Hello Everyone! Thank you for coming, and a very Happy Seasons Greetings to one and all!
This year 2015-2016, I decided to share with everyone, my tradition Yuletide. At least the way it once was, when I lived in England, I still I always hope it will be again, someday.
We should always look to the future with a positive mind & heart. We should always keep hope in our hearts.
Mother Night [1st night/ Yule Eve]
Mother Ni
ght is the 1st night of the 12 nights of Yule.
Beginning on December 20th and ending on the 12th night on Dec 31st.
The 12 nights were always considered other worldly by our ancestors. Neither existing in the present year or the the New Year.
It was considered to be a blessed time when the veil of life was thin and our ancestors spirits roamed the earth.
It was also believed that this is a special time when you can also catch glimpses of nether-folk, Elves, Dwarves, Fairies, and such. It is customary to leave a vessel of honied milk outside for visitors. It is also tradition to set an extra place at the dinner table each night.
Yule Day Festivities
There are several Yuletide traditions practiced by a variety of pagans. Yule is the pagan version of Christmas.
Yule originated with our ancestors, long before Christianity. The Yule is traditionally celebrated throughout the 12 nights.
Yule Day falls each year on the Winter Solstice. Which is generally falls between the December 21-22 in the Northern Hemisphere.
Yule/ Winter Solstice mark the shortest day, and the longest night. It is a time for celebration for many reasons, but the most common is the time when our Winter days will begin to get longer, and our night shorter.
In Germanic Paganism of olden times, Yule was an indigenous midwinter festival celebrated by the Germanic peoples. The earliest references to it are in the form of month names, where the Yule-tide period lasts somewhere around two months in length, falling along the end of the modern calendar year between what is now mid-November and early January.
Yule Bonfire
I lived in England for the better part of 14 years, and I can personally attest to the fact that the bonfire tradition is still very much alive in the UK and throughout Europe and Scandinavia. In England it is very apparent on Guy Fawkes night, when bonfires are abundant, and fireworks displays light up the skies.
The bonfire traditions vary in modern time. Our reasons also varied, depending on the Sabbats/ Festival at hand. For me, the Yule Bonfire was a celebration of the coming of longer days, and also to clear away the negativity around our home. We burned different types of wood each year, but it always included birch for cleansing and purity, and Pine/ Conifer for strength and to invite positive energy into our lives.
We had a Bonfire for every Pagan Festival, and Yule was no exception. The bonfire is a centuries old tradition passed down in our shared Germanic and Norse-Orcadian [Norway & Orkney Islands] ancestry. From both my Randall (paternal) and Ratz (maternal) sides of my family.
The Feasts of Yule
Yule time meals, whether it is a dinner or a supper, also vary from home to home, and differ with each culture. We found it delightful to have a traditional dinner every year with fixings much the same as Thanksgiving/ Christmas.
I would either roast a Ham, or a Turkey, and I would bake Pumpkin/ Squash/ Carrot pies, and make deviled eggs, Haggis and Spinach Vinegarette, etc.
We would make 3-4 types of potatoes [mashed, boiled, baked, creamed], and wonderful homemade mince pies, and homemade Yorkshire pudding and a delicious chocolate Yule log cake.
And there were always thing like cranberries, and, of course, and the traditional Black Pudding [Blood Sausage].
The Yule Log/ Candle
Another Tradition that has survived through the years, and is still very much alive overseas in England and all throughout Europe and Scandinavia, is the Yule Log. The tradition has all but died out in America, and is only kept alive mostly in Pagan-American households.
The origins of the Season’s Yule log varies from culture to culture, but most agree that the family visit a nearby wood and cut a log from a tree. Again, depending on the culture the type of tree was sometimes Oak, Birch, or Hawthorn. The Oak symbolizes strength and protection. Birch is burned in the home to purify negative energy. However, most traditions indicate that Oak burned the longest, and it was considered unlucky if the Yule log went out before the 12th night.
Since I am not capable of cutting down a tree 👑 I do as many Pagans do during the 12 nights of Yule. We burn a large Yule candle instead, and keep it burning throughout the 12 nights. It is said that this protects the home from any sort of disaster over the coming year.
Holly & Mistletoe
I am sure you have all heard the song “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly?” Well, many of our ancestors knew that Holly can ward off negative energy, and supposed negative spirits as well.
Thus, they would hang holly over all the outside doorways and windows during the 12 nights of Yule, to deter any sort of negativity from their homes.
Mistletoe is deeply rooted in the traditions of our culture. It is said to be very fortunate for those who kiss under the mistletoe.
Gift Giving
The tradition of gift giving is centuries old among Pagans. It dates back to a time when gifts were exchanged throughout the 12 nights of Yule.
These gifts were very often something specially handmade, and that tradition still holds today.
Sometime the same gift is given to everyone, while others are more personalized.
Either way, it is represented as a gift of love.
My Blessing to My Loved Ones
If you read this to the very end, then you are truly counted as one of my beloved that live in my heart.
To you and your special loved ones, I wish you Peace, Love, Happiness, & Good Health throught the Holiday Season and all throughout the coming years.
May your lives truly be Blessed each and every day. I love you all with a full and open heart.
Blessed Be! Be Well, Be Happy, & Be at Peace,
Sharon ‘Shari’ Randall-Friday
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Please excuse any discrepancies in Google Translations. Cheers! ^ ^
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