what to do on the 12 days of yulewhat to do on the 12 days of yule

Lastly, to invoke light and represent traditional Yule colors, get green, red, gold, or white candles. If youre just looking for easy ways to celebrate Yule and the Winter Solstice, scroll down a few sections. Do you get magazine subscriptions? No one really knows how old this holiday is because it wasnt written about until about the 4th century. he Philocalian calendar of AD 354, part VI, gives a festival of NATALIS INVICTI on 25 December. If you have an extender on your vacuum cleaner, use it to suck up cobwebs and dust from the ceiling fans, baseboards, and other hard-to-reach spots. Next, you need to light the candles and say a prayer to the sun. Since weve already talked about the symbolic meaning of Yuletide, you can probably guess what each of these colors represents. It is said that the Wild Hunt begins on the Winter Solstice and progresses throughout the Yule feasts. This can include a christmas tree, ornaments, lights, and other festive decorations. While Yule is a great time for setting new things in motion, its also a time to let go of the past. Scrub toilets, wipe down countertops, and spray out your bathtub. 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. If they were to celebrate in December, they would be doing it on what is the longest day in the Southern Hemisphere. Terms of Use | Yuletide concludes with the celebration on the Twelfth Night, which often coincides with the modern New Year celebrationfull of revelry, food, and drink. If your mistletoe touches the ground, it will lose its symbolic properties. You'll also need a fire, so if you can do this ritual outside, that's even better. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Some of them will even dress up! The 12 days of yule are a festive time leading up to Christmas. But really, theres no manual stating when you have to start your celebration. It's also a time to celebrate with family and friends, and share the spirit of giving during the holidays. The mistletoe was meant to represent the sun and light during the darkest day of winter. Custom programming and server maintenance by Reinvented Inc. Wood ashes do indeed have beneficial uses in the garden! If you have multiple levels, continue up and down stairs as needed. The 12 days of Yule are a time for celebration and for giving thanks. Yule Rituals. You could even leave behind an offering of bird seeds or nuts as a token of gratitude. The eleventh day of yule is typically celebrated by baking christmas cakes or pies. green is the color of the Irish flag, and its also the color of the Scottish thistle. But even if youre not familiar with the Wiccan Wheel of the Year, you might still recognize elements of this festival in another mainstream holiday Christmas. The idea that Christians chose to celebrate the birth of Jesus on 25 December because this was the date of an already existing festival of the Sol Invictus was expressed in an annotation to a manuscript of a work by 12th-century Syrian bishop Jacob Bar-Salibi. This day is best for a gathering and feast of lamb stew and leaf bread! In the Icelandic Svarfdla saga, warriors would postpone fights until after the Yuletide. Even if youre new to the world of Yule traditions, youre sure to recognize some of them! This could be a fun activity to do with your family or friends. So in addition to filling your stomach, these foods should also invite good luck and abundance. Want to learn more about familiars, spells, dreams, tarot, crystals, herbs, and much more?Become a student of Wicca Academy today! Make an edible Yule log! They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The 12 days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day, December 25, and last right through until January 6 - also known as Three Kings' Day or Epiphany. Fresh oranges and apples should do the trick, but you can also set aside a bowl of various nuts. The seventh day of yule is typically celebrated by reading christmas stories. then simply light a fire during the morning and let it burn all day. Your offering will be appreciated even if youre off key. In some cases, it may represent new beginnings, growth, and fertility. Since most homes dont have hearths anymore, the tradition has since evolved. But how do you celebrate Yule like a Viking? It is not just about the rebirth of the God figure in lore. the Goddess changes between her maiden, mother, and crone forms, Holly has protective properties and is therefore useful for warding off bad luck or unwanted spirits, Mistletoe represents fertility and healing according to pagan beliefs, it loses its power if it touches the ground, which is why we hang it up, Pine also brings healing and joy into the home, Ivy represents resurrection, rebirth, and immortality, Rubies, which summon protection, prosperity, as well as love and sexual passion, Bloodstones, which boost energy, motivation, and help you make good decisions, Garnets, which are manifesting stones that can reveal your purpose, Apatite stones, which can make you more motivated to pursue your dreams, Emeralds, which summon prosperity and healing. Create a place that's a permanent home for them a basket in the bathroom, a drawer in the kitchen, wherever people read. Its a chance to look ahead to the year to come and begin again. What Is Yule? Shadow work can also be done during the Winter Solstice. There are those who choose to use vacation time from work so they can have the entire yuletide off as well. Whoever whatever whenever your tradition is for celebrating natures rhythms, blessings to you! Some people also decorate with fruit to manifest fertility and abundance in the coming year. Historically, Yule was celebrated by various Germanic and Scandinavian peoples. This ritual can be performed by a group of four or moreclearly, it's designed for at least four women, but if you don't have that many, don't sweat itimprovise, or allow one woman to speak all the roles. These holidays represent birth, death, and rebirth. Before you start decorating for Yule, you'll want to get things organized. The Saga of Hakon the Good also speaks that the Yule was to be kept holy. On the other hand, some people celebrate Yuletide for twelve days starting on the shortest day of the year. So lets talk about Yuletide! Wigington, Patti. This is a lovely time to celebrate peace and regeneration and often has the same undertones as Christmas. Ask everyone whos participating to stand in a circle around the donated items. The period has been celebrated since before the middle ages but was updated over time to include prominent figures in Christian history. It is traditional to give gifts to family and friends during Yule. Adorn your home with evergreen boughs, holly, pine cones, and other winter trinkets. This ritual can be performed by a solitary practitioner, either male or female. TEA & ROSEMARY LLC, Check out my favorite money jar spell here, Crow Symbolism: Spiritual Meaning Of The Crow, 6 Effective Studying Spells For Exams, Class, & Enhanced Focus. In Sweden the goat came to be associated with the Christmas celebration, and the Yule goat is now considered by many to be a companion or counterpart to Santa Claus. The most important part about celebrating Christmas in our modern lives is cleaning up before it begins! Among those who have put forward this view are Louis Duchesne,[50] Thomas J. Talley,[51] David J. Rothenberg,[52] J. Neil Alexander, [53] and Hugh Wybrew.[54]. 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. The Twelfth Night festival marked the onset of the winter solstice, the point in late December when the sun, whose daily arc had reached its lowest, darkest, coldest point, began its rise toward the longer, warmer days and the coming of spring. Lastly, Yule is a wonderful time to celebratepeace. If you have a fireplace (gas, electric, real, etc.) Instead, Im pretty sure the hunt is a fairy celebration. Thank you for everything you all do in honor of those of us who are Pagan and celebrate Yule. But whats a good Wiccan to do? Each culture may associate a different color with Yule, depending on their own traditions and customs. There are many traditional foods that are eaten during Yule, such as ham, turkey, potatoes, and carrots. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/about-yule-rituals-2562970. The ashes of Yule logs were said to be very good for plants. I am so interested in non religious centered culture and traditions. Runes and crystals can be made it into ornaments. In Norse paganism, trees symbolize life. To many pagans, Yule is like the traditional New Year holiday. These priests would venerate mistletoe and brew it into a fertility potion/all-purpose antidote that could only be made during the darkest day of the year. It marks the return of the sun, when the days finally begin to get a little longer. For example: Dont have room for a tree? The HPs concludes the rite by saying: We make these offerings tonight,to show our love to you, O Goddess.Please accept our gifts, and know thatwe are entering this new season with joy in our hearts. Thank you for the wisdom of your years,and for seeing the season through to its end.You have stepped aside that the new season may begin,and for this we give you honor. Its simple! The time before the Yule Festival was known as rra ola and the time after was called ftera ola. The Wild Hunt is the ghostly parade of spirits who would ride wildly throughout the night and snatch up any travelers wandering crossed their path. Families would bring the trunk of the Yule tree inside and stick the big end of it into the fireplace. It is thought that the tradition originated in ancient times, perhaps as a tribute to the god Thor, who was said to ride in a chariot pulled by goats. It begins on Winter Solstice day and runs through the new calendar year (January Skip to main content. Blessings ! The other Wiccan festivals are thought to represent various points in the courtship of these two deities. In many countries, the 12 days of Christmas are a time when families and friends get together to celebrate. 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. For example, the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is thought to have been written in the 1700s. The Christmas tree is a symbol of the Yule log and is traditionally decorated with candles, ornaments, and garland. The word Yule comes fromOld Englishgeol, which shares a history with the equivalent word from Old Norse, jl. Become who you were meant to be! I especially like good luck spells for the winter ahead. This can be a fun activity to do with your family or friends. Its not uncommon toattend a Pagan eventin which guests are invited to donate clothing, canned goods, toiletries, books, and even pet care products. Dogma is antithetical to spiritual living so follow your highest aspiration to recognize divinity! Some modern celebrations of Yule attempt to re-create ancient traditions, while others have been adapted or reimagined to suit contemporary personal and religious practices. The celebration of the Yule holiday is a time to clean your home and purge everything that no longer serves you. 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. Yule songs and carols are an entertaining way to celebrate the season. Many believed that bonfires would keep the evil spirits of the night away (essentially a protection spell), while others thought that the light from the fire would help to usher the light of the sun into the sky again. At this time, the High Priestess should invite anyone who wishes to make an offering to the Goddess to come do so offerings can be placed on the altar, or if you're outdoors, in a fire. If your family uses a holiday treeduring the Yule seasonandmany Pagan familiesdoyou might want to consider a blessing ritual for the tree, both at the time you cut it down and again before you've decorated it. Traditional Yule gifts are less commercialized than other holiday gifts. After all, who can focus when they're constantly having to step over piles of unused junk? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Both these words referred to a midwinter festival centered around the winter solstice, which traditionally marked the halfway point of the winter season. On day three, we prepare a large meal together and toast to abundance, our the accomplishments of the past year and we declare our aspirations for the year to come. 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