YULE marked the New Year for Norse and Saxon Pagans. It is the Winter Solstice when the day has the shortest hours, and the darkness the longest hours of the year. From this day on, the daylight hours lengthen and the hours of darkness shorten.
Yule marks the ascent of the God who brings the sun to warm and ripen the land, a promise of better times to come. The Goddess now starts her rest, giving way to the God.
The Yule Log
Traditionally, our ancestors burnt a Yule log at this time of year, to bring light and warmth into the home for the year to come. The log was gathered from the land of the homestead or given as a gift - never purchased. Placed in the hearth, it would be decorated with seasonal greenery such as holly and ivy, doused with cider, dusted with flour and then ignited using a piece of Yule log saved from the previous year. It was encouraged to blaze brightly throughout the night, then allowed to smoulder for 12 nights before being completely extinguished A piece of the log would be kept safely, to be used for lighting the following years log.
Nowadays, with the advent of central heating, it is acceptable to use a small log with holes drilled to take three candles. This symbolises the sentiment, without the need for a hearth. Again, the log is traditionally decorated with seasonal greenery, and dusted with flour. alternately, it is not uncommon the include a log shaped cake, with three candles set into the top, in the celebratory feast.
Read about the other Sabbats
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