Yule
Known as
Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun's "rebirth"
was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the
rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen
Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer. Bonfires were lit in the
fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced
cider. Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove
spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and
wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun.
The boughs were symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the
Celts because they did not "die" thereby representing the eternal
aspect of the Divine). Holly and ivy not only decorated the outside,
but also the inside of homes, in hopes Nature Sprites would come and join the
celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a
constant invitation for good fortune to visit tthe residents. Mistletoe was also hung as decoration. It represented the seed of
the Divine, and at Midwinter, the Druids would travel deep into the forest to
harvest it. The ceremonial Yule log was
the highlight of the Solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must
either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift...
it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the
fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and
dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last years log, (held onto
for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder
for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional
wood of the Yule log. It is
the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun,
Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.
Deities of Yule: Sun Gods, Mother
Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and
Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire
tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the
new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's
cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.
Symbolism of Yule: Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice,
Introspect, Planning for the Future.
Symbols of Yule: Yule log, evergreen boughs or
wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of
clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus.
Incense of Yule: Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon.
Colors of Yule: Red, green, gold, white, silver,
yellow, orange
Stones of Yule: Rubies, bloodstones, garnets,
emeralds, diamonds.
Herbs of Yule: Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen,
frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage and yellow cedar. 
