Blessings to you from the Earth Mother.
Blessings to you from the Sky Father.
Blessings to you from the Great Spirit.
May you have a wonderful Holiday.
The time has come for the sun to be reborn.
What is Yule?
- Yule is an ancient multi-day Pagan winter solstice festival dating back thousands of years (long before jews invented Christianity).
- Yule (21 or 22 Dec in the Northern Hemisphere, 20 or 21 June in the Southern Hemisphere) is an important Pagan holiday.
- We celebrate the longest night of the year, the shortest day, the return of the sun, and the eventual return of spring, life, and fertility.
- Yule is a bright, light-filled feast with friends, family and loved ones.
- It is a perfect reminder in the dark depths of winter that light and life are always present.
- The word Yule may have Anglo-Saxon origins relating to the word wheel in reference to the sun’s cycles.
- Christmas is a perverse corruption of Yule.
How is Yule celebrated?
Feasting
- Farmers slaughter cattle and hunters provide boar and stag for feasting.
- Wine, beer, and other spirits created in the previous six months are consumed.
- Plenty of wheat products are eaten. This includes breads, cookies, and cakes.
Evergreen Trees
- Evergreen trees are valued at Yule because they represent protection, prosperity, and the continuity of life.
- The evergreen trees remind us that although everything seems dead, life continues.
- People hang gifts for the gods in the groves of evergreen trees and shrubs.
Yule Log
- The oak tree is considered the most potent force because it is a strong and solid wood that represents triumph and victory.
- Pagans light bonfires during Yule and these are typically made of oak wood.
- The fire is kept burning at a slow rate for 12 days and then the ashes are sprinkled in the field for good luck.
Plants and Berries
- Plants like mistletoe, ivy, and holly are brought indoors to assure safety to the residing woodland spirits over the harsh winter months.
- In particular, ivy stands for healing, fidelity, and marriage, and is fashioned into crowns, wreaths, and garlands.
- Druids greatly value the power of mistletoe and they dance around oaks that bear mistletoe.
Symbols of Yule
The symbols are of fertility, life, renewal, and hope. In addition to the above-mentioned symbolism:
- Colour. The main colours are red, green, and white. The holly’s red berries mean blood of life, the mistletoe’s white berries stand for purity and necessity of wintertime, and green symbolizes continuity of life.
- Holly.The masculine element and protection (due to the prickliness of the leaves).
- Yule Tree. The Tree of Life. It is decorated with symbols of deities, as well as natural objects such as pine-cones, fruit, candles, and berries.
- Wreaths. These symbolize the cyclical nature of the year and also friendship and joy.
- Carol singing. People go from door to door singing songs. In return, they are given a small gift as a symbol of blessings for the new year.
- Bells. Bells are rung to ring away the darkness of winter, and to welcome the sunshine of spring.
A Pagan Yule song: Solstice Carole
Lively Celtic music: The Laxey Reels (Laxey is in Isle of Man)
Keep the yid out of Yule.
Toward the Light 