Happy December everyone!!! This month we are going to be discussing Yule, also known as the winter solstice. Yule marks the Winter Solstice the longest night of the year from that point on the days will be longer till the Summer Solstice. It is a festival that marks the return of light. The winter solstice is a time of reflection, during the darkest and longest night of the year. When many think of December they think of Christmas or Hanukkah. These are not the only holidays in December. There are quite a few more. For this blog post, we will just be focusing on Yule. Yule is one of the oldest winter solstice festivals. Is Yule the same as Christmas? Yule and Christmas are not the same. Many of the Yule's origins back to the ancient Norse thousands of years ago. The ancient Norse knew the importance of the Sun. Through observation, they knew that this time, during the Winter Solstice the Sun grew stronger. It was not just the Celtics that honored the Sun at this time. Ancient Egypt would honor the return of Ra, the sun god. Warm days were returning. It was a time of celebration. For Pagans during Yule, we celebrate the return of the Sun God who died during Samhain. We also honor the Goddess who is patiently mourning his death and waiting for him to return. the Earth Goddess in her loss has made the ground harsh and unable to yield any crops. When he finally returns on Yule we are overjoyed. From the point of the longest night of the year, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice. The winter solstice is a time of reflection, during the darkest and longest night of the year. Magicakally in the darkness it is a time of reflection, and then growth. From the point of the longest night of the year, the days get progressively longer after the winter solstice until the summer solstice. Some of these Christmas traditions that have pagan roots include. Most of the yule traditions emphasize light. like using candles, lights, and bonfires to celebrate. Adorning your home with candles, evergreen branches, holly, and mistletoe. The most noticeable link between Yule and Christmas is the Yule Tree. During the long cold winter nights, they would place a giant log onto the hearth and let it burn. The warmth and light let them honor the return of longer days. Traditionally the Yule log was a large log that burned throughout the entire 12-day festival. The live tree comes from the Ancient Druids. The Druids and Vikings used to decorate a tree with runes and other protective symbols. This would honor the tree's spirit. Today, the Yule log transformed into bringing in a live tree to the home. We say blessings to honor the tree's spirit before we decorate. Traditionally the Yuletide festivities would begin with a boar, called a sonargöltr, which was sacrificed to the God of the Harvest Freyr and his twin sister the Goddess Freya, of fertility. Now the Yule boar has changed to a ham. Leading up to Yule they would dress in costumes and dance from house to house singing in exchange for drinks and food. They would indulge in sweets and drinks with friends to bring in the holiday cheer. Even Santa has Pagan roots. The Norse God Odin with his eight-legged horse Sleipnir was believed to bring the gift of strength to get through the long winter. The Norse god Odin would slip down chimneys and leave gifts behind the hearth. Children used to fill their boots with straw and leave them out for his eight-legged horse Sleipnir. Later Odin was transformed into Santa Claus, otherwise known as Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas. Sleipnir into eight reindeer. Children would gather bundles of grain and shape them into so-called Yule goats. This is a tribute to the Norse God Thor, who is Odin's son. He would ride a chariot pulled by goats. He would spread his strength to help people face the cold winter. “Yule is the true spirit of Mother Earth. Yule is the rebirth of the seasons. Without Yuletide, Mother Earth cannot heal herself . . . will wither and die. That is why it is so important that I reawaken the spirit within mankind. Help them to believe again. Because it is their power of belief, their love and devotion, that heals the land.”
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As a mom of three boys who go to public school I started to notice that some things were not being taught in detail so I decided to create lessons for them. Many of these lessons cover science, history and of information about Paganism. I share crafts for the all different holidays and cultures as ways that they can learn and have fun at the same time.
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