Winter Solstice and Yule Lesson |
I was asked to teach about the Winter Solstice and Yule holidays at my son's school (elementary public school). I am sending out the lesson I taught along with the poem I shared at the bottom for those of you who wish to explain this holiday to others. This lesson does not contain some of the more colorful parts of this holiday, it was done in a more historical aspect and made to be suitable for small children. I had to make sure I did not cross the law on religion in schools (you may teach about religion but you may not teach religion in public schools) with this lesson. I hope you enjoy it.
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At this time of year we celebrate many winter holidays all over the world. I was asked to teach you about the Winter Solstice and Yule holidays. The Winter Solstice is one of eight Sabbats celebrated by Pagans. The word Sabbath comes from the word Sabbat, which means "Sacred or Holy Day." The Winter Solstice and Yule holidays are the winter holidays celebrated all over the world by many different countries and many different religions. Most people, but not all, who celebrate these winter holidays are Pagan. Long before Judaism and Christianity there were many Pagan religions. Pagan comes from the ancient word meaning "country dweller" and this was the term given to those living out in the country when Christianity swept across the lands. You were either a villager or a country dweller. Today Pagan generally means anyone who is not Christian, Muslim, or Jew. There are thousands of different Pagan religions all around the world. There are still many Pagan religions we do not know anything about such as the tribal religions in parts of the African jungle and the South American rain forest. Instead of believing in just one God, most Pagans believe in many Gods and Goddesses so those deities are a part of their celebrations.
In ancient times people did not have TVs and cars, nor did they have electricity, running water, stores, and so on. People had to hunt for their own food and gather fruits and nuts and berries to eat. In time they learned how to farm to grow their own food. People back then relied on the sun and moon and how they affected the weather. Throughout the month the moon changes position and can affect things such as the ocean tides and weather. During the year the sun changes position as well. As you have noticed the days have gotten shorter and the nights longer, this is part of he sun's changing positions. In 2001 C.E. on December 21 at 7:21pm EST the night will be the longest night of the year and the day will be the shortest day of the year, this is called the Winter Solstice. According to astrologers and scientists, several thousand years ago this occurred closer to December 25. Now it occurs between December 20 and 22. For Pagan people everywhere this is an important holiday. It signifies the days will once again begin to grow longer. Although the Winter Solstice has been celebrated for over 40,000 years, Yule has not. Yule falls on the same day as the Winter Solstice, and many people call them the same holiday. The Celtic peoples were tribal people that lived in Europe, long before Christianity. Many people think they were only Irish and Scottish but they were not. They extended up into Scandinavia, down into the Spanish Peninsula and Gaul, and over into some parts of China. They were also in Russia and the Middle East. For the Celtic people and other tribal people, Yule was the time of the year when the Goddess gives birth to their Sun God and symbolized rebirth and renewal. This belief is still true today to many pagan people. The Winter Solstice and Yule holidays last twelve days. This is where the twelve days of Christmas originally came from.
As a religion grows, it adopts many customs from other religions. Much of how we celebrate Christmas today came from the Pagan celebrations of Winter Solstice and Yule. I am sure many of you have sung the carol "O Tannenbaum" or "Oh Christmas Tree". "Tannenbaum" is the German word for "Sacred Tree" and the evergreen trees (called Christmas trees today) were considered sacred. During this time of year nature has died down and is resting under a blanket of snow in many areas. The evergreen tree was sacred because it remained green and continued to grow through the winter when everything else seemed to be dead. Some of the ways Pagans celebrated the Winter Solstice were by decorating evergreen trees in the woods. They would hang strings of nuts and berries as well as place fruits in the trees. Decorating the trees was their way of welcoming the sun back in hopes of a bountiful harvest the following summer. The nuts, berries, and fruits would also feed their animal friends in the forest in hopes of a bountiful hunt later in the warmer weather. Many pagan people hung clear round glass balls in their homes, these were called witches balls. It was thought that if an unwanted spirit entered the home it would be trapped in the witches balls so as to not bother those residing there. Later when trees were brought inside to decorate, these balls were hung on the trees. This is where we get our Christmas ornaments from.
Pagans decorated with wreaths to symbolize the wheel of the year. Mistletoe was a symbol of peace and fertility. Without fertile fields and animals, people would starve so fertility was important. Holly was a symbol of rebirth and would be placed around the homes to ward off unwanted spirits. This time of year food was scarce. During the holiday celebrations peasants would go to their landlord's home and sing songs. If they sang well they would be rewarded with a meal. This is how caroling was started. Pagans would decorate their homes and animals with bells. The bells were used to ward off evil spirits. Evergreen garlands were used to decorate the homes to welcome nature spirits in from the cold. Nature spirits would be what you may have heard called fairies, elves, gnomes, pixies, as well as others. Many times a meal would also be set out for the friendly spirits. Pagans decorated their homes with candles (in later years lights when they were invented) to welcome the sun's return. Pagans used stars called pentagrams in their decorations. Pentagrams were a symbol of earth and protection. Later Christians used the pentagram as their symbol of protection representing the five wounds of Jesus. Today many people of many religions still use pentagrams and stars to decorate their homes and trees. The colors red, white, and green had significant religious meaning to the early Pagans. <<
One central celebration of Yule is the burning of the Yule Log. Earlier in the year the Yule Log was selected and set aside for Yule. The log is burned for twelve days during the Yule holiday. The ashes from the Yule Log are spread over the fields in hopes of a good crop. A small portion of the Yule Log is saved for the next year to light the next Yule Log. Stories were often told in front of the Yule log. Many times the Pagan God is referred to as the Horned One or Horned God. The reindeer was the horned animal that represented the Pagan God of the Hunt in colder regions, many times the deer or ram was used in other regions. The giving of gifts is also part of the ancient Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice and Yule. Remember this was a time of year when food was scarce. People who had more food saved up would give gifts of food and other necessities to those who were starving in the bleak winter months. Wassailing was also done this time of year. Wassail was a type of alcoholic apple cider drunk by the adults of that area. This is where "toasting" came from. Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. Apples and oranges represented the Sun God.
I am sure many of you have heard of Santa Claus. Well, many countries have their stories of Santa Claus. In Italy, which is where my family is from there is the story of La Befana. The La Befana stories go back at least 3000 years. La Befana is the kindly old woman who delivers gifts of fruit, nuts, and small gifts and place them in good children's stockings hung by the fire or their shoes they set out on the hearth. If you were naughty she would give you lumps of coal. She used to do this on the Winter Solstice, after Christianity became the main religion, she began doing this on the Epiphany which is January 6. To this day you can find little black candy that looks like coal. This is placed in the good children's stockings so that throughout the year when they are eating their candy they are reminded to behave so as to not get real coal next winter.
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A Visit From The Yule Spirits
by Richard De Angelis
'Twas that night before Yule, when all 'cross the heath,
Not a being was stirring; Pagan, Faerie, nor Beast,
Wassail was left out and the altar adorned,
To rejoice that the Sun King would soon be reborn.
The children lay sleeping by the warmth of the hearth,
Their dreams filled with visions of beloved Mother Earth,
M'lady and I beneath blankets piled deep,
had just settled down to our Solstice sleep.
Then a noise in the night that would leave us no peace,
Awakened us both to the honking of geese.
Eager to see such a boisterous flock,
When we raced to the window, our mouths dropped in shock!
On the West Wind flew a gaggle of geese, white and gray,
With Frau Holda behind them in Her gift-laiden dray.
The figure on Her broomstick to the North sky made it clear,
La Befana was approaching to bestow Yuletide cheer.
From the South came a comet more bright than the Moon,
And we knew Lucia would be with us soon.
As these Spirits sailed Earthward o'er hilltops and trees,
Frau Holda serenaded Her feathery steeds:
"Fly Isolde! Fly Tristan! Fly Odin and Freya!
Fly Morgaine! Fly Merlin! Fly Uranus and Gaea!
May the God and Goddess inside you soar,
From the clouds in the heavens to your cottage door."
As soft and silent as snowflakes they fell;
Their arrival announced by a faint chiming bell.
They landed like angels, their bodies aglow,
Their feet left no marks in the new fallen snow,
Before we could ponder what next lay in store,
There came a slow creeking from our threshold door.
We crept from our bedroom and were spellbound to see...
There in our parlor stood the Yule Trinity!
Lucia the Maiden, with Her head wreathed in flame,
Shown with the radiance for which she was named,
The Lightbringers eyes held the joy of a child,
And she spoke with a voice that was gentle, yet wild:
"May the warmth of this household ne'er fade away."
Then she lit our Yule log which still burns to this day.
Frau Holda in Her down cloak stood regal and tall,
The Matron of Solstice, the Mother of all,
Under Her gaze we felt safe and secure.
Her voice was commanding, yet almost demure:
"May the love in this family enrich young and old."
And from the folds of Her cloak showered coins of pure gold,
LaBefana wore a kerchief on Her silvery hair;
The veil of the Crone who has secrets to share,
In Her eyes gleamed a wisdom only gained by spent youth.
Her voice was whisper, but Her words rung the truth:
"May health, glad tidings, and peace fill these rooms."
And she banished misfortune with a sweep of Her broom,
They then left a gift by each sleeping childs head,
Took a drink of our wassail, and away they all sped.
While we watched them fly off through the nightsky we laughed,
At the wondrous magick we had found in the Craft.
As they departed, the Spirits decreed...
"Merry Yule To You All, And May All Blessed Be!"
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