I love mythology and ancient folklore, so we can't miss out on the oldest celebration of the year. That's right, the Yuletide, the Winter Solstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year, the eve when the sun is reborn, and so on. Today, December 21st, is Yule.
The history of Christmas does not begin with Christ- and I don't think anyone who is a follower of Jesus need fear that celebrating ancient harvest traditions endangers their faith in any way. Understanding our past poses no threat to a faith lived in the present.
The winter solstice - the shortest day of the year - has been celebrated in one form or another for millennia. Northern Europeans called it "Jul" (a term remembered in the English word Yule, which now means Christmas); in ancient Rome it was the Dies natalis solis invicti, or ''the birthday of the unconquered sun''. Through sacrifices and feasting, pagans celebrated the beginning of the sun's revival. You can learn more about the history of Christmas from this succint article in the Telegraph.
Winter solstice celebrations vary across cultures and geographic locations, but a celebration of the end of darkness runs through all of them. Explore the histories of the solstice around the world and use the free printables below to create your own Yuletide traditions.
- For a neat bit of history about Yule in the Northern Isles, see Orkneyjar.
- In Romanian villages, solstice is still celebrated with merry folk bands roving through town.
- The mistletoe tradition is related to Yule celebrations and the myth of Balder. The Vikings believed that mistletoe had the power to raise people from the dead. Share the story of "Balder and the Mistletoe" with your family this eve.
- Learn about the Yule legend of the silver pinecone.
- Make your own silver pinecones.
- A pagan blogger (from whom the image above is borrowed) explains the festival of light from her religious perspective.
Yule Log Coloring Page from Geekmom (PDF)
Yule Is Cool handout (PDF)
