what to do on the 12 days of yule

Say: May the powers of Earth bless this donation.Earth is the land, the home and the foundation of community.Nurturing and solid, stable and firm, full of endurance and strength,This is the base upon which we build our community.With these powers of Earth, we bless this donation.. Clean your windows. Like most winter solstice festivals, themes of light, fire, and feasting are common threads. You can wish for just about anything and use you energy (and your spells ingredients) to set your wish in motion. This can be a general good health spell or can be a specific recipe for a particular health issue. It's a place in our house we try not to think about unless we're using it, but there are few things more impressive than a clean bathroom. So in addition to filling your stomach, these foods should also invite good luck and abundance. DMCA. The 12 days of Christmas are a time of celebration and of giving. Thank you for this interesting information on Yule! Focus on this time of new beginnings with your In general, Yule recipes feature various fruits, nuts, and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. Northern Yule Feast. Each culture may associate a different color with Yule, depending on their own traditions and customs. Yuletide is the greatest holiday festival of the year. If you have carpets and rugs, sprinkle them with baking soda and give them a good hearty vacuuming. Like at every solstice, we acknowledge that darkness will always be defeated by this brighter side, with each day continuing to get longer as we head towards our beloved summertime! Since the night hours will only get shorter after that point, Yuletide represents the rebirth of the Sun God. One of the earliest known references to Yule is from English monk and historian Bede, who wrote in the early 8th century about giuli, a period in the old pagan calendar used by Germanic groups such as the Norse and the Anglo-Saxons. For pagans, Yule is a time to celebrate the god of the sun, while for Christians, it is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Its known as a kissing plant, but its great for protection as well! In Norse paganism, trees symbolize life. In the most direct terms it is still a festival that honors the cycle of nature and the Wheel of the Year. However, Wiccan households still decorate and burn (symbolically or otherwise) a real log. You could also have a potluck dinner and ask everyone to bring a dish to share. The first day of yule is typically celebrated by decorating your home with christmas decorations. The herbs are used to represent the four seasons. Vikings decorated evergreen trees with gifts such as food, carvings, and food for the tree spirits to encourage them to return If you need more ideas, I like the one from Giggles Galore. The yule log was lit on Christmas Day and burned for the following Twelve Days of Christmas. Let us take a few moments to consider what we have given. You can do a meditation, scry, or actually cast a spell that will show you the past year and how you can improve going forward. If you haven't worn it, used it, played with it, listened to it or eaten it in the past year, pitch it. Your article about the yule log repeats a debunked theory about the date of Christmas. So some people deem it appropriate to celebrate during the period between these two holidays. Red is also the manifestation of prosperity, which is also the reason Wiccans decorate their homes with red ribbons. If your family enjoys ritual, you canwelcome back the sun at Yulewith this simple winter ceremony. Traditionally a pig or boar would be sacrificed, then a ham would be made for the feast. Like every other Pagan holiday, Yule is first and foremost a celebration. This can be a great way to honor your deities and your Pagan community, as well as help others recognize what an important occasion it is. Its often used to decorate homes and trees during the holiday season. Yule Rituals. Historically, Yule was celebrated by various Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. As you see your reflection in the mirror, visualize cleaning away negative energy from your life. This can be a great way to honor your deities and your Pagan community, as well as help others recognize what an important occasion it is. The point of Yule decorations is ideally to use things youve had a hand in making, not items youve purchased. There is limited evidence that this festival was celebrated before the mid-4th century. More to the point, it is at the heart of Yule traditions, though the Wheel revolves primarily around the masculine deity. Notably, the Holly King is generally described as a woodsy figure dressed in red with sprigs of holly in his hair. Then get into the habit of only keeping the last two issues of each. As the sun returns to the earth, life begins once more. Of course, some Wiccans believe that the end-of-the-year festivities should start on Samhain, which is also known as the Witches New Year. - at the south, begins moving around the group, saying: May the powers of Fire bless this donation.Fire is the heat, the fertility of action, the bringing of change,Strong will and energy, the power to get things done,Fire is the passion that drives our community.With these powers of Fire, we bless this donation.. Later, when Christianity came to the British Isles, Christians adoptedaspects of the pagan festival into a celebration of the birth of Christ. The tenth day of yule is typically celebrated by going to a christmas concert or other festive event. For Wiccans, Yule is the second sabbat of the Wheel of the Year, marked with rituals to welcome the return of the Sun. A remainder of the yule log was kept to light the next years log. Clean baseboards and other woodwork. Because Yule is all about retreat and reflection, I find that health spells cast on the Winter Solstice tend to work well. It is a time for giving thanks and for gathering with family and friends. Many of these ingredients are thought to have protective properties. I especially like good luck spells for the winter ahead. You dont have to be a musician. Blessings ! Next, the individual holding the Fire symbol - a candle, etc. [48] The tractate De solstitia et aequinoctia conceptionis et nativitatis Domini nostri Iesu Christi et Iohannis Baptistae falsely attributed to John Chrysostom also argued that Jesus was conceived and crucified on the same day of the year and calculated this as 25 March. Because the veil is so thin between our world and the Otherworld (the world where Fae reside), we might be able to hear pieces of the hunt. The word Yule is the modern version of the Old English words of ol or ohol. Create a place that's a permanent home for them a basket in the bathroom, a drawer in the kitchen, wherever people read. December 25 was nine months after March 25, the date of the vernal equinox and a date linked to the conception of Jesus (celebrated as the Feast of the Annunciation). There are many other fun and festive activities that you can do to celebrate the holiday season. Notably, stories about the god describe him as having a long beard which is potentially what inspired old Saint Nicks appearance. Perform this ritual to celebrate the return of the sun. What Is Yule? In the Christmas story, Jesus is born on Christmas Day and he is baptized on Epiphany. Shadow work can also be done during the Winter Solstice. Midsummer Day 2023: Why (and How) is Midsummer Celebrated? Modern practices include the nightly lighting of candles honoring the Nine Noble Virtues which come from Odinism or Asatruism. With that in mind, lets talk about Yule symbols. The ashes of Yule logs were said to be very good for plants. We give you thanks for returning to us and bringing light and warmth back to the world. Patti Wigington is a pagan author, educator, and licensed clergy. At the same time, the Triple Goddess restarts her own cycle, this time in her maiden form. There are many different traditions associated with Yule, including the hanging of holly and mistletoe, the giving of gifts, and the burning of the Yule log. Instead, Im pretty sure the hunt is a fairy celebration. Some people like to add a small incantation to the process, like this one: Yule is here, and I smudge this place,Fresh and clean, in time and space.Sage and sweetgrass, burning free,as the sun returns, so it shall be. This ritual can be performed by a solitary practitioner, either male or female. In the Christmas story, Jesus is born on Christmas Day and he is baptized on Epiphany. On the other hand, there are plenty of Yule traditions you can do on your own or with your family. [44] The Jewish calendar date of 14 Nisan was believed to be that of the beginning of creation, as well as of the Exodus and so of Passover, and Christians held that the new creation, both the death of Jesus and the beginning of his human life, occurred on the same date, which some put at 25 March in the Julian calendar. Before you drop them off, why notinvoke the elementsto do a formal blessing of the donated items? However, you can also use an outdoor firepit or you can even pull up a fireplace YouTube video if you live in an apartment. What new things will you bring to fruition for yourself when the planting season returns? This is the day for setting up the Yule Tree. Tonight, light candles in the house to fill the home with light and hope. But how do you celebrate Yule like a Viking? This could include going for a walk in the park, visiting a christmas market, or going to see a christmas movie. This evening is to honor the male spirits that protect us. In Ancient Rome, Saturnalia was celebrated during late December and was one of the largest (and most hedonistic) holidays of the year. Thewinter solstice is a time of reflection, during the darkest and longest night of the year. Many people spend time cooking traditional holiday foods and enjoying time together. Customs and traditions associated withYule vary widely. Once you start looking for the connections, you wont be able to stop! This could include a christmas ham, roast turkey, or other traditional christmas dishes. Many people around the world celebrate the Christmas holiday season, and many of those people celebrate for 12 days. If you want to celebrate Yule/the Winter Solstice at home, there are endless ways to do this. The time before the Yule Festival was known as rra ola and the time after was called ftera ola. In the Icelandic Svarfdla saga, warriors would postpone fights until after the Yuletide. It also brings the spirit of renewal and revitalization that pushes us toward the New Year. Yule is a 12-day holiday, it begins on Mothers Night (December 20th) and ends 12 days later on Yule Night (January 1st). Amen.". It is not just about the rebirth of the God figure in pagan lore. You can do whatever feels natural and fits into your practice best. Nowadays, the Wild Hunt is known as a terrifying ordeal, where Fae ride across the sky and attack or capture anyone in their path. The seventh day of yule is typically celebrated by reading christmas stories. There are several cheeky pagan versions of established wintertime classics, such as Dancing in the Wiccan Wonderland. Generally, though, the Winter Solstice falls between the 20th and the 23rd of December. Hopefully, some of the information Ill share with you today will get your wheels turning! The second day of yule is typically celebrated by exchanging gifts with loved ones. Scrub toilets, wipe down countertops, and spray out your bathtub. This color roots the festival in nature and also symbolizes abundance since it is the color of money. Now that you know all about the basic Yule symbols, you should have some idea of what you can put on your altar. Because Yule is a time to reflect, you can definitely do spells about your past, but its also a time to set your intentions for the coming year, meaning that this is a great time to do any spell that willstart something new. Heres our dessert recipe for a light. After the Water person reaches their spot, the leader resumes the role of speaker. he Philocalian calendar of AD 354, part VI, gives a festival of NATALIS INVICTI on 25 December. Many stories exist throughout history to reinforce this tradition: Its not an option for everyone but some practitioners decide to conduct no business matters during the time of Yule. State Rundown 4/12: Tax Day 2023 A Good Reminder of the Impact of Our Collective Investments. Remember, you can adjust the wording in this ritual as necessary, to accommodate the needs and requirements of your groups purpose. Wigington, Patti. Pre-Christianity, many believed that the hunt signified good or bad things to come, depending on the sounds you heard from the sky. Green is also considered to be a lucky color in many cultures. Best of all, they provide a lovely contrast on the evergreen tree. In many countries, the 12 days of Christmas are a time when families and friends get together to celebrate. In fact, many consider holly berries to represent the blood involved in childbirth. You can place them on your altar if you like, and place that in the center. Decorate the home with ribbons and garlands, and the Yule Tree. It is typically celebrated on December 21st or 22nd. Instead of the singular Horned God, they believe in the Holly King and the Oak King, as different divine personalities that rule during the winter and summer seasons. The leader of the ritual begins with the following: We gather today to celebrate community.To honor those who contribute selflessly,Those who contribute what they have to those who have nothing,Those who speak out for those who have no voice,Those who give to others without taking for themselves.Each of you has contributed something to this community today.Whether it is a monetary donation, a packaged good, or simply your time,We thank you.We honor you for what you have given, and we celebrate these donationsBy blessing them before they move on.We call upon the elements to honor the many aspects of community today.. St. Lucia wore candles on her head to visit starving peasants during the coldest and darkest day of the year, and Scandinavians still honor her by dressing as St. Lucia and lighting candles around the home.

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what to do on the 12 days of yule