'Yule' is a
winter festival celebrated in Northern Europe since ancient times. In pre-Christian times,
Anglo-Saxon,
Scandinavian and
Germanic pagans celebrated Yule in late December or early January on a date determined by a lunar calendar.
[1] With the coming of
Christianity and the adoption of the
Julian calendar, Yule was placed on December 25 in order to correspond with the Christian celebrations later known in
English as
Christmas.
[2] Thus, the terms "Yule" and "Christmas" are often used interchangeably, especially in
Christmas carols. In
Denmark,
Norway and
Sweden the term ''jul'' is the most common way to refer to the celebration, including among
Christians. In
Finland, it is called ''joulu'', in
Estonia ''jõulud'', and in
Iceland and the
Faroe Islands ''jól''.
Yule is an important festival for
Wiccans,
Neopagans and various
secular groups who observe the holiday at the
winter solstice (December 21 or 22 in the
Northern Hemisphere, June 20 or 21 in the
Southern Hemisphere). ''Yulefest'', for example, is held by many
Australians on a weekend in late
June.
Etymology
Of the contested origin of ''Jól'', one popular connection is to
Old Norse ''hjól'',
''wheel'', to identify the moment when the wheel of the year is at its low point, ready to rise again (compare
karachun).
This theory however seems based more on similarities between the words "jul" and "hjul" (with a mute h) in modern Scandinavian languages, rather than any connection based on older cognates or historical sources. Linguists suggest that ''Jól'' has been inherited by
Germanic languages from a
pre-Indo-European substrate language and either borrowed into
Old English from Old Norse or directly inherited from
Proto-Germanic. Considering the original Old English form ''Geohhol'', another suggestion connects the word to Latin ''jocus'', however this is uncertain.
[3]
In the
Scandinavian Germanic languages, the term ''Jul'' covers both ''Yule'' and ''Christmas'', and is also occasionally used to denote other holidays in December, ''e.g.'', "jødisk jul" or "judisk jul" (tr. "Jewish Yule") for
Hanukkah. The word "jul" has also been borrowed into the neighboring
Finnic languages, most notably to
Finnish and
Estonian (where it has been modified to "''joulu''" and "''jõul''", respectively, and denotes Christmas in modern usage), although the Finnic languages have a linguistic origin different from Germanic languages. In Old English, ''geóla''
[1] originally referred to the month of December; although the ancient
Anglo-Saxon calendar had two "tides" of 60 day periods: "Litha Tide", roughly equivalent to modern June and July, and "Giuli Tide", being essentially December and January (the remaining months of the year were lunar, 29 day periods--the New Year began with the second half of that tide, also known as "Wulfmonath"). There was also a period of time, twelve days, intercalary between the two halves--or "monaths"--the which becoming the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas. The definition later narrowed to mean Christmas day only, with the returning of the Latin-based calendar--via the Normans--over time in Christian Norman and
Anglo-Saxon England.
Ancient Yule
Yule celebrations at the winter solstice predate the conversion to
Christianity. It was, in pre-conversion times, the name of a feast celebrated by sacrifice on mid-winter night of January 12th according to the Norwegian historian Olav Bø.
[2] 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. According to
Adam of Bremen, the Swedish kings sacrificed male slaves every ninth year during the Yule sacrifices at the
Temple at Uppsala. 'Yule-Joy', with dancing, continued through the
Middle Ages in Iceland, but was frowned upon when the
Reformation arrived. The custom of ritually slaughtering a boar on Yule survives in the modern tradition of the
Christmas ham and the
Boar's Head Carol.
:"On Yule Eve, the best boar in the herd was brought into the hall where the assembled company laid their hands upon the animal and made their unbreakable oaths. Heard by the boar, these oaths were thought to go straight to the ears of Freyr himself.Once the oaths had been sworn, the boar was sacrificed in the name of Freyr and the feast of boar flesh began. The most commonly recognised remnants of the sacred boar traditions once common at Yule has to be the serving of the boar's head at later Christmas feasts".
[3]
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,
:"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).
Contemporary Yule Traditions
Many of the symbols and motifs associated with the modern holiday of
Christmas are derived from traditional
pagan northern European Yule celebrations. The burning of the
Yule log, the decorating of
Christmas trees, the eating of
ham, the hanging of boughs,
holly,
mistletoe, etc. are all historically practices associated with Yule. When the
Christianization of the Germanic peoples began,
missionaries found it convenient to provide a Christian reinterpretation of popular pagan holidays such as Yule and allow the celebrations themselves to go on largely unchanged, versus trying to confront and suppress them. The
Scandinavian tradition of slaughtering a pig at Christmas (see
Christmas ham) is probably salient evidence of this. The tradition is thought to be derived from the sacrifice of boars to the god
Freyr at the Yule celebrations.
Halloween and aspects of
Easter celebrations are likewise assimilated from northern European pagan festivals.
English historian
Bede's ''
Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum'' ("Ecclesiastic History of the English People") contains a letter from
Pope Gregory I to
Saint Mellitus, who was then on his way to England to conduct missionary work among the
pagan Anglo-Saxons. Pope Gregory suggested that converting heathens would go easier if they were allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional pagan practices and traditions, while recasting those traditions spiritually towards the Christian God instead of to their pagan "devils": ''"to the end that, whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God"''.
[4]
Finland
Main articles: Joulupukki
Main articles: Joulupöytä
On the eve of the
Finnish 'Joulu', children are visited by ''
Joulupukki'', a Santa Claus-like character. The name Joulupukki literally means ''Yule Goat''. This name is likely to come from an old Finnish tradition, where people dressed in goat hides called ''nuuttipukki''s used to circulate in homes after Joulu, eating leftover food. Joulupukki's workshop is situated, not in the
North Pole or
Greenland, but in
Korvatunturi,
Lapland,
Finland. He does not sneak in through the chimney during the night, but knocks on the front door during
''Jouluaatto''. When he comes in, his first words usually are: "''Onkos täällä kilttejä lapsia?''" (tr. "Are there (any) good (well behaving) children here?"). Presents are given and opened immediately. He usually wears red, warm clothes and often carries a wooden walking stick. He visits people's homes and rides a
sleigh pulled by a number of
reindeer. He is married to Joulumuori (tr. ''Mother Yule''). Typical
Finnish yule dishes include
ham, various root vegetable casseroles, beetroot salad, gingerbread and star-shaped plum-filled pastries. Other traditions with a non-Christian yule background include
joulukuusi (tr. "yule
spruce") and joulusauna (tr. "yule
sauna").
Norway
Main articles: Jul (Norway)
The main 'Jul' event for
Norwegians is on ''Julaften'' on
December 24th, the evening when the main feast, is served and gifts are exchanged. Almost all Norwegian
breweries produce traditional
beer, ''juleøl'', and a special soda, ''julebrus''. Jul dishes are also served on ''
Julebord'', where people from work gather around early December to feast and drink alcoholic beverages. Also, 7 types of deserts, ''julekaker'' traditionally baked by the mother of the house are prepared. There is also the ''Julebukk'' or ''Nyttårsbukk'' tradition of which it is common for children to pay visits to neighbours where they are given candy, nuts and
clementines. The children may dress up and go out every day between Juleaften and
New Year's Eve. Adults as well, dress up later in the evening and ''Drammebukk'' by paying visits to neighbours in much the same way as the children, but the main difference is that adults are given drinks instead of candy.
Denmark
Main articles: Jul (Denmark)
In
Denmark, 'Jul' is celebrated on
December 24, which is referred to as ''Juleaftendag''. An evening meal is eaten with the family consisting of either roast pork, roast duck or roast goose which is eaten with potatoes, red cabbage and plenty of gravy. For dessert rice pudding is served, traditionally with an almond hidden inside, the lucky finder of this almond is entitled to a small gift. After the meal is complete, the family gather around the ''
Juletræ'' and sing
Christmas carols. Traditionally they would dance around the tree, but due to space constraints of modern homes, this often does not happen.
When the singing is complete, the family will select one child to hand out the presents. They are opened and this is followed by more snacks, candy, chips and sometimes the traditionally ''
Gløgg'' (mulled and spiced wine with almonds and raisins), which is served hot in small cups.
Sweden
Julbock at Gävle, Sweden
As in many other countries in northern Europe,
Jultomten brings the presents on Julaften, December 24, the day generally thought of as the main 'Jul' day. Almost all Swedish families celebrate with a ''
julbord''. The common part of almost all julbord is the ''
julskinka'' (baked ham). The julbord is served with
beer or ''
julmust'' and
snaps, the dishes of the julbord may vary throughout
Sweden. Businesses traditionally invite their employees to a julbord dinner or lunch the weeks beforehand, and people go out privately to restaurants offering julbord during December, as well. Swedes also enjoy ''
glögg'' like in many other countries of
Scandinavia. After the julbord, the presents are distributed, either by
Jultomten or a family member, and usually from a sack or from under the Christmas tree where they have been laying all day or for several days. In older days a
yule goat was an alternative to Jultomten, nowadays it is used as an ornament, ranging from sizes of 10 cm to huge constructions like the
Gävle goat. The next morning, some people attend the
julotta, an early morning church service on
Jul day.
Neopaganism
As forms of Neopaganism can be quite different and have very different origins, these representations can vary considerably despite the shared name. Some celebrate in a manner as close as possible to how they believe that the Ancient Germanic pagans observed the tradition, while others observe the holiday with rituals culled from numerous other unrelated sources, Germanic culture being only one of the sources used.
Germanic neopaganism
In Germanic Neopagan sects, 'Yule' is celebrated with gatherings that often involve a meal and gift giving. Further attempts at reconstruction of surviving accounts of historical celebrations are often made, a hallmark being variations of the traditional. However it has been pointed out that this is not really reconstruction as these traditions never died out - they have merely removed the superficial Christian elements from the celebrations
blót.
Groups such as the
Asatru Folk Assembly in the US recognize the celebration as lasting for 12 days, beginning on the date of the
winter solstice.
[ McNallen, Stephen ''The Twelve Days of Yule - 2005'' [5]]
Wicca
In general, many
Wiccan based sects favor a plethora of sources on winter solstice holidays to recreate a type of 'Yule' holiday. While the name "Yule" is used, it is not an absolute reconstruction of the original holiday. Wreaths, Yule logs, decoration of trees, decorating with mistletoe, holly, and ivy, exchanges of presents, and even
wassailing are incorporated and regarded as sacred. The return of the Sun as Frey is commemorated in some groups. However, due to the eclectic nature of modern Wicca, many solstice narratives from outside mythologies are incorporated or even substituted.
In some Wiccan sects the holiday is observed in a manner that commemorates the death of the
Holly 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 Oak King (the new year and the new sun that begins to grow) (Farrar & Farrar [1989] 1998: 35-38). In most Wiccan sects, this holiday is also celebrated as the rebirth of the Great God, who is viewed as the newborn solstice sun.
References
1. "The Anglo-Saxon Calendar"
2. Snorri Sturluson, ''Heimskringla'', "Yule in Ancient Norway"
3. Fick, August; Falk, Hjalmar; Torp, Alf (1909). ''Wörterbuch der Indogermanischen Sprachen: Dritter Teil: Wortschatz der Germanischen Spracheinheit''. Göttingen Vandenhoek und Ruprecht. p. 328.
★ Rouche, Michel, "Private life conquers state and society," in ''A History of Private Life'' vol I, Paul Veyne, editor, Harvard University Press 1987 ISBN 0-674-39974-9
★ Farrar, Janet and Stewart ([1989] 1998). The Witch's God, "IX Oak King and Holly King". 35-38. Phoenix Publishing, Inc. Blaine, Washington. ISBN 0-919345-47-6
See also
Traditions and Lore
★
Yule log
★
Yule Goat
★
Julbord
★
Joulupukki
★
Jólasveinar
★
Julebukking
★
Julenisse
★
Yolka
★
Festive ecology
Related Holidays
★
Jul (Norway)
★
Jul (Denmark)
★
Christmas
★
Winter solstice
★
Swedish festivities
★
List of winter festivals
★
Midsummer
★
Solstice
External links
★
Stone, John Robert, Observing Bede's Anglo-Saxon Calendar
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