One of eight seasonal festivals in the Celtic Wheel of the Year, Yule is the festival marking the death and rebirth of the sun.
As the shortest day and longest night of the year, Yule—also known as the Winter Solstice—is a time for gathering in darkness and honoring the return of light.
In ancestral times, this holiday was marked by great reverence—with this being the time when beer and mead had finished fermenting, and the stores of meat were still full—inspiring celebration and feast!
Back when sunlight meant the difference between life and death, the beginning of its triumphant return meant a great deal. So much so that the Celtic people built one of their greatest monuments—Stonehenge—to align perfectly with the sunset on this day.
Yule is a time marked by the ultimate death and rebirthing of life. And while its meaning was once quite literal, it was and still is celebrated symbolically—ushering in a time of deep personal release and renewal.
At this time, we give thanks to the lessons that the darkness has brought, and welcome in the transformation of the light.
How to Celebrate Yule:
This is not a time to rush, but a time to gather all that you’ve harvested during the warmer months and celebrate in gathering with loved ones! This is a time to cultivate deep reverence for your home—for this is your place of shelter, of love, of warmth. It protects us during the colder, darker months. At this time, we decorate our houses to honor the fading of the darkness and the grand return of the light!
Themes: this is a time to gather with loved ones in celebration, to honor and reflect on the lessons of the year, and to make space for the return of light and the breath of newness.
Offerings: boughs of holly or evergreen, mistletoe, pinecones, candlelight, spiced cider, clove covered apples and oranges, wheat stalks, wreaths, gingerbread, warming earthy scents (frankincense, cedar, clove, cinnamon).
Traditions:
Gather with loved ones: this is the holiday for gathering your loved ones close and spending time in celebration! Invite your friends and family over for a quiet night in—indulging in a hearty feast and sharing in stories from the year past.
Light the Yule Log: a well-known tradition of this time, the burning of the Yule Log is a powerful symbol for the changes this night brings. While there are many different Yule Log traditions, sometimes the simplest is the best. To begin, you’ll need a wooden log and seasonal items to decorate it with (pinecones, dried winter berries, cuttings of mistletoe/pine/holly, cinnamon sticks, ribbon, etc.). Weave your decorations around the log, setting your intentions as you go. Once finished, burn the log in a fire (either in a fireplace or outside in a fire pit). If you have no place to burn the log whole, you can light three candles near it to represent the flames.
Decorate the Yule Tree: here we find the origins of the famous “Christmas Tree”, with the Yule Tree celebrated much in the same way: an evergreen is brought indoors and decorated with ornaments—weaving garlands of dried berries, hanging trinkets that represent the sun and stars, and decorating with tiny ornaments representing your loved ones, the nature spirits, and the bounty of the year.
Kiss under mistletoe: it was believed that the leaves of the mistletoe represented the fertility of the Goddess and its white berries represented the fertility of the God. And that kissing underneath a sprig hung inside a doorway was a lighthearted way of blessing the people with great fertility and good luck. They say for every kiss under the mistletoe a berry must be picked! And when every berry is gone, no more kissing can be had under its leaves.
Cook a Yule feast: celebrate the bounty of the year by cooking a large feast to feed you and your loved ones on this night! Let the wine overflow and your bellies leave stuffed as you share in the love of your family and the love of your harvest.
Adorn your home with evergreens: it’s an old tradition to decorate your home with pieces of evergreens found nearby. Weave the branches into a wreath, or simply gather small sprigs and boughs to place throughout your home. Let their wintry scent and strong spiritual properties bless your house and your loved ones on this dark night.
Wheel Of The Year Altar Cloth
$ 18.00
The Wheel Of The Year, is frequently broken into eight festivals. The Four Seasons are known as Solar Festivals, as they mark a seasonal change caused by the Sun. The cross quarter days are marked by Fire Festivals and are… read more
