Brightest blessings to you, my friends, readers and stumblers-on to my humble little witch blog!

Last week it dawned on me that our solstice holidays are upon us. How is it that they always sneak up on me like that? I celebrate Yule, Christmas and Hannukah. This year it seemed I wasn't going to do any of these holidays any justice. My new job, while a source of professional satisfaction and relief, has been keeping me very busy. And my new old relationship has been getting most of my attention - very happily so! Holiday preparation and reflection has taken a back seat to the rest of my life.

But somehow over the past few days, something festive hit me. Something in the air that gives me that eager anticipatory feeling that we got when we were kids. Something magical is happening! And suddenly I'm looking forward to the holidays and drinking eggnog and humming carols and wrapping presents and hanging wreaths.

I wanted to write something special for Yule but have decided to offer you something better than what I would have come up with given my schedule. This is my favorite of the descriptions of Yule that I've read. I give all credit to Our Lady of the Prairie Coven. Please read their informative site and tell them how much we admire it!

Christian friends are often surprised at us witchy folk for celebrating the 'Christmas' season in much the same way as they. We may use the word Yule, and our celebrations may peak a few days before the 25th. However, many of the current seasonal traditions began as pre-christian solstice customs, such as: decorated trees, carolling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe.

The Christmas holiday has always been more Pagan than Christian. It has associations to Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. Both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it. Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it. It was even made ILLEGAL in Boston. The solstice is already closely associated with the birth of older Pagan Gods and heroes, many of them (such as Mithra, and several others) possessed narratives of birth, death, and resurrection that were extremely close to that of Jesus. Many of the pre-dated the Christian messiah. That is why pagans (who have as much right to claim this holiday as christians, if not moreso) celebrate so enthusiastically. There was never much pretense that the date chosen for the birth of Jesus was an arbitrary date.

The Christian version of the solstice spread to many countries faster than Christianity itself. 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in most of northern Europe hundreds of years after the creation of 'Christmas'. Yet these early pagans observed the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of the previous year's log. Feasting and festivities, rituals and carolling, fertility rites (girls standing under mistletoe got a bit more than a kiss) and divination were practiced. Watered down a bit, and modernized, these customs continue on today, even though few realize their origins.

This is the winter solstice, the longest night and shortest day of the year. It is the birthday of the Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you call him. The Goddess becomes the Great Mother and gives birth, a long night of labor which brings forth the light of new hope. The day falls around December 21st, give or take a day or two. It is one of the quarter-days of the Wheel of the Year, one of the most important ones.

The Yule log made of ash was the center of the celebration, and was lit on solstice eve (on the first try) and kept burning for 12 hours for good luck. Later the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree, and instead of burning it, lit candles decorated it. Christianity may claim it was invented by Luther or St. Boniface, but the custom can be traced back (according to Mark Nichols) through the Roman Saturnalia and to ancient Egypt. Such a tree should be cut fresh yourself, never purchased, and should be burned as all sacred objects should be.

Holly, Ivy and Mistletoe are important plants of the season, all representing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon and believed it to be an aphrodisiac (magically only! Do NOT ingest it, it is highly poisonous!!!). Tables would be loaded with every kind of food and drink, especially the popular wassail (from the Anglo-Saxon 'waes hael' which means 'be whole or hale').

With all these old customs, and many more that weren't even mentioned here, it only remains to us pagans and wiccans to reclaim our lore and practices. By doing so we can share many of the common customs with our Christian friends, just with a slightly different interpretation. In this way we can share in the beauty and joy of this season, when the Mother Goddess gives birth to the Sun, her lover, and sets the wheel of the year in motion again.

I'll be thinking of you all as I sip my eggnog and eat my Yule cookies tonight. As the Sun returns, may you be safe, happy and well.

Nixie

Posted by Angela-Eloise at 8:43 AM