Yule is a Pagan holiday of the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. Yule falls on December 21st.

Yule is a time to gather inside by the fire, tell stories, exchange gifts, and support the Mother Earth.

On this night, somewhere beyond human influence, the mystery of the rebirth of the Solar King takes place.

The main moods of Yule are a joyful expectation of rebirth, internal and external renewal. But before entering a new cycle, we need to complete the one cycle that is now coming to an end with dignity:

Cleaning the house

– Before Yule, the Celts certainly do a thorough cleaning of their home.

On the Yule holiday, get rid of unnecessary things in your home and in your head, thank the spirits for all the good things and make a wish for the coming year. May you be lucky!

Cleansing the magical instruments

– The same applies to magical instruments, it’s time to cleanse. Set magical instruments up to work effectively in new energies and according to new demands.

It is also time to restore the shine to your silver jewelry.

History

Yule is one of the Wheel of the Year covens. We associate it with the Wild Hunt, the god Odin and the Old English holiday Modranit.

The Solstice Day is dedicated to the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life, who warmed the frozen earth and awakened life in the seeds stored in its bosom throughout the long winter. According to the Scandinavian legend, all 9 worlds go to Midgard on the Yule holiday, and deities, trolls, elven creatures and inhabitants of the world of the dead Helheim go to gaze at the renewed world.

Bonfires are lit in the fields, and the crops and trees are blessed by people drinking spiced cider.
Children go from house to house with apples and oranges decorated with cloves, which lay in baskets made of evergreen branches and stalks of wheat, sprinkled with flour.

The apples and oranges represented the sun, the branches of evergreen trees symbolize immortality, the stalks of wheat represent the harvest, and the flour signified success, light and life.

Holly, mistletoe and ivy are decorated not only outside but also inside houses to invite nature spirits to take part in the celebration. A branch of holly is kept near the door all year as a constant invitation to good fortune to come.

According to tradition, pagans sing a pagan hymn, bless of trees, burn of the Yule log, decorate the Yule tree, exchange gifts, and kiss under the mistletoe. The tradition of serving ham dates back to the pagan custom of swearing an oath on the head of a wild boar. It is believed that such an oath reaches Frey, the god of fertility, whose sacred animal is the wild boar Gullinbursti.

The witchcraft holiday on the winter solstice marks the cycle of nature.

WAYS TO CELEBRATE YULE

This dark and quiet time of the winter season is an opportunity to focus on new beginnings. It’s a time to incorporate nature into your home, practice gratitude for abundance, and celebrate the returning of the light. Decorating the house with greenery and lighting candles are important ways to incorporate this holiday into your home.

ways to celebrate Yule include:

• Setting up a Yule altar

• Reciting prayers to welcome back the sun

• Performing cleansing rituals and tree blessings

• Smoke purification. Burning seasonal plants like pine, cedar, rosemary, juniper, and frankincense can cleanse the home and provide delightful holiday aromas.

• Sending Yule greeting cards

• Holding a Yule log ceremony. The old tradition of holding a Yule log ceremony is a way to welcome back the sun. A log can be used first as a Yule altar, decorated with candles and evergreen boughs, before it’s burned on the evening of the winter solstice.

• Feasting! It’s a great time to enjoy the process of cooking large meals to share with family and friends.

SETTING INTENTIONS AT YULE

Yule is a good time to set intentions that align with peace, love, harmony and increased happiness.  Take time to celebrate Yule in simple ways such as a family meal, a walk in the woods or just sharing what you are thankful for with your family and friends.

YULE SYMBOLS

Colors: Green, gold, silver, red, snow white

Foods: Cookies, caraway, dried fruits and nuts, pork dishes, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider and wassail.

Stones: Ruby, garnet, bloodstone, emerald, diamond

Herbs: Bayberry, evergreen, frankincense, holly, laurel, pine, sage

Flowers: Calendula, sunflowers, wild ginseng, wormwood

Deities: Ishtar, Horned God, Orsis, Loki, Persephone, Cerrunnos, Dionysus

Plants of Yule

Seasonal plants are an integral part of Yule. The tradition of setting up an evergreen tree is an old tradition of bringing the outdoors in. Evergreens symbolize the continuation of life. Garlands collected from evergreen trees can be used to decorate indoor spaces.

Holly represents the old solar year and the Holly King, who is a precursor to Santa Claus. Holly is considered to be a scared plant and a symbol for protection for druids.

Ivy is another reminder that life continues. Ivy represents fidelity and loyalty. Hanging ivy around the house during this time of year is a way to symbolize the strength of family bonds.

Well-known for its association with December holidays, mistletoe stands for peacemaking and the end of discord.

Birch is another plant that is associated with rebirth, as it’s often the first tree to grow back in a burned forest. Birch sticks are also a weapon of choice for Krampus the mythical Yuletide demon who punishes the naughty every December.

Decorate your altar for Yule

If you have a home altar, you can adorn it with plants, stones, and items associated with Yule. You can make it personal to what you have at home, but here are some ideas:

• Evergreen plants: pine, mistletoe, fir, juniper, holly, and cedar. You can use branches, pinecones, and berries.

• Candles, particularly ones in Yule colors of red, green, white and gold.

• Crystals in the same colors, such as emerald, ruby, and carnelian.

• Symbols of winter, such as snowflakes or make a snow.

• Symbols of the Sun, such as a Sun charm or the Sun tarot card.

• Bells—traditionally used to drive away evil spirits and to promote harmony

• Winter produce, such as chestnuts, lemons, apples, and oranges.

Cover the Yule altar with a red (color of life) or green (color of rebirth) tablecloth, and decorate the altar with branches of spruce, pine, juniper, cedar or holly. The tablecloth of the altar can be white reminding us of snow. The intricate patterns boasts resembles snowflakes, or the stars that pinprick the night sky of solstice.

You can use laurel, waxwort, mistletoe, moss, oak, evergreen cones, rosemary, sprigs of sage and ivy, apples, oranges, lemons.

For the most part, it all depends on what kind of evergreen plants and ingredients are available, so there is no need to chase exotic greens for the Yule altar – what you have on hand will always be enough.

Keep evergreen branches on the altars throughout the celebration, that is, 12 days and 12 nights after Yule.

The Yule log, is an important attribute of the holiday, can be placed both on the altar and somewhere else in the house.

The Yule log can be decorated with fresh evergreen branches, ribbons, pine cones and any Yule attributes that you deem appropriate.

Yule is the time of rebirth of the sun, so symbols of the sun often end up on the Yule altar.

As an offering, intoxicating drinks are placed on the altar – golden beer and honey, ruby red wine, sweet and spicy sbiten.

Incense suitable for the holiday is placed in the brazier – this is the resin of coniferous plants and their needles, juniper twigs and berries, spices, citrus peels, myrrh.

Candlelight on the Altar

Candlelight and fire plays an important theme in Yule celebrations.

Candles are chosen in colors that are associated with the holiday: red, green, white and golden.

Herbal candle “Yule Wine”

This candle is inspired by the main holiday drink of Yule among modern witches – hot wine with spices.

A ruby candle with the aroma of mulled wine will decorate the festive table, fill the house with a spirit of holiday, allow you to easily celebrate this sacred date with the Yule candle rituals.

Traditional spices in gluhwein recipes are added to the candle – cloves, cinnamon and star anise.

Spices are designed to help you defeat the emotional distress and enhance magical power of winter, cleanse yourself on the eve of the holiday, and enter a new cycle of your life full of hope and energy following the growing strength of the sun.

Place figurines symbolizing what you would like to receive next year on the altar to make your dreams have come true.

Magic of 13 Nights

In ancient times, people celebrated Yule on a grand scale: the festival lasted 13 nights, starting with the night of the solstice (December 21) – the longest and darkest night of the year, after which the darkness gradually dissipates and daylight gains new strength.

The twelfth night is considered the most mysterious and powerful. On this twelfth night, long celebrations ended, making up, together with the solstice itself, 13 nights of Yule.

Light the 12 Yule Candles – Magical Ritual

Create Magical Circle and sit inside the Circle

A circle can be drawn or it could be made with evergreen branches.

Sit inside the circle you casted. Start by sitting in the dark — as dark as you can get the space so you can meditate on the longest night of the year. Sit in silence with these mysteries as your shadow self prepares to birth your new self.

Get matches ready to light the first candle. While a lighter works, I prefer the theatrics of wooden strike anywhere over plastic and fuel.

When you’re ready (just listen to your gut), light the first candle.

This candle represents January of passing year. As you bear witness to the slow return of light, everyone in the circle takes turns recalling something significant from January. While it’s encouraged to verbally share, it’s fine to inwardly reflect, too.

Repeat this reflection with each candle for each month. Passing through the months by telling stories and considering what you lost and what you gained. Do this until you reach the final candle — the 13th candle.

Light the 13th Candle

It’s finally time to light the 13th candle. This time, imagine the new year to come.

Set intentions for yourselves as you revel in the golden light of all the candles burning.

This lux is the returning sun/son the goddess births again. If you’d like, you can light more candles (outside of the log) or turn on a lamp.

Bathe in the warm glow of a fire 🔥 as you exchange the gifts and relish in the joy this brings — to give and receive heartfelt labors of love.

Close Your Magical Circle

To close the Yule circle, make sure the Yule log candles have all burned out. This is a good reason to stick with the smaller candles, as it’s important to let them burn all the way down and to be present for this part of the spell-casting.

Once the circle is closed, you can enjoy a feast, cook, tell stories inside with cider, or build a bonfire outside where you can sing songs.

One the feast is completed, you can dream the longest dream during the longest night of the year, and to visualize the year ahead and awake anew.

Yule: delicious rituals

The rituals and ceremonies of the Yule holiday are mainly intertwined with the cult of fertility, the blessing of food and harvest. Yule smells of carnations and apples, wheat and branches of coniferous trees. The winter solstice is like a basket with unusual signs and rituals, which is interesting to look into for 13 magical nights in a row, pulling out symbols:

• branches represent immortality
• wheat is a symbol of harvest
• apples and oranges are a prototype of the sun
• flour – success in business.

Before New Year’s Eve, in addition to a decorated Christmas tree, acquire holly, ivy and mistletoe, as symbols of peace on the Yule holiday. Leave some food for the visiting spirits of your ancestors, and some may sleep these nights on the floor, giving up your bed to visitors from another world.

Culinary Rituals

There are many culinary rituals on Yule. A lush festive table remains an unchangeable tradition. You can’t do without wheat bread, salads with beans and peas, buns with poppy seeds and creeps with caviar. Pork meat is considered the queen of the table, and only in Iceland people prefer royal roasted lamb.

Sauna Ritual

The ritual of going to a sauna on the Yule is a must to cleanse your body and your soul in the coming year. Winter Solstice is a time of purification and harmony, when the Sun seems to be “underground” for all northern peoples, far from the zenith.

In 12 nights the Sun will return and shine above the horizon, and we’ll greet it with a cheerful feast!

On this night, the “Yule bonfire” is lit, and the house is protected from evil spirits

Fables

Fables about Babai on Yule holiday
On the winter solstice, when the night lulls for so long, children are often frightened by the Yule Cat. The Scots believe that if you don’t lock all the windows on Yule and don’t put on a warm woolen jacket, a mustachioed, tailed cat will drag you away.

The Yule Cat won’t drag you away if you get a pair of wool socks!

Fortunate telling, runes and tarot

But you will feel something magical on December 21st. The season of fortune telling with runes and tarot is open!

On this day you can look into the future with one eye, heal your body and soul

The magic of Yule rages not only inside a person, but also outside!

It is only important to capture these mystical moments!

Yule is a time of enlightenment, introduction to new secrets and knowledge

Even toys hung on a tree in the form of cones and fruits, balls (fruits, nuts, cookies and candies) – all these are symbols of divine gifts and sacrifices, offering gifts to the ancestors and elves on the day of the winter solstice Yule.

Yule Log

Symbolism of Yule is a Yule log or small Yule log with three candles, evergreen branches and twigs, holly, ivy hanging on the door, golden candles, baskets of fruit decorated with clove buds, a boiling pot of ale, milkweed, and cactus.

The ceremonial Yule log is must be taken from the land of the owner of the house or accepted as a gift, but in no case purchased. Brought into the house and placed in the fireplace, decorate the Yule log with seasonal greens, watered with cider or ale and sprinkled with flour.

Ash is the traditional tree for the Yule log. This is the sacred tree of the Teutons, associated with the mythical tree Yggdrasil.

Light a Yule log

Decorate an oak log with pine cones, dried berries, cinnamon sticks, holly, and mistletoe, and place it in your fireplace, if you have one—or make a bonfire outside. Yule log burning is a symbolic ritual to release the past and banish old or negative energy that you don’t want to follow you into the new year. It’s also a way to welcome back the Sun and celebrate the fact that the days are going to get lighter from now on. Don’t have a fireplace or fire pit? Put on a TV with a video of a Fireplace!

Yule Lamp

The Yule lamp is an ancient symbol of Yule. The oldest found tower lamp made of baked clay dates back to the era of the Great Migration.

Decorate the House

As a family, we had fun cleaning and decorating the house in preparation of Yule. We strung popcorn to hang on our Douglas fir (our Tree of Life), and paper snowflakes and stars to hang from garlands that we fashioned from evergreen boughs we cut ourselves.

Celebrating Yule Together or Alone

Remember, all the Yule celebrations above can be done with friends and family or as a solitary witch — and they’re just as sacred.