The Yule is a time of the three‘s- reflection, resolution, and renewal. It is a time of family gathering, gift giving, good will, and kindness to others. We celebrate the balance of dark and light. It is celebrated on the shortest day of the year. Nearly all religions, past or present, have celebrated this time of year in one way or another. I won’t go into detail about each of these customs, as you can read more about it in YULE A CELEBRATION OF LIGHT AND WARMTH by Dorothy Morrison, published by Llewellyn Publications.
Many customs have been handed down from one generation and one tradition to another. We, as Pagans, call this time of the year Yule; but living in a country, which is predominantly Christian, usually just refers to the time as Christmas. This is because most of us were brought up in Christian homes and only in recent years discovered that the “different” feeling we held inside of ourselves was a personal relationship with our Mother Earth and with the Goddesses and Gods. Whatever we call it, it is a time when the Sun God makes his entrance to return to longer daylight hours, after months of remaining hidden and allowing the Gods of darkness to allow the Earth to rest and be ready to renew itself.
Just a brief overview of some traditions will be covered here.
For instance, bells are an ancient Pagan tradition thought to drive away the evil spirits that the cold, dark winter months brought. A bird’s Yule tree was decorated outside with grains, seeds and fruits to help get the wildlife through the winter sparseness. Pagans believe in helping all aspects of life on Earth and the Yule tree for the birds was only one way of doing this.
Ringing in the Christmas night with church bells is another throwback to Pagan beliefs of making loud noises to drive away the night demons.
Candles are used in every religion. They bring a warmth and glow to our surroundings and again were thought to drive away the demons of the long winter nights and to urge to forthcoming rays of the Sun. Today electric lighting has replaced the dangerous candles on the trees
Peppermint tea ( and later candy canes) was a way of symbolizing the coolness of winter and the warmth of the Sun’s heat to come.
Evergreens were one of the earliest traditions, because the perpetual green held power over death and destruction, again to defeat the winter demons.
Holly represents the symbol of rebirth. it was place in homes to repel negativity and hold back bad weather.
The Druids gave mistletoe to us. The berried plant represented the “semen of the Gods” bringing fertility and abundance. Once hung in the home, it remained until being replaced with fresh mistletoe the following Yule.
Ornaments came about by trimming our evergreen trees with fresh fruits, flowers, and candy. Today the rule seems to be the more sparkle the better. The round shape of the balls we hang represents the shape of the Sun.
The reindeer date back to Freya whose stags pulled her chariot of this Norse gift-giving Goddess. The sleigh again can be trace back to Freya.
The wreath was trace back to the Pagan idea of the unending circle of life everlasting - birth , death, and rebirth.
The Yule log is lit as a symbol of the rebirth of the Oak King, symbolizing the light of the New Year, in its battle to overcome the darkness of the year represented by the Holly King. Evergreen branches were added to the fire to represent the Holly King. It was normally a large oak tree that burned continuously for twelve days. It represents the death of darkness and the rebirth of the warmth of the newly born solar New Year. A bit of the charred wood was saved to start the next year’s Yule Fire.
SUPERSTITIONS AND OMENS HANDED DOWN
Everyone has been told that farm animals speak on Christmas Eve, but it is unlucky to hear them speaking.
Ghosts will never bother babies born on Christmas Day, as ghosts will not come out on Christmas Day.
Eating mincemeat pie on Christmas is good luck. Be sure to eat plum pudding on Christmas or you’ll lose a friend before the next Christmas.
Leave a loaf of bread open on the kitchen table after Christmas dinner to ensure plenty of bread and food in the coming year. Cakes shouldn’t be cut until Christmas Eve and leave an uneaten piece after Christmas Day is over.
If giving clothing for gifts, do not was or press them first; this takes away the good luck and irons in the bad.
Don’t bring holly into your home until Christmas Eve and it must stay until after January 6 for good luck. Never get rid of evergreens, They should be burn at Imbolc for good luck...but do not burn the holly...lay it out for the birds to get the seeds.
If Christmas Eve is starry and clear, summer harvest will be fruitful. The twelve days of Christmas represents the twelve months of the year as a prediction of weather forecasting. If snow doesn’t fall on Christmas, Easter and the spring equinox will be very cold. Breezes on Christmas will bring good luck during the year.
The Yule tide season is a time of cleaning, sweeping out the old, and making room for the new. One chant while sweeping the cobwebs and dirt is:
“As I sweep and sing this song. Useless stuff be now gone,
Clear out now - you cannot stay, make room for brighter days.”
As you wash your curtains, add a tablespoon of thyme in an old sock to the rinse cycle, chanting:
“Rinse away the blocks in life. Rinse away all stress and strife. Replace the void with happiness. Prepare the way for new success.”
For cleaning glass and mirrors, use rubbing alcohol and old newspapers:
“Alcohol, cut through life’s mess
Reflect instead newfound success.”Sprinkle backing soda on carpets and vacuum:
“Negative energy, you cannot hide, I suck you up from deep inside,
The places where you grow and breed, Be gone from here - my words now heed.”Some preventive steps to take to ensure success in the coming year:
Close all drawers and doors immediately to keep people from gossiping about you. Make sure all toilet seats and covers are down when not being used. This ensures personal wealth from escaping the home.
Burn bayberry candles to repel negativity and to draw money to the home.
Children’s Yule-tide Prayer:
“Ancient Ones from near and far
Protect our children from all war
Give them peace, and hope and love
And clean air that blows free from above
A world with fish, and trees, and Sun
Where they are safe when day is done
Watch over them and guide them, please
As I will, so mote it be.
RECIPES
MOCK MINCEMEAT PIE
This pie originally called for finely diced lamb, but all meat products were pretty much deleted years ago.
2 pie crusts
2 cups peeled
chopped apples
1 cup raisins
1 cup brown sugar
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/8 t. salt
1 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 9” pie pan with one crust and set aside. Combine all other ingredients, mix well and pour into pie pan. Cover with second crust, sealing edges and cut patterns on top. Sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 and bake 45 minutes more. Serve warm. Serves 6.
PLUM PUDDING
Plum pudding must age, so prepare 4 weeks before using.
1 cup milk
1 cup molasses
1 cup raisins
1 cup ground suet
3 cups flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 t. salt
Mix all ingredients together. Pour into top of oiled double boiler. Cover with foil. Simmer for 3 hours adding water to bottom as needed. Let cool, remove from pan, wrap in foil and store in refrigerator or freezer. Serves 10 - 12.
CROCK POT WASSAIL
8 cups apple juice
2 cups cranberry juice
3/4 cup sugar
1 t. allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 orange
1 box whole cloves
Pour apple and cranberry juices in crock pot, turned on high. Stir in sugar and allspice, then add cinnamon sticks. Stud orange with cloves and toss it in. Cover pot and cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low heat and simmer 3 more hours, then serve. Serves 10.