It's that wonderful time of year again when many different faiths are all celebrating holy days that deal with the returning of light into the world. For most people, this means Christmas and the return of Christ--the son of God while for Pagans, this is Yule (the Winter Solstice) when the Sun God is reborn. This time of year has always been seen as the time of Divine Births as this was the time Jesus, Horus, and Mithras were born. Pretty interesting, huh?
So, then, what else does Yule celebrate and honor? What are some of its other concepts? How precisely does one go about celebrating it?
First off, Yule is celebrated when the sun is in 1 degree of Capricorn which typically occurs between the 21st and the 23rd of December. Some people celebrate it directly when the sun switches to Capricorn while others simply pick the date on which the Winter Solstice falls. I do the latter simply because its easier. Other names for this Sabbat are the Winter Solstice, Yuletide, and Alban Arthan. For some Pagans, this is the new year instead of Samhain which I can certainly understand their logic behind that but personally, Samhain is the new year.
Yule is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. The Goddess goes into labor the night before giving birth on Yule. The Son God's power will grow from then on until Litha when He's at his height. Rebirth is the primary theme of this Sabbat as this is when the God is reborn. To sum this up, this is a time to celebrate the return of the sun and the waxing year. Some people also use this time to honor and celebrate the Triple Goddess, something I'll be doing for the first time this year!!
Correspondences:
Colors: Gold, Yellow, Red, Green, and Purple (I would add in Silver but that's just me)
Items to place on altar: Sun representations, plenty of candles (BRING ON THE LIGHT, BABY!), and evergreens.
Evergreens represent the Goddess who is always present throughout the year.
Symbols: The Sun, evergreen trees, yule logs, wreaths, holly, and eight spoked wheels.
Ritual oils and incense can be made from: myrrh, frankincense, ginger, pine, cloves, bay, pine, and nutmeg.
The Goddess is the Mother at this time, as mentioned above and the God is a baby. During this time the Oak King and the Holly king duke it out with the Oak King winning. Solar Deities and Mother Goddesses would be appropriate, so I have listed a few Deities below. This is by no means a comprehensive list so I encourage you to do some research regarding a Deity you would like to work with and honor at this time. Some Deities for this sabbat: Gaia, Lucina, Demeter, Isis, Nuit, Frigg, Freya, Ra, Horus, Helios, Apollo, Bel, Oak King, Dionysus, Herakles, Mithra, and Lugh.
Activities:
Hold a vigil overnight as the Goddess is in labor--This can be rather exhausting but totally worth it! Especially if you watch the sun rise!
Exchange gifts
Decorate a Yule tree (Just a hint, most decorations that you may have from Christmas more than likely can be reused with different thoughts behind the pictures and what not!)
Make Winter Solstice Tea which CharmingPixieFlora has a wonderful video on youtube for.
Just a note: it does make a large batch so be prepared. Personally I do not find the original recipe called for enough sugar so I always wind up sweetening it up more!
Drum up the sun
Have the ritual before dawn
Have an Oak King/Holly King dual
Have a bonfire
Festival of light ;)
Sing Yule carols which can be found by googling
Make Spell Bags
This is the time to go inward and truly reflect on yourself and your life, so either do a mediation or divination
Have a feast!
Make your own ornaments
Give offerings to the Divine as well as Spirit Guides
Feed the animals outside
Some videos that will be most helpful (Just click the link!):
*I had more videos but they are no longer available on Youtube, so I apologize*
Some Books:
Yule by Dorothy Morrison
Sabbats by Edain McCoy
The Simple Sabbat by M. Flora Peterson
I hope ya'll have a blessed Yule and may this year bring you nothing short of blessings! :)
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