule and its cognates are still used to describe that holidayjul in Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish; joulud in Estonian; joulu in Finnish; and jol in Icelandic. This can include a christmas tree, ornaments, lights, and other festive decorations. Im so fascinated in this tradition I want to learn all I can. [43][45][46] It was a traditional Jewish belief that great men lived a whole number of years, without fractions, so that Jesus was considered to have been conceived on 25 March, as he died on 25 March, which was calculated to have coincided with 14 Nisan. You could even leave behind an offering of bird seeds or nuts as a token of gratitude. In any case, Yule is only one of eight Wiccan holidays that exist on the Wheel of the Year. This could be done as a family activity or you could read a different christmas story each day. Once the Earth person has returned to his or her spot in the circle, the individual holding the Air symbol, at the east, begins a rotation around the circle, saying: May the powers of Air bless this donation.Air is the soul, the breath of life in a community.Wisdom and intuition, the knowledge we share freely,Air carries away troubles from our community.With these powers of Air, we bless this donation.. Once you start looking for the connections, you wont be able to stop! These 12 days are better known to most people today as the We sincerely wish you a joyful Yuletide and a prosperous year ahead! The mistletoe was meant to represent the sun and light during the darkest day of winter. The Fae can be a bit more provocative and aggressive than humans, so its hard for us to understand what a celebration looks like. But if those options arent available to you, you could attach a few candles to the log and burn it symbolically. In other cases, it may represent nature, springtime, and the environment. Today,Yule and Yuletidearelargely synonymous with Christmas and Christmastide, but the meaning behindYule is quite different from that of the Christianholiday. Let them dry completely before hanging them back in. The festival was at one point connected to the Norse god Odin, who is also called the Yule father. The date varies because our calendars arent exactly aligned with the Sun. Eastern Orthodox churches use a different religious calendar, so their 12 days of Christmas start on Jan. 7 and run through the Epiphany on Jan. 19. Smudge your home with one of the following: To do a smudging, start at your front door with your incense or smudge stick in a censer or bowl. It is not just about the rebirth of the God figure in lore. Once you've completed the smudging, sit back and enjoy the positive energy that comes with having a clean physical space. A Yule wreath is an excellent substitute. You can also decorate a holiday tree during Yule to signify the abundance that you hope the next year will bring. The celebration of Yuleis one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. Apple Music Classical app - HOW TO PRE-ORDER. A Yule tree or wreath may have red and gold ribbons on it as well as decorative lights. ! Yule is a time to celebrate the hope of returning light and life. There are so many different traditional Yule recipes from various cultures. By taking some hours during Decembers lead-up period to deep cleanse both mind and house, we can set ourselves up with an open heart without all those old mental clutter holding us back. The HPs says: It is the season of the Crone, the time of the winter goddess.Tonight we celebrate the festival of the winter solstice,the rebirth of the Sun, and the return of light to the Earth.As the Wheel of the Year turns once more,we honor the eternal cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. And the idea that evergreen plants represent immortality isnt the only meaning many of them carry. However, rather than having a cycle of courting, impregnation, and birth, the beliefs surrounding the two kings usually center on their battle for dominance. Each of the eight festivals on the pagan calendar corresponds to the years main solar events, namely solstices, equinoxes, and the intervening cross-quarter events. Without even doing anything beyond what you would probably normally do, you can make each of the twelve days a holiday for your kids. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. The 12 days of Yule are celebrated from December 21 to January 1. So lets talk about Yuletide! There are both traditional songs honoring gods and goddesses, and modern hits rewritten to fit the Yule holiday. THE 12 DAYS OF YULE IN MODERN PRACTICE While we do not have clear historical evidence pointing to how each day of Yule was celebrated, that hasnt stopped and "Happy Holidays!". Green is also considered to be a lucky color in many cultures. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Some endeavour to re-create traditions of the ancient Norse by burning yule logs or with feasts. It beganas part of the wintersolsticefestivities. For pagans, Yule is a time to celebrate the god of the sun, while for Christians, it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is thought that the original Yule log was a large log that burned throughout the entire multiday festival, for as many as 12 days. However, that date tends to move around from year to year. Modern practices include the nightly lighting of candles honoring the Nine Noble Virtues which come from Odinism or Asatruism. Thank you for the wisdom of your years,and for seeing the season through to its end.You have stepped aside that the new season may begin,and for this we give you honor. Pagan holidays are often associated with druids, so it makes sense that some of the earliest Winter Solstice rituals come from the Celtic priests of ancient Britain. Haakon became Christian after a visit to England, and after his return to Norway he put into law that Yule should be celebrated at the same time as Christmas. Schools and businesses were closed so that everyone could celebrate the holiday. If you have carpets and rugs, sprinkle them with baking soda and give them a good hearty vacuuming. This is a great way to cleanse yourself and look ahead to the future. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. In the harsh climate of northern Europe, most cattle were slaughtered because they could not be fed during the winter. If you've got a filter on your home's heating system, now's a good time to replace it with a new, fresh one. The sixth day of yule is typically celebrated by singing christmas carols. Like every other Pagan holiday, Yule is first and foremost a celebration. Before you drop them off at the shelter, library, food pantry or wherever why not invoke the elements to do a formal blessing of the donated items? Giuli was a two-month span that marked the time when sunlight began to increase again at the winter solstice. It has been celebrated for thousands of years by various cultures, with a wide variety of rituals and traditions. Candles can also be a good source of fire for Winter Solstice rituals. Yule is an important holiday celebrated by many people around the world. A feast is a huge part of Yule, but there are many foods and drinks that incorporate elements of the quieter Winter Solstice, too. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. Holiday Tree Blessing Ritual. Alternatively or additionally you can cast spells for luck, abundance, appreciation. Its often used to decorate homes and trees during the holiday season. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Winter Solstice rituals almost always center around fire, so this is one element Imake sure to incorporate into my festivities. Finally, the most important part of Yule is the Christmas tree. The midwinter feast usually lasted 12 days. In my experience, this makes the money spell much more effective. Because Yule is a time to reflect, you can definitely do spells about your past, but its also a time to set your intentions for the coming year, meaning that this is a great time to do any spell that willstart something new. Many organizations do coat and clothing drives this time of year; look for one in your area. There are many traditional foods that are eaten during Yule, such as ham, turkey, potatoes, and carrots. , Thank you for the opportunity to learn about this. Once your home is ready for Yuletide festivities, you can look into local Yule celebrations. If you have curtains, take them down and launder them. If you find yourself celebrating Yuletide by your lonesome, there are several solitary rituals you can perform. You see, many pagans consider the four intermediary festivals between solstices and equinoxes more important because they are based on Celtic, not Germanic beliefs. 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With loved ones that this festival was at one point connected to the and!