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Hey Hey Boys & Girls, its that time again...
Yule was the winter solstice celebration of the Germanic pagans still celebrated by Ásatrúar. It is also one of the eight solar holidays, or sabbats, of Paganism. In modern Paganism, Yule is celebrated on the winter solstice: in the northern hemisphere, circa December 21, and in the southern hemisphere, circa June 21.
"Yule" and "Yuletide" are also archaic terms for Christmas, sometimes invoked in songs to provide atmosphere. Indeed, this is the only meaning of "Yule" accepted by either the full Oxford English Dictionary or the Concise Oxford Dictionary, and people unfamiliar with ancient pagan traditions will not distinguish between Yule and Christmas. This usage survives in the term "Yule log"; it may also persist in some Scottish dialects.
Traditional Yule : What is certain is that Yule celebrations at the winter solstice predate Christianity, and though there are numerous references to Yule in the Icelandic sagas, there are few accounts of how Yule was actually celebrated, beyond the fact that it was a time for feasting. 'Yule-Joy', with dancing, continued through the Middle Ages in Iceland, but was frowned upon when the Reformation arrived. It is, however, known to have included the sacrifice of a pig for the god Freyr, a tradition which survives in the Scandinavian Christmas ham.
The confraternities of artisans of the 9th century, which developed into the medieval guilds, were denounced by Catholic clergy for their "conjurations" when they swore to support one another in coming adversity and in business ventures. The occasions were annual banquets on December 26,
& nbsp; &n bsp; &nb sp; "feast day of the pagan god Jul, when it was possible to couple with the spirits of the dead and with demons that returned to the surface of the earth... Many clerics denounced these conjurations as being not only a threat to public order but also, more serious in their eyes, satanic and immoral. Hincmar, in 858, sought in vain to Christianize them" (Rouche 1987, p. 432).
Today the holiday is, with Beltane and Samhain, one of the most popular among Neopagans. In some traditions, it commemorates the death of the Oak King identified with the wren bird (symbolizing the old year and the shortened sun) at the hands of his son and successor, the robin redbreast Holly King (the new year and the new sun that begins to grow). In other traditions, it is seen as the birthday of the new sun god.
A traditional ritual is a vigil from dusk to dawn, often with feasting, dancing, and ceremonial ritual, on the longest night of the year, to make sure that the sun will rise again.
Among the sabbats, Yule is preceded by Samhain and followed by Imbolc.
All of nature is cyclical, the passing of time is also seen as a cycle, a wheel which turns and turns. The course of birth, life, decline, and death that we see in our human lives is echoed in the seasons. The eight Sabbats are religious holidays that celebrate the passing of the year.
The Sabbats, with the traditional dates of their celebrations, are:
* Midwinter/Yule, on the winter solstice * Imbolc, on February 2 and the preceding eve * Ostara, on the spring equinox * Beltane/Beltaine/May Day on May 1 and the preceding eve * Midsummer/Litha, on the summer solstice * Lughnasadh/Lammas, on August 1 and the preceding eve * Mabon, on the autumnal equinox * Samhain, on November 1 and the preceding eve October 31
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