How do Asatru celebrate Yule?
The 12 days of Yule is largely devoted to baking cakes, cookies, and breads and making the unique decorations which beautify every Heathen home at this holiday season. There are, for example, intricate paper cutouts to make and put on the walls; stars, wooden toys, straw Goats and Wild Boars to hang on the Yule tree.
What is the meaning of Yule tree?
n. 1. An evergreen or artificial tree decorated, as with lights and ornaments, during the Christmas season. 2.
On what date to the Asatru celebrate Yule?
Asatru Free Assembly
| Date | Wiccan sabbath | Asatru equivalent (McNallen) |
|---|---|---|
| 21 December (Christianized winter solstice) | Yule | Yule |
| 2 February | Imbolc | Charming of the Plow |
| 21 / 25 March (vernal equinox / Ostara) | Ostara | Summer Finding |
| 1 May (May Day) | Beltane | May Day |
What is the difference between a Yule tree and a Christmas tree?
The Christmas tree actually has its origins in pagan worship. According to Chron, “The Yule tree has been in traditions thousands of years before it became known as the Christmas tree in the 1840s.” Evergreen trees were seen as a symbol of continual life, especially at the time of the solstice.
What is Odin Yule?
Yule (“Yule time” or “Yule season”) is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples. Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.
How do you celebrate Norse Yule?
However, in the Norse culture, “Jul” refers to the god, Odin. Odin was celebrated during Yule as well. Yule celebrations included bonfires, decorating with holly, mistletoe and the boughs of evergreen trees, ritual sacrifices, feasts, and gift-giving.
What is the point of Yule?
In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log. In ancient Rome, the winter solstice was celebrated at the Feast of Saturnalia, to honor Saturn, the god of agricultural bounty.
What does Yule mean to pagans?
winter solstice
Yule is the Pagan and Wiccan celebration of the winter solstice that is celebrated every December. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year, and it heralds the daylight hours growing longer again.
What is winter finding?
Winter Finding is the beginning of autumn complete with foods harvested from around this time. Traditionally, it was a celebration of putting up crops for the winter and preparing for the cold winter months ahead.
What do Vikings call Thanksgiving?
FREYFEST / LAMMAS AUGUST 1st The name Lammas is taken from an Anglo-Saxon heathen festival which was forcibly Christianized. The name (from hlaf-mass, “loaves festival”) implies, it is a feast of thanksgiving for bread, symbolizing the first fruits of the harvest.
What kind of wood is a yule log?
The custom of the Yule Log spread all over Europe and different kinds of wood are used in different countries. In England, Oak is traditional; in Scotland, it is Birch; while in France, it’s Cherry. Also, in France, the log is sprinkled with wine, before it is burnt, so that it smells nice when it is lit.
Is the yule log Pagan?
The tradition of yule logs has its roots in pagan rituals. In fact, the word “yule” is old English for a festival known to take place in December and January. Ultimately, the yule log was thought to determine a person’s good or bad luck, and there are many variations on this superstition.
What kind of tree was used for the Yule tree?
The Yule tree, known as Jultre in Scandinavia, and Christmas tree in other lands, is usually an evergreen conifer such as spruce, pine, or fir. The use of evergreen trees symbolized eternal life to many ancient cultures. Tree worship was common among pagan Scandinavians and Europeans, and survived their conversion to Christianity.
Why did the Norse use the evergreen tree for Yule?
In the Norse Yule festivals, the dead were always commemorated and believed to be present in spirit, Yule sacrifices were known to be offered for growth. It has been an unbroken custom to use the evergreen tree as the foremost symbol of the Yule season, as it remains green the year round.
Is the Yule log still a tradition in modern society?
Modern society still carries vestiges of spiritual traditions involving trees, most notably, the Christmas tree and the Yule log. Had it not been for the advance of the industrial era, and the great harvesting of trees on the planet, we would still have many of nature’s oldest creations.
Where does the Yule Log and mistletoe come from?
The Yule tree, holly, mistletoe, Yule log and Yule tree decorations, all have Scandinavian origins. The traditions of the Yule log, Yule goat, Yule boar ( Sonargöltr) reflected in the Christmas ham, Yule singing, and other such traditions, stem from Pagan Yule customs.