Winter (Yule) Solstice
(This is an excerpt from a University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org,
please feel free to visit the school website)
Just as in the Summer Solstice, the sun stands still on this shortest day of the year, occurring on or close to December 21st. To the ancients, it appeared as if the sun was dying on this day, with the longest night of the year. They feared that if they didn’t intercede with nervous vigil or playful celebrations, the decreasing light would never return. So the Pagans viewed this time as the re-birth of the sun, and coincidentally, the Christians celebrate the re-birth of the Son of God. Although the Bible states that Jesus was born in the Spring, in the 4th century A.D., Christian authorities in Rome tried to abolish the pagan rituals by adopting December 25th as Christ’s birthday. Their hope was to convert those who still followed the Olde Ways. This period then came to represent a time when a spiritual light enters the darkness of the world. The early Christians in Rome were never entirely successful in eliminating the Pagan rituals during this period. However, over time many of these traditions have been incorporated into the observance of the Christmas Holiday.
One of these Pagan rituals was the gathering of evergreen boughs, such as holly and fir, which were used in decorating their homes, symbolizing the promise of new life come spring. Another Pagan tradition assimilated into Christmas is the burning of the Yule log. Both ancient Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians referred to the Winter Solstice as the Yule, which means wheel, i.e., wheel of the year. The Yule log was lit on the eve of Winter Solstice and burned for twelve hours. It was believed to protect the home from fires and lightning in the coming year. Over the years, in some regions, it was replaced by the Yule tree, which was decorated with lit candles, representing new light, meaning the rebirth of the sun and longer days beginning. From this derived the Christian Christmas tree adorned with lights. Germanic cultures also festooned fir or pine trees with candles and tokens. In many regions throughout the world it is considered bad luck for a fire or candle to go out during Christmas Day. In Rome, it was a common practice for the Pagans to exchange small gifts, believed to bring good luck to the recipient. The mistletoe is another symbol that originated from ancient times. The white berry of the mistletoe represented the seed of light and was handed out during ceremonies. In the Celtic culture it was considered to be sacred and was also often hung over a doorway or in a room to offer goodwill to visitors.