Yule

Raymond · Yule

Now we are finally in December I will (no doubt) get all caught up in planning my group's Yule celebrations so I'm posting my 'Sabbat meaning' post a little earlier than I would with other Sabbats.

YULE (pronounced: YOOL) (Also known as: Midwinter, Winter Solstice)

Many cultures have winter festivals that are in fact celebrations of light. In addition to Christmas, there's Hanukkah with its brightly lit menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, and any number of other holidays.

The Pagan holiday called Yule takes place on the day of the winter solstice, around December 21. On that day (or close to it), an amazing thing happens in the sky. The earth's axis tilts away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere, and the sun reaches at its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. As a festival of the Sun, the most important part of any Yule celebration is light - candles, bonfires, and more.

Origins of Yule
In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated for millenia. The Norse peoples viewed it as a time for much feasting, merrymaking, and, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins.

Celtic Celebrations of Winter
The Celts of the British Isles celebrated this midwinter holiday as well. Although little is known about the specifics of what they did, many traditions persist. According to the writings of Julius Caesar, this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.

Roman Saturnalia
Few cultures knew how to party like the Romans. Saturnalia was a festival of general merrymaking and debauchery held around the time of the winter solstice. This week-long party was held in honour of the god Saturn, and involved sacrifices, gift-giving, special privileges for slaves, and a lot of feasting. Although this holiday was partly about giving presents, more importantly, it was to honour an agricultural god.

Welcoming the Sun Through the Ages
Four thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to celebrate the daily rebirth of Horus - the god of the Sun. As their culture flourished and spread throughout Mesopotamia, other civilizations decided to get in on the sun-welcoming action. They found that things went really well... until the weather got cooler, and crops began to die. Each year, this cycle of birth, death and rebirth took place, and they began to realise that every year after a period of cold and darkness, the Sun did indeed return.

Winter festivals were also common in Greece and Rome, as well as in the British Isles. When the new religion called Christianity popped up, the new hierarchy had trouble converting the Pagans, and as such, folks didn't want to give up their old holidays.
Within a few centuries, the Christians had everyone celebrating a new holiday on December 25.

In some traditions of Wicca and Paganism, the Yule celebration comes from the Celtic legend of the battle between the young Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King, representing the light of the new year, tries each year to usurp the old Holly King, who is the symbol of darkness. Re-enactment of the battle is popular in some Wiccan rituals.

Modern day celebrations of Yule.
Modern pagans usually gather on or around the 21st of December and celebrate the re-birth of the Sun. The 21st is the shortest day of the year and each day after that the Sun will (little by little) stay longer in the sky, so pagans see the shortest day as the day when the Sun is re-born, (maybe that's why the christians chose this time of year to celebrate the birth of Christ).

Going into a Pagan home at this time of year isn't very different from going into a Christian home.
Pagans decorate their homes usually with Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe and the centre of attention will usually be the highly decorated Yule Log.
Pagans also bring evergreen trees into their homes and decorate them, however they will usually refer to them as Yule trees rather than Christmas trees.

Yule rituals usually aren't as formal as other rituals throughout the year with the emphasis being more on feasting and merrymaking than anything else.
Pagans also give each other gifts at Yule .

A Happy And Peaceful Yule To You All

Samjaza

Anyone see that Hugh Fearnley Wittingstall guy with that witch looking for the yule log in the woods on TV t'other night?
Love the winter solstice, the sun king returns for us ooop in the north hemisphere.
I will be in india all over the solstice/xmas/new year dodging bullets

Anyway happy hijacked pagan festival to you all!

Antnicuk

Raymond

david hobbs

Now that is Sooo British.

Winston Churchill was once awoken on a freezing winters morning by one of his aids.

Sir we have a crisis on our hands.

W.... What is it that you need to wake me at his bloody time of the morning.

Sir two male members of the Household Cavalry have been found half naked in a compromising situation in one of her Majesty's parks. The news is out and questions will be asked in the house

W...... At what time was this.

Sir it was around 2.30 AM.

W...... But it was below freezing last night.

Yes sir it was.

Winston thought for a moment and then declared.

Makes you proud to be British.

Indeed sir........

Raymond

Ahhh yes, good old Winnie. Known as much for his wit as his political expertise.

Raymond

At an elegant dinner party, Lady Astor once leaned across the table to remark, "Sir, you were my husband, I'd poison your coffee."
"Madam, if you were my wife, I'd poison my coffee" came Churchill's unhesitating retort.

Some Churchill quotes:

"A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject."

"It is no use saying, 'We are doing our best.' You have got to succeed in doing what is necessary."

"The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes."

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire."

"The problems of victory are more agreeable than the problems of defeat, but they are no less difficult."

"Democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried."

and my personal favourite:

"The inherent vice of capitalism is the uneven division of blessings, while the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal division of misery."