Have A Cool Yule And Mark The Winter Solstice

by Marisa

From Yule log to Yuletide, the word "Yule" is inextricably linked with the holiday season. But have you ever wondered where this term began, or why so many of the December holidays bear similarities?

As with many of our holiday traditions, Yule's earliest roots were Pagan, and therefore initially centered on nature and the cycles of the sun. In simplest terms, Yule, marking the winter solstice (which falls on December 22nd this year) and shortest day of the year, honored the rebirth of the Sun God (Frey, in Norwegian traditions), whose flame had been extinguished at Samhain. This yin/yang balance of masculine and feminine energies, is central to many Pagan traditions, where the eternal Goddess figure ages from virgin to crone over the course of the year without dying, while the more relatably mortal God figure dies every year on Samhain only to be reborn at Yule. A Roman Pagan variation, called "Saturnalia" in homage to the birth of the Roman Sun God, Saturn, was also prevalent until, as Christianity spread through Europe, the various Sun God festivals were incorporated into a celebration of Jesus' birth.

Why, despite pretty divergent traditions, all the attention to birth? For Pagans, the lengthening days and impending spring signified a time for honoring the literal births of new seeds in the ground as well as the more figurative births of goals for the future. So if you'd like a bit of New Year's tradition in this year's Yule celebration, perhaps follow the Pagan Yule lead, and incorporate a ceremonial listing and burning of goals and resolutions for the year ahead. After all, ‘tis the season!

| 12/22/07 | Beliefs