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Yule is celebrated during the same season as Christmas. It is the first holiday after the Wtiches/Pagan New Year (Samhain). It usually falls on the 20th or 21st of December, but the season of Yuletide itself runs from December 20th to the 31st, hence, the 12 days of Christmas. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. The waxing sun overcomes the waning sun...the days begin to get longer and the nights grow shorter. Long ago, for the sun to be gone for so long was a frightening time for folks. Peoples' crops died and the earth grew grey, cold and dark. There was a fear that the sun might not return and that there would be loss of life and livelihood.
Today Yule is a much more joyous time. Altars are gaily decked in red and green. There is a Yule log with candles of appropriate colors inserted. Once the circle is cast and the quarters are called, the ritual itself may include a dramatization of a battle between two kings...the Oak King (who symbolizes the rebirth of the god), and the Holly King (who represents the death aspect). They will battle each other dueling swords or staves until one conquers the other...in this case the Oak King will reign triumphant until Summer Solstice when once again the Holly King will reign.
Even though this enactment may give the appearance that there are two gods, this is not actually the case. This is really one god, the Lord of the Greenwood, consort to the Lady of the Greenwood. Know also as Cernunnos, the Green Man, Herne the Hunter, and Lord of the Wild Hunt, he is a god of fertility, growth, death, and rebirth.
He rules all of the seasons but with different aspects of the same self. At Yule he is the new born king, the depiction of innocence and joy. He represents the returning light. It Imolg, he is growing as the days are increasing in length. at Ostara, he is the green man in his youth who is infatuated with the Maiden Goddess. On Beltane he is the Green Man in love. He takes the Goddess for his bride and the marriage is celebrated with maypoles and bonfires. At Midsummer, his marriage is so fully consumated that it becomes a death of sorts. He is mourned at Lammas, and at Mabon, he sleeps in the womb of the Goddess. At Samhain, he waits in the Summerland to be reborn.
This past Yule, I attended a public circle and the symbolism used was a depiction of the maiden (become mother) gives birth to the Sun King. Everyone was chanting..."Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna," over and over again until the maiden suddenly let out a scream and the new born King came rolling out onto the floor lying in the fetal position. We all jumped with surprise since none of us were aware of what was about to take place, and then hearty laughter broke out. It was a very fun time for all.
The Christian church replaced the Pagan holiday Yule with their version called Christmas which still depicted a son/"sun" king being born. At that time there were so many people who were used to keeping the Yule tradition, so for acceptance sake, Christmas was "born." You're familiar with the manger scene...Mary, Joseph and the Christ-child? Well instead, the pagan cast of characters would be Mother Nature, Father Time and the Sun Child. And of course we can't forget the good 'ol Christmas Tree with lights and a 5-pointed star on top. The star is the pagan pentacle, but Christians simply renamed it the Star of Bethlehem or the Star of David. And let's not forget the tree wise men who were led to the new born king by the star. Whatever it is called today, it is truly a pagan tradition. :-)
In any event, Yule with all it's colors, magick and traditions is a time of tremendous celebration. This is a time for family and friends to get together, exchange gifts, (another pagan custom), and enjoy wonderful food and fellowship together.
The one thing to remember is that however you are used to celebrating the Yultide season, you don't have to redo your way of thinking or celebrating, and you don't have to worry about family members of non-pagan persuasion. This is a time for everyone to enjoy and we can still unite and celebrate together. There's no better way to create balance and contribute to the healing of the world than this.
Now, for your enjoyment, even though the holiday is past, I'm including a few recipes that I've collected from various sources that are both fun to make and consume, not only at Yuletide, but any time.
EASY YULE LOG
1 Package commercial cake mix, preferably chocolate
2 cans (24 oz.) pre-made frosting in a dark brown color
Several tubes of cake decoration frosting in green, red and white
Several toothpicks
Preheat over to 300 F. Grease and line a jellyroll pan with waxed paper. Mix the cake according to package instructions and pour a thin layer-no more than 1/4 inch thick-into the prepared jelly roll pan. Bake the cake until just underdone. If you can't tell by looking then use the knife test. When the knife emerges not quite clean from the center or the cake, and when a light touch does not bounce back easily, it need to come out. Check the cake a 7 minutes and then every 2 minutes after that. Do NOT over-bake or the dough will be dry and hard to work with. Remove the cake from the over and let it cool slightly. The remove the cake from the pan by lifting out the wax paper. With the dark frosting, coat the top of the cake with toothpicks and let it cook for about 5 more minutes. Cool the cake for 30 minutes, and then frost it with the dark brown icing. Next, take the tubes of colored cake decorating frosting and make holly and mistletoe over the top. You can also use artificial greenery until it is time to eat the cake. To finish, take a toothpick and etch lines into the frosting to resemble tree back. (McCoy, page 70)
SPICED FRUIT NOG
12 eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 cups apricot nectar
2 cups half-and half
1 (12-ounce) can evaporate
2 teaspoon rum flavoring
Grated orange rind (optional)
Combine egg yolks, sugar, and spices in top of a double broiler. Place over simmering water and cook, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until mixture reaches 165. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Combine yolk mixture, egg whites, apricot nectar, half-and-half, evaporated milk, and rum flavoring: beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until well blended. Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Pour chilled Nog into serving cups and sprinkle with orange rind, if desired. Yield: 2 Quarts.
LEG OF LAMB
1 Leg of Lamb
Salt, pepper
1 cup heavy cream
2-3 tablespoons flour
Put the leg of lamb on a grid in a roasting pan and pour (2 pints) of water into the pan. You can also put the Leg of Lamb in a roasting bag without a liquid. Place into oven. Heat over to 150-175 de. C (280-325 de. F) And roast for one hour for each kilo (2 lb.) of weight. Baste occasionally with the stock from the roasting pan. For the last half-hour of cooking switch on the grill, (US broiler) and grill the Leg of Lamb on both sides. If you use a roasting bag, remove it from the bag for the last half-hour and grill in the same way.
Strain the stock into a casserole and skim off the fat. Thicken the sauce with flour, or your favorite thickening, season and color with gravy browning. Add the cream and remove from the heat. Serve with your choice of vegetables and caramel potatoes.
Yule Gingerbread
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
1 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup hot water
5 tbs butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
a few pieces candied ginger, diced very fine
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Melt butter in hot water, mix in molasses. Add flour, salt, ginger and baking soda. Turn into greased pan, sprinkle with candied ginger. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. A dark traditional ginger bread for the longest night of the year, and a celebration of the rebirth of the Sun.
Yule Brew
4 parts cinnamon
4 parts allspice
2 parts nutmeg
2 parts lemon peel
2 parts clove
1 part bay
2 parts chamomile
50 parts black tea
Stir together and serve hot or cold.
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