Yule- On the First Day…
On this day, December 21, 2021 starts the Yuletide season for 2021. Yule is celebrated for 12 days long, starting with the Winter Solstice and ends on Saturday, January 1, 2022.
Yule
Yule, also referred to as Yuletide is an ancient pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, which is the longest night and shortest day of the year. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Earth’s axis tilts away from the sun, making it the shortest day, but slowly the days start to become longer. With this comes a celebration of light and renewal. Leaving the old year behind and rebirth of the new year.
Let us go back in time, thousands of years ago. Ancient humans were hunters and farmers, and seasons played an important role in their lives. The sun and moon were worshipped, and seasons of change were celebrated. Midwinter celebrations have been celebrated by Europeans for millennia. Thus, the overall Winter Solstice/Yule traditions have origins across Europe:
Norse: Ancient people of Northern Europe, or Norsemen, viewed the sun as an ancient wheel and it was the wheel or houl/Hjol, that the word Yule is thought to have come. The sun was responsible for the changing of seasons as it turned. Their midwinter feast was called Jul, originating from the old word Jol, which the festival Jolablot was associated with the rebirth of the sun. The feast included drinking, celebrating the Norse gods and dead friends and peace. Norse mythology eventually seeped into other European traditions and the celebration of Yule. This includes the myth of the “Wild Hunt of Odin,” which takes place during Yuletide. We will learn more about him later. The Norse people celebrated midwinter with light by lighting things, such as candles and trees. They also gave gifts of exchange in celebrating the end of the harsh winter and shorter days, welcoming in the new year.
Germanic: Yule is a Germanic indigenous festival and is considered the most popular and holiest of holidays. The Germans celebrated Yuletide for twelve days. They also honored the Norse God Odin and celebrated his wild hunt which happened during this time. This holiday marks the return of the God Baldur (Balder/Baldr- who is the son of the God Odin and Frigg) from the realm of Hel, thus loosening of winters grip on the frozen earth. The first night of Yule is called “Mothernight” where the spirits Frigga and Disir, are honored as they represent the rebirth of the dark winter. The twelve days include baking, feasting, dancing, and decorating homes. It was also practiced during this time to swear oath on a hallowed boar (later boar shaped bread in Swedish customs), horn or cup while drinking. This is the beginning of the “New Year’s Resolution” tradition that still lives on today.
Romans/Saturnalia. Saturnalia is an ancient Roman holiday surrounding the Winter Solstice. The pagan holiday is in celebration of Saturn, the Roman god of agriculture and evolved into a weeklong celebration. With the Julian Calendar, which the ancient Romans used, the winter solstice fell on 25 December. During the celebration, work, business, and schools were closed and suspended. Homes were decorated with wreathes and other greenery. Romans celebrated Saturnalia by gambling, singing, dancing, music, feasting and exchanging gifts, including paper candles. The Saturnalia was the jolliest of celebrations known for loud music and festivities.
Of course many of these customs spanned across all parts of Europe and Scandinavia, growing and borrowing from each other, and adapting into their own unique traditions as time passed on.
“You can take the Yule out of paganism, but you can’t take the paganism out of Yule.”
Many Yule traditions were adopted over time and incorporated into Christmas traditions. As Christianity spread through Europe, many of the old pagan traditions were added and mixed in with what we may view as Christmas traditions in our modern times. First and foremost, Yule was a celebration of nature, the Winter Solstice, and rebirth. Norse, Celtics, Germans, and Romans all used natural decorations with wreaths and evergreen trees. Pinecones, greenery, nuts and berries, mistletoe, and holly all originate back to ancient Yule traditions. Evergreen trees, known for symbolizing life were brought into ancient homes and decorated. The Yule log was used as part of the celebration by burning the log on the Winter Solstice night in celebration of the returning of the sun. The celebrating with a feast, singing, dancing, lighting candles, burning logs, and exchanging gifts all originated with Yule.
Odin, the Norse mythical god with the long white beard, is thought to have inspired some of the “Santa Claus” characteristics. I must make it clear; this is not discounting St. Nicholas in any way. Odin, sometimes referred to as “Yule Father” was honored and celebrated during Yule. It is believed that “Odin raced across the windy night skies leading his pack of gods, elves, beasts and ancestral spirits in a great hunt against the ice giants and the forces of darkness”(Sons of Vikings). It is said he flew through the night sky on a magical, eight-legged horse named Sleipnir. Sleipnir was sometimes described as pulling Odin on a sleigh. This great hunt, where he fought frost giants and darkness (winter) happened during the Yule season.
If you have a minute, I would invite you to read the poem by Mary Cooper linked below, it is beautiful and unique to Winter Solstice and Yule.
During the next “Twelve Days of…” I will introduce you to fun Christmas traditions and stories of old-time pasts.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/wintersolstice.shtml
https://www.vikingmartialarts.com/vikingculture/2017/12/19/viking-yule
https://sonsofvikings.com/blogs/history/viking-origins-of-christmas-yule-traditions