Silverm00n
04-28-2006, 11:55 PM
Yule is celebrated at the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. This occurs on about December 21, although the actual date can vary from year to year. Yule is the Celtic celebration of the Goddess becoming the Great Mother, giving birth to the God who died at Samhain of the previous year. It is celebrated as the sun returns after the longest night of the year. In actuality, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, which is why many early Christians did not recognize it. Yule/Christmas was too closely associated with preexisting stories of Pagan deities possesing histories of divine birth, death, and resurrection that predated the stories of Jesus, sometimes by thousands of years.
The wreath is a typical Yule decoration, representing the Wheel of the Year. It is usually made of holly interspersed with pine cones representing the God, and either fruit or small seashells representing the Goddess. The Celts decorated evergreen trees with nuts, fruits, coins, and occasionally candles. The evergreen tree, holly, ivy, and mistletoe were important plants of the season, each in its own way symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. The traditional Yule log is also a Celtic custom, with the log decorated with evergreen and holly strands before being lit at sunset. The Yule log is burned throughout the night until sunrise the following morning, another representation fo the return of the sun and the turning of the Wheel of the Year. The altar candle for Yule can be either purple or dark green. Some Pagans prefer to change the color of the God and Goddess candles from the more traditional red and white to red and dark green for the Yule Sabbat celebration. Typical decorations include holly, mistletoe, pine branches, or pine cones.
reference: Wiccan Beliefs & Practices by: Gary Cantrell
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The wreath is a typical Yule decoration, representing the Wheel of the Year. It is usually made of holly interspersed with pine cones representing the God, and either fruit or small seashells representing the Goddess. The Celts decorated evergreen trees with nuts, fruits, coins, and occasionally candles. The evergreen tree, holly, ivy, and mistletoe were important plants of the season, each in its own way symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. The traditional Yule log is also a Celtic custom, with the log decorated with evergreen and holly strands before being lit at sunset. The Yule log is burned throughout the night until sunrise the following morning, another representation fo the return of the sun and the turning of the Wheel of the Year. The altar candle for Yule can be either purple or dark green. Some Pagans prefer to change the color of the God and Goddess candles from the more traditional red and white to red and dark green for the Yule Sabbat celebration. Typical decorations include holly, mistletoe, pine branches, or pine cones.
reference: Wiccan Beliefs & Practices by: Gary Cantrell
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