WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Yule is celebrated on the first day of winter, known as Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. This year, it falls on Dec. 21.
Yule is an ancient Pagan holiday that celebrates the sun’s return and the days growing longer again. The Yule festival was first observed historically in Germanic and Nordic countries and in modern times primarily by neo-pagans.
Burning the yule log is a common tradition which originally was done to bring the light into that night of deep darkness.
“This is a practice that is dated very far back," Cris said. "It’s pre-Christian but it does not invalidate one religion or another."
Cris, who has been celebrating the holiday for decades, hosted a Yule history lesson at Moon Dreamz in Winter Haven.
The Pagan people comprised of agricultural societies, so plants and other greenery, like holly were used as decoration.
During this time of year, the Pagans would bring in the yule log that would be burned throughout Yuletide. The longer the yule log burned, the faster the sun would return to warm the earth. Over time, the yule log would be replaced with the Yule tree, which was decorated with objects gathered from nature, such as berries and pinecones.
“It would be a live tree or a fake tree, if that’s what you have," Cris said. "The ornaments would have more of an organic natural feel to them. You can make them out of natural wood."
With the arrival of Christianity, some traditions between Yule and Christmas became blended.
“Wreaths represent the never-ending wheel of time in many Pagan traditions. Evergreens are representations of everlasting life,” Sunni VonMutius said. “Even Santa Claus, some people say, goes back to the Norse god Odin, who is super trickery. Kids would leave their boots out to serve Odin. Now we leave our stocking by the mantel. So, a lot of what we think of as Christmas traditions can be traced back over the years to what would’ve originally been Yuletide traditions.”
VonMutius said other ways to celebrate Yule include eating traditional foods like rich and hearty dishes, stews, fresh bread, potatoes and root vegetables and cider and mulled wine.
Some people make a simmer pot, which is like a natural potpourri made by simmering water and other ingredients on the stove.
“My home is a blended Christian, Pegan home. On Yule, we honor and nourish the flame and Christ within, and then on Christmas, we honor the Christ child and the rich lessons that he brought to us,” VonMutius said.
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