� 2001-2006 by Shiloh
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Yuletide is older than Christmas by a far cry, and it's not by coincidence that Christians and pagans celebrate their respective holidays together.
"One of the most controversial and popular holidays of the year, Yule (or Christmas) was originally a celebration of the return of the Sun or rebirth of the god. It is also the symbolic death of the Holly King who reigns during the waning year, after being defeated by the Oak King who reigns during the waxing year.
"The Christian faith adopted Yule as a celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ. Although his birth is believed to be around the springtime, in order to adjust and adopt the Pagan celebration of the Winter Solstice, the Judeo-Christian movement enticed others to come over to their way by utilizing this important celebration.
"On the Winter Solstice, the darkest of nights, the goddess becomes the Great Mother and gives birth to the new Sun-king or whatever you choose to call him. And on this dark night, there springs a new spark of hope, The Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.
"On the eve of the Winter Solstice, normally around December 21, the Yule log is the center of celebration. All light and power is extinguished just before night. We meditate together with each other about the meaning and great gifts of the dark to nourish our dreaming, heal our fatigue, etc. Then we each make light again. Then the Yule log is brought inside, lighted on the first try with spliters saved from the previous year's log, and must continue burning for twelve hours for good luck. It should be made of ash.
"Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree, but instead of burning it, candles were lit on it. The evergreen, holly and mistletoe all symbolized fertility and everlasting life. Winter honours the body's sacredness, wisdom, strength and the capacity to survive and renew rebirth. It is where we remember to respect and honour the gift of life itself, especially in its material blessings and simple happinesses.
"After the Christian takeover of the Yule traditions the master of the house would place the Yule log on the hearth, sprinkle the trunk with salt, oil and mulled wine and make the appropriate prayers. Sometimes young girls would have the privilege of lighting the log with the splinters from previous years, sometimes the mother of the house had that privilege. It was said that the cinders of the log would protect the house from lightening and the malevolent powers of the devil.
"In pre-historic times, winter was a very difficult time for Aboriginal people in the northern latitudes. The growing season had ended and the tribe had to live off of stored food and whatever animals they could catch. The people would be troubled as the life-giving sun sank lower in the sky each noon. They feared that it would eventually disappear and leave them in permanent darkness and extreme cold. After the winter solstice, they would have reason to celebrate as they saw the sun rising and strengthening once more.
"There have been many and varied rituals and celebrations formed over the centuries in connection with these times of year.
"The word Yule comes from the Germanic yula meaning "wheel," the wheel of life, represented by the changing seasons and the cycle of light and darkness, death and birth. It is a time of celebration that, though we have reached the lowest, darkest time, things are looking up, starting over. It is a time of great hope and joy, no matter what your personal spiritual beliefs are.
"Yule incense and oils appropriate to this time of year: rosemary, myrrh, nutmeg, saffron, cedar/pine, wintergreen, ginger, bayberry."
Author's Note: I googled "original yule celebration" and found many links, however none really had the full explanation I was looking for, so the above information is compiled from two sites: here and here. I'm no authority on this so I hope this insight into the Yuletide is all right for my non-Christian friends. If not, I tried.
Personally I think it's funny that the Church tried ssoo hard to eradicate pagan beliefs and the old ways, yet our Halloween and Christmas traditions stem from the old ways. So in truth, many of the old ways live on even in the modern world. Poetic, I would say.
I almost committed a big no-no today for this time of year. Mom has hiding places all over zee house for stuff she doesn't want the kids to find out about until the right time. Two places are in my room, and one of them is under my bed. Unfortunately, that's also my storage space. My box of CDs are under there. I have a Christmas CD in there that I asked Aubree to retrieve for me. As she started back to my room, it dawned on me Mom had presents under there.
"Aubree," I yelled in a panic. "Wait! No!! Nevermind!"
She came back out immediately, smiling at my abrupt change of mind. "Mom's got presents under there, doesn't she?" she knowingly guessed.
I nodded. "Yes."
She laughed at me as I had driven into the back room in a rush. I am such a ditz.
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I decided to display a Yuletide recipe instead of my usual quote. Enjoy.
Winter Meditation Incense
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