Yule / The Winter Solstice

     The final month of December brings us the celebration of Yule or the winter solstice.  The winter solstice is the one day of the year when day is of the shortest length and night is of the longest.  The winter solstice is also the day when Yule is traditionally celebrated to honor the birth or rebirth of the sun.  It is the birthday of the new Sun King or the Son of God. The pagan celebration of Yule ushers in the sun in anticipation of days once again growing longer.  In comparison, the Christian celebration of Christmas celebrates the birth of the "sun" of God or Jesus to be more precise.  It is important to understand that during the Crusades Christianity adopted many pagan rites and incorporated them into their tradition.  The mixing of traditions was done in order to make Christianity more appealing to the pagans they were trying to convert.  The blending of cultures during the Crusades has caused many of the Christian "Holly-Days" to contain various traditional pagan rites while changing or ignoring the true pagan meaning behind them.  Interestingly the term "holidays" or "holly days" refers to the pagan celebration of the "Crowning of the Holly King".  The Holly King is the God of the waning year and Yule celebrates the fall of this King to his lighter aspect, the Oak King, or God of the waxing year.  On this day the Holly King gives in to the light and the Oak King is once again reborn.

     The true blending of the pagan rites of Yule and Christian traditions can be found in the Roman celebration of  Saturnalia.   Saturnalia is the Roman seven-day festival in honor of Saturn which took place from December 17 to December 23 of each year.  It was a time of great merriment and gift-giving very much like that of the traditional celebration of Christmas. The Roman name of the Yule festival was called Sol Invictus or "the Undefeated Sun" and this festival was designated to be the birthday of Christ in 336 by Pope Julius I in order to appropriate the most important of the pagan festivals.

     Regardless of the tradition you choose to follow the celebration of Winter is one of the most beautiful we have and all of us should share in the splendor of this most enchanting of seasons.  Like other holidays Yule involves decorating the home with seasonal items such as holly, ivy, mistletoe (Celtic in origin), pine cones, and strings of evergreen.  One of the most important traditions was the bringing in of the Yule log (made from Ash wood) and lighting it from the previous years burned log.  The log was traditionally burned for only twelve hours which insured good fortune for the upcoming year.  Later the Yule log was replaced with the Yule tree or Christmas tree in which it was not burned but decorated with candles or lights in the spirit of the season.  If a Yule or Christmas tree is used today it is still customary to burn the tree after use to show respect for the tree as well as respect for life.  Burning has always been the proper and most respectful method to dispose of any item which is of spiritually sacred value.  Remember whatever your faith or whatever way you choose to celebrate, the winter season is a time of rest, peace, and understanding.  It is a time for all of us to share our spirit with friends, family, and others generously and unconditionally.