Yule - a God Festival

Yule, or Winter Solstice, is classed as a god festival, as it is the time when the god is reborn. As we know, Christ was not born in December, but rather around October but his birth date was moved forward to cover this pagan festival, a time in which Mithras returns to the world, bringing the light with him. Balder, the Norse God, is also associated with this time of year, and is classed as a Holly God.

This is not to say that the Goddess is ignored - far from it but she does go into recuperation here, to reappear rejuvinated as the maiden at Imbolc.

The festivals at this time celebrated the return of the light, not because, as many patronising scholars believe, that they feared it would not return, but because they celebrated the increasing length of the day, moving out of the long dark nights.

Our ancestors burned the yule log as a form of protection and as a symbol of that light. This log was large, to last as long as possible. Stories were told, food was elaborate and drinking and dancing was a must. Life was short in these times and so much more precious as a result. They did not have our antibiotics, central heating, supermarkets for food whenever they needed it. In this we are very lucky and I find myself shaking my head at people who wish to harken back to 'the old days' - when food was scarce, women were objects and if you were of a different land/colour you were treated poorly.

I am thankful to have been born in these times. while I think too many people still ignore nature, I am thankful that we have advanced medically (although some of those advances have high side effects), academically and liberally.

As you will know, Yule is also the Winter Solstice. This year it is on the 21st of December but that is not always the case, as the position of the sun changes each year. It is always between the 20th and 22nd though.

Wherever you are, whomever you are with I hope you have a wonderful, warm and merry yule.

BB

On another note, I have written 3 books. 2 are part of a series set in Scoltand about the Sidhe, fairy folk. Available on kindle and in paperback:

The Island of the Mist is book 2

The Stone in the Sword is book 1

The 3rd book is an adult, sexy witchy werewolf/vampire story set in New York and featuring a strong female lead character, again available in kindle and paperback formats:

The Wolf, the Witch and the Coffin

The year ahead - dates for your calendar in paganism

Many pagans seem to be under the incorrect idea that all pagan festivals are fixed to one specific date of the year. This is not the case. The solar festivals (both equinoxes and solstices) move every year. Some days they are on the 20th, the 21st or the 22nd of the corresponding month. This is because there are very slight changes in the Earth's orbit around the Sun. The majority of pagans simply celebrate on the 21st of the month but this is not always the actual date of the solstice or equinox.

For instance, this year, the dates are as follows:
Spring Equinox - 20th March
Summer Solstice - 20th June
Autumn Equinox - 22nd September
Winter Solstice - 21st December

The agricultural festivals are not as fixed as many imagine either - these are dates for actual agricultural events as well. The only exception is Hallowe'en, or Samhain. This is a fixed date as it is the date the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. But the others can alter slightly. For instance, Imbolc, usually celebrated on the 1st or 2nd February can be earlier or later, depending when the first snowdrops appear and the first signs of life begin to show. Equally, this is the same of Lammas, the wheat harvest, can be earlier or, more commonly, later.

Personally, I tend to feel that Beltain is more like Hallowe'en. It feels more stationary, less mutable. This would make sense, given that these dates are the reverse in the Southern Hemisphere.

So when Imbolc comes around and you haven't spotted any snowdrops pushing up through the ground, hold off celebrating a few days until they appear. Likewise, if the first harvest hasn't happened in the countryside near you, wait a few days. If you can't tell re Lammas, then go ahead and celebrate around the 1s August but it is always better to feel more attuned to the seasons, and to the energies of the sun.

Winter Solstice 2011

Winter Solstice rapidly approaches and is late this year, the 22nd of December. Many people don’t realise that this is not a fixed date, such as Halloween, but a date dependant on astronomical movements. Winter Solstice falls on either the 20th, 21st or 22nd of December according to the shortest day of the year, and more importantly, the longest night.
After this day, light begins to return to the northern hemisphere. The longest night is very important, as witnessed by Newgrange and Stonehenge, both of which were built to align with this event. This was a time of secrets revealed, celebration and observance.
I often wonder how many people, like me, celebrate both Yule and Christmas. This is habit when you grow up in a house where you are raised as Christian and your family continue to be Christian. It meant gifts waited until the 25th.
This year, I am at home with my husband and cats and we are doing the same, mostly out of habit but also because it would be strange not.
Yule was a time of ham and burning the Yule log, of decorating the home with holly and mistletoe, a time of home, hearth and family. I would imagine it would be easy to incorporate a vegetarian nut loaf in here for those who don’t eat meat, a sort of Yule log in itself.
In Scotland, temperatures are rapidly falling and I imagine that much of the northern hemisphere is experiencing the same, many to greater degrees. Staying warm is very important, as is looking out for elderly neighbours and making sure they are ok – many die from hypothermia at this time of year.
Blessings to you and yours.