More Yule History

Yule Dec 21 (22nd some years) Winter Solstice This marks the Return of the Sun. The days begin to grow longer. The Sun King is born. For me, this is a two-day celebration. I perform the rite for the Winter Solstace on the 21st and celebrate Yule on the 22nd. But for everyone, tradition is different. Start your own traditions, and leave this as part of the heritage your children carry with them.

The year begins at different times, depending upon the tradition you follow. It can be Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, or Ostara. I feel, however, that the Yule holidays are a good point to turn the wheel of the year with the departure of the Holly King and the arrival of the Oak King.

Celebrations during the mid-winter season were common, even before Christmas was celebrated on December 25.

Christmas was once a moveable feast celebrated many different times during the year. The choice of December 25 was made by the Pope Julius I in the fourth century AD because this coincided with the pagan rituals of Winter Solstice, or Return of the Sun. The intent was to replace the pagan celebration with the Christian one. In 1752, 11 days were dropped from the year when the switch was from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. The December 25 date was effectively moved 11 days backwards. Some Christian church sects, called old calendarists, still celebrate Christmas on January 7 (previously Dec. 25 of the Julian calendar.) Many of the traditions associated with Christmas (giving gifts, lighting a Yule log, singing carols, decorating an evergreen) hark back to older religions. Some traditions described here are reminiscent of modern day customs, and others, like the Festival of the Radishes in Mexico, are bizarre and fascinating. You are invited to explore the rituals of past and present on these pages.

Before Christianity the Swedish people celebrated "midvinterblot" at winter solstice. It simply means "mid-winter-blood", and featured both animal and human sacrifice. This tradition took place at certain cult places, and basically every old Swedish church is built on such a place. The pagan tradition was finally abandoned around 1200 AD, due to the missionaries persistence. (Of course they were sacrificed too, by the Vikings, in the beginning.) Midvinterblot paid tribute to the local gods, appealing to them to let go of the winter's grip. The winters in Scandinavia are dark and grim, and these were the days before central heating. And the Gods were powerful. Until this day Thursday is named after the war god Thor. Friday after Freja (fertility) It is interesting to note that to this day the Swedish name for Christmas is Jul (Yule), and the Jul gnome has a more important role than Christmas father or the Christchild. You don'0t kill those pagan tradition easily. The old Viking religion with Thor and his friends is still practiced by some people, somewhat less bloodily.

Winter Solstice celebrations are held on the eve of the shortest day of the year. During the first millennium in what is today Scotland, the Druids celebrated Winter Solstice honoring their Sun God and rejoicing his return as the days got longer, signaling the coming of spring. Also called Yule, this tradition still lives today in the Wiccan traditions and in many cultures around the world. A huge log -- the Yule Log -- is brought into an outdoor clearing and becomes part of a great bonfire. Everyone dances and sings around the fire. All the noise and great excitement is said to awaken the sun from its long winter sleep, hurrying spring on its way as the cycle begins once again and the days grow longer than the nights.


Incenses shown here are only suggestions; you may prefer to drop herbs onto a charcoal block, or use both.

Click Magick Circle if you do not know how to form a proper magickal circle, BEFORE attempting to perform the ritual below.



PREPARING YOUR ALTAR

° Altar candles should be red-green-red.
° Incense should be bayberry.
° Circle may be decorated with holly, mistletoe, ivy, pine, pine cones, etc. A Yule log (half of a log cut to set on the altar, has three holes in it to hold candle,s decorated with greenery and pine cones) may substitute well for a candle holder..
° Circle candles sould always be for the elementals (green, yellow, red, and blue).
° Place ash twigs in the cauldron.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CEREMONY

Sweep circle area; lay out circle and altar items; bathe and robe. Light incense and altar candles. Ring bell three times and say,

"The circle is about to be cast and I freely stand within to greet my Lady and my Lord.

Take center candle from altar, light each candle of the circle moving north, then east, south and west and say,

(N) I call upon light and earth at the north to illuminate and strengthen the circle.
(E) I call upon light and air at the east to illuminate and enliven the circle.
(S) I call upon light and fire at the south to illuminate and warm the circle.
(W) I call upon light and water at the west to illuminate and cleanse the circle.

Take athame in upraised hand, begin circle at north and move around the circle north to east to south to west, and say,

I draw this circle in the presence of the Goddess and the God where they may come and bless their child, Say your magickal name.

Lower the athame at the north, and as you walk around the circle, envision a blue light shooting out from the point and forming the circle boundary and say,

This is the boundary of the circle. Only love shall enter and leave.

eturn to the altar and ring bell three times. Place point of athame in the altar bowl of salt and say...
Salt is life and purifying. I bles this salt to be used in this sacred circle in the names of the Goddess and the God.

Pick up the salt bowl and use tip of athame to drop three portions of salt into the altar bowl of water and set salt bowl back in its place. Stir three times with athame and say...
Let the bl0essed salt purify this water that it may be lessed to use in this sacred circle. In the names of the Goddess and the God, I consecrate and cleanse this water.

Take the salted water bowl in hand and sprinkle water from it as you move deosil around the circle, NESWN and say...
I (speak your magickal name) am consecrated in the names of the Goddess and the God in this, their circle.

Take the wand and hold it aloft, with both arms open and upraised, at the north of the circle, envision a powerful bull arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Earth, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I have body and strength, we are kith and kin!

Lower wand and move to east, raise up wand, envisioning fairies devas or an eagle in flight arriving and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Air, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I breathe and think, we are kith and kin!

Lower wand and move to the south, raise up the wand, envisioning a fire dragon and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Fire, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I consume life to live, we are kith and kin!

Lower wand and move to the west, hold wand aloft, envision an undine, sea serpent or dolphin arriving, and say...
I call upon you, Elemental Water, to attend this rite and guard this circle, for as I feel and my heart beats, we are kith and kin!

Return to the altar and use wand to draw in the air above tha altar the symbol of infinity (an 8 lying on its side), the sign of working between the worlds. Set wand on altar, raise up athame in both hands overhead and say:
Hail to the elementals at the four quarters! Welcome Lady and Lord to this rite! I stand between the worlds with love and power all around!

Pour wine into your cauldron as a libation to the Divine in which they are honored by offering to them the first draught, then you drink. Ring bell three times, raise your arms and say,

Blessed are the Lord and the Lady who turn the mighty wheel of the year. Welcome the Yule for the turning point of winter is here at last. The end of the solar year has come; a new year has begun..

Arms down, take wand, hold it aloft and say,

This is a new beginning, and I send my power forth to join with the energies of the Sun God that the sun's rebirth rekindles my strength.

Replace wand on altar, rake the middle candle and light the kindling in the cauldron, and say...

This new fire is lit to bid farewell to the Dark Lord of the solar night and greet the rebirth of the sun. May my power be added to the strength of the newborn Lord, and his to mine.

Return the cnadle; take up the athame in both hands, hold it aloft and say,

hail to the Sun God! Hail the movement of time eternal! Hail the death and rebirth of Yule! Hail the God!

Return the athame to the alter and ring the bell three times. With candles in Yule Log, light the candles at the start of the ritual, and when the ritual is ended, let the candles burn very low and then snuff the reds, replace them with green candles and light them from the still lit green in the middle. Then snuff the green, replace it with a red cale and light if fresh and say...
May the Yule Log bring light and may all good enter here. Good health, good cheer, good fortune in the coming year! For as I will, so mote it be!

Wine and cakes are usual taken after any Green ritual or rite. Then, the elementals are thanked and dismissed, and the circle is taken down.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Sing Pagan solstice carols
°Deck the Halls
°The Holly and the Ivy
°Tannenbaum
°Wassailing Song

Decorate the Tree

String popcorn and cranberries and hang them on an outdoor tree for the birds

Decorate pine cones with glue and gitter as synmbols of the fairies and place these on the Yule Tree

Make the Yule Wreath of grapevine or mistletoe vine, and decorate with some of the pine cones, fir greenery and the acorns listed below

Hang little bells on the Yule Tree to call the spirits and fairies

Glue the caps onto acorns and attach red string to hang on the Yule Tree

For personalized wrapping paper, cut a pattern on a halved potato, then dip it into paint and onto plain wrapping tissue paper

Wassail: 2 cups cranberry juice, 1/4 cup grenadine, 1 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup rum

For prosperity, burn ash wood

Consecrate the Yule Tree by aspersing with salted water, pass smoke of incense through the branches, and walk around the tree with a lighted candle and say...
By fire and water, air and earth,
I consecrate this tree of rebirth.


LEGEND OF SANTA CLAUS

Santa is the Holly King, the sleigh is the Solar Chariot, the eight reindeer are the eight Sabbats, their horns represent the Horned God, the North Pole symbolizes the Land of Shadows and the dying solar year, and the gifts are meant both to welcome the Oak King as the sun reborn and as a reminder of the gift of the Holly King who must depart for the Oak King to rule.

Make your own stories for your children, write them down, incorporate these representations, and your children will remember them always.

If you are unfamiliar with "ENCHANTING" items used to bring about a change in your life, please click this link.

©1996, Llewellyn Publications, "Green Witchcraft" by Ann Moura, pp 183-192