Yule
November 19, 2020This year has been difficult for many people, and a lot of my friends have been putting up their Christmas trees early. Many people blend Christmas and Yule traditions and put a tree up in the house, and I’ll be putting mine up at the weekend as we could all do with a bit more cheer this year. I may decorate my altar early too.
Yule begins on Monday 21st December 2020 and ends of Friday 1st January 2020. It is one of the oldest winter festivals in the world, and is a celebration of the returning of the light. In Scandinavia, bonfires were lit on 21st December in honor of Thor and Odin. The tradition of burning an oak or pine log long replaced this, and we know it today as the Yule Log.
You can still see a Yule bonfire today, but you may have to travel for it! The most famous is the Up Helly Aa in Shetland, but this is usually to celebrate the end of Yule.
There is a handy little countdown clock to the Winter Solstice here https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?p0=136&iso=20201221T100220&msg=December%20Solstice%202020%20Countdown
Altar
You can decorate your altar any way you you like for Yule, but here are a few ideas:
Foliage: Pine cones and wreaths, mistletoe, fir, holly, or other evergreens.
Food: Seasonal fruit and nuts
Candles: Red, white and green, but also yellow to welcome the sun. https://www.somethingwiccan.co.uk/product-category/candles
Other items: Bells, anything gold to welcome the sun back
I’ve also made a small Yule altar cloth https://www.somethingwiccan.co.uk/shop/divination-and-tarot/yule-altar-cloth-with-poinsettia-design
Wassail
What is Wassail? It is a Yule drink traditionally drunk when Wassailing, which is basically going door to door and greeting your neighbours. In this article, it tells of how this evolved into Christmas caroling and mulled hot drinks. There is also a recipe to try!
https://www.learnreligions.com/go-a-wassailing-for-yule-2562973
I lived in a remote part of the Highlands when I was young, and we did something similar, but on New Year’s Eve. We called it ‘First Footing’, and it involved us visiting all of our neighbours after midnight until we came home drunk on New Year’s Day!
Rituals
English Heritage offering a fantastic opportunity as they are livestreaming from Stonehenge for both the Sunset on 20th December 2020 and Sunrise on 21st December 2020. You will be able to watch this at home on social media pages and incorporate the views into your own rituals, meditation or spells:
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/things-to-do/solstice/
And here are a few ritual ideas if you haven’t got anything in mind:
Shop
As always, I’m here if you need anything – even if it’s just a chat.
If you want to do any Christmas shopping I’ve lots of gift ideas and decorations for under a tenner, and many items under a fiver.
https://www.somethingwiccan.co.uk/product-category/christmas
If you want to look at non-Christmassy/Yule stuff, have a snoop around here:
https://www.somethingwiccan.co.uk/shop
I’m not charging VAT on many items so that shopping will be a little easier on customers this year.
Last order dates
If you are relying on getting something delivered, I have put together some ‘last orders’ dates.
For Yule
Please place your orders by 13th December 2020.
For Christmas
Please place your orders by 16th December 2020.
All items will be posted out by Royal Mail second class signed for, and all orders over £20 will have an option for you to choose free delivery at the checkout.
Have a Blessed Yule
Saranne