All About Yule – How to Work with the Winter Solstice

The yule log is a tradition that has been around since before the Medieval era. Traditionally the log was harvested and then fed to the hearth fire over the course of 12 days (leading to the 12 days of Christmas). The ashes of the Yule log are said to be a particularly powerful fertilizer for plants.

Wassailing, (known transformed into caroling) has its roots in the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Feasting, singing, and heavy drinking often led to general mischievousness, and even small accounts of vandalism were not uncommon. Poor or worse-off folks would often roam door-to-door, offering songs in exchange for food & drink (these same themes are found in Trick-or-Treating today!), and if they were denied they would sometimes protest their displeasure with pranks.

Mistletoe was used by Celtic Druids as a symbol of thriving during difficult times. This plant is also associated with Norse Mythology, where Loki created an arrow from the plant which was then used to kill Baldur. There are some versions of the myth where the gods were able to successfully resurrect Baldur, and thereafter his mother Frigg declared mistletoe a symbol of love, and promised to give a kiss to all those who walked below the plant. This theme continued throughout the Middle Ages, where it was deemed unlucky to refuse a kiss beneath the mistletoe!

What is now known as the Christmas tree actually has its roots in ancient Winter Solstice festivals. During Saturnalia, Roman priests would cut down a pine tree and use it to ceremonially decorate temple spaces.