Wheel of the Year 101: Yule

Welcome to the final article in my Wheel of the Year 101 series. While Samhain is the last Sabbat in the Wheel, Yule is the last Sabbat of the calendar year. Yule is also mixed up in all the other winter holidays being celebrated, which makes it a bit more unique than the other Sabbats. Even though Ostara and Samhain also fall near popular holidays (Easter and Halloween) full of religious and secular traditions, the winter holiday season could be considered the most popular of the year. Yule occurs on the Winter Solstice, tucked neatly between Hanukkah and Christmas. Winter Solstice, believe it or not, is when the balance shifts again between light and dark. Though the days prior to Yule have been growing steadily shorter, after Yule they will slowly begin to lengthen as we march back along the cycle to the Summer Solstice. (In my area, we don’t really start to notice the increased light until closer to Imbolc.) At this point on the Wheel, the Oak King will slay the Holly King, turning the cycle back towards the warmer days that are still only a distant dream. The Oak and Holly Kings, two mythic figures, represent the “light” and “dark” halves of the year. The Oak King is the light one, obviously, as oak trees bud, leaf, and shed acorns in the “light” half of the year. Holly is an evergreen, and is a popular winter holiday symbol, so the Holly King reigns over the “dark” half of the year. It’s important to note that the use of “light” and “dark” merely refers to the lengthening or shortening of the days. An interesting article about the Oak and Holly King mythology can be found here: http://www.geocities.com/lady_greenwood/. Yule is also unique in that a lot of our Western modern secular Christmas traditions have their origins in older folk traditions that celebrated Yule. Hanging evergreens, decorating trees, kissing under mistletoe, wassailing, and even Santa Claus have their origins in earlier practices. This season is rich with cultural and family traditions, and it’s a great time to gather and reminisce around a warm hearth and crackling fire. In earlier times, the winter feasts and celebrations held at Yule were ways of alleviating the boredom of the cold times, as well as making sure that the hungry got fed. Taken apart from the secular “gift giving” traditions, Yule itself is a holiday that celebrates the return of the light. The darkest times of the year are now over. The God, slain at Lammas to ensure a fruitful harvest, is now reborn of the Goddess to begin his cycle of birth and death yet again. The Goddess too will change, shedding her mantle of Crone to become spring’s Maiden. These events (the rebirth of the God and the transformation of the Goddess) are considered by some to be Wiccan Mysteries. The culmination of goals you began to nurture at Imbolc and cared for throughout the year can be celebrated as well, even as you begin to look ahead to plans for the next turn of the Wheel. What have you accomplished this year that deserves celebration? Take time this Solstice to pause and reflect on your accomplishments over this turn of the Wheel as you munch on the delicious festive desserts and other treats the holidays bring. Two other celebrations related to Yule are Twelfth Night and Saturnalia. Twelfth Night occurs on January 6th, and marks the end of a twelve-day Christmas celebration. This, obviously, is the origin of the “Twelve Days of Christmas” carol. Mike Nichols has a wonderful article about Twelfth Night and its relationship to Yule and Christmas at http://www.ecauldron.com/sabbats2.php. At the same time, Christians usually celebrate Epiphany (check out http://www.cresourcei.org/cyepiph.html for more information.) Most people don’t celebrate Christmas for 12 days any longer, but it is a common tradition, at least where I live, to take down your Christmas tree around two weeks after Christmas (which is more or less around Twelfth Night). While Twelfth Night seems to be a Medieval Winter tradition, Saturnalia has origins in ancient Rome. This Roman Solstice celebration honored the god Saturn, hence the name, and even in these ancient times it was a holiday for celebration and exchanging gifts. If you’re looking for a new twist to your Yule celebrations, you may wish to borrow aspects of Saturnalia. Try the Wikipedia for more information (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturnalia) or check out this link to a Saturnalia ritual. (http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/BA/Satur. Here’s a few more links to Yule information: Ancient Origins: Yule (http://www.candlegrove.com/yule.html), The Yule Log (http://www.culture.gouv.fr/culture/noel/. a pile of Yule articles at Witchvox (http://www.witchvox.com/holidays/xyule.h. some interesting Yule recipes (http://www.wicca.com/celtic/akasha/yulet. and a page full of Solstice Carols (http://members.tripod.com/~Willow_Fireso. However you choose to celebrate this holiday season, may you have peace, love, and joy. Blessed Yule and Happy New Year!