“Yule” is regarded to be one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world. It was the name of winter festival celebration according to German calendar. Yet it was more popular in Iceland and it represented the rebirth of the Sun God. [1]It is connected to the Wild Hunt, Odin the God, and the Anglo-Saxon pagan "Mothers' Night". It is held in winter solstice. It is the time when longest night and the shortest day. [2] It is starting from the night of the 21st of December and continuing up to 12 days and nights. Yule celebrations include in itself bonfires, holly decorations, mistletoe, and the boughs of evergreen trees. Sacrifice rituals, feasts, and gift-giving were also common.
Yule is the time of family union and great feast. Families usually get over a dinner table with homemade delicatessen. Some of the traditional dishes were served, such as; Yule porridge, "Yule candles" Salad. As a main dish, apples stuffed duck with Yule Mulled Wine was served too. People used to have treats of different types, such as citrus, buns with cumin, dried fruits, ginger bread and Yule log biscuit. [3] This tradition hasn’t changed since then. People still get together and enjoy family feasts.
![(pic. 3 Yule Cat[6])](https://avatars.dzeninfra.ru/get-zen_doc/9196493/pub_644195ae482fb56e704c8547_644195fcc920925e5dc7effd/scale_1200)
One of the features of Yule is obtaining new clothing. There is even an Icelandic folklore where the Yule Cat(pic. 3.1) is described as a mysterious and scary character which wanders around in snow and eats people who haven’t received any new items or gifts. It is huge, with fluffy black fur and fiery burning eyes frightening the children to this day. According to signs, if you don't put new clothes on Yule, the Cat will eat the sloth. Thus, in Yule one is supposed to wear new outfit. Despite the fact that the Yule cat is able to inspire terror, it is kind to good people and will definitely reward. [5]
In the fourth century, after Christianity was spread in Europe, the church decided to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in winter. Therefore, Yule was changed to Christmas and it remained to be a special time. People left the old beliefs behind. Nevertheless, same tradition of new outfit has remained on Christmas time and they started presenting each other new outfit, such as sweaters and socks.
The main aspects of Yule holiday were fire ceremonial. Since it was the highlight of the Solstice holiday. You could find fire burning in the fireplace, warming the owners of the house with its light. According to tradition, the log in a fireplace had to be either collected on the land of the homeowner, or donated... it should never be bought. After being dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace, it was decorated with seasonal greenery and watered with cider. Before being set on fire, it had to be lit with last year’s Ash tree log, which was kept only for that purpose. It is the sacred wood tree of the Germans, known as Yggdrasil. However, it is believed that Ash tree brings light to the hearth on the solstice. The log was supposed to burn all night and then smolder for twelve days before it was extinguished. [4]
Nowadays, the burning log in a fireplace is associated with Christmas time. It represents the light and warmth. The Ash log is still used but in a different way. People decorate it with a Mistletoe, pine tree branches and light the candles on it.
The beliefs have changed after Christianity. Instead of blessing the solstice Gods, people worship the birth of the Jesus Christ. Fir trees replaced the traditional Ash tree. Even long ago before Christianity, people worshipped plants and trees which remained green all the year. It represented the continuous of life in a grey and cold season.
After Christianity, people started decorating them with garlands and toys. Yet, at first it was still decorated with lit candles and fruits. Some people believe that the candles represent the Northern star which led the wise men to Jesus’s birth location, while others say that this tradition originally came from Germany.
Ever since, the tradition of Christmas tree decoration and big family feasts have remained. You can see people get together around big dinner tables and it became a great opportunity for families to reunite. It is associated with home warmth, comfort and family.
Resources:
1. https://www.almanac.com/content/what-yule-log-christmas-traditions
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule
3. https://ezo4u.ru/kulinarnye-recepty-na-jol-2
4. https://wicca.com/pagan-holidays/yule.html