THE TWELVE DAYS OF YULE

Submitted by: Steadfast news correspondent, 20th Dec 09

"drinc hael" (drink and be well)

Christmas is a celebration about birth that long pre-dates the Christian conversion of the English and was brought over to these shores by the first English, the Anglo-Saxons, of whom we descend.

Christmas is a time to reflect and so we hope that the following researched article reveals a little about where many of the Christmas traditions began.

Anglo-Saxon Yule.

It was noted that around December 21st/22nd the shorter days and longer nights of winter were reversed and the days began to get longer again.
It was also the time that the sun was seen at its lowest point in the sky.
To the Anglo-Saxon people this became representative of the death and re birth of the sun god Balder.
In the northern hemisphere this alignment of stars wouldn't have occurred.
So we still have TWO reasons for peoples around the world to celebrate the suns re-birth around the 25th December.

The name Yule (Eald Englisc 'geola') meaning 'wheel', identifies the moment when the wheel of the year is at its lowest point, ready to rise again and continue its circular passage.

Yule celebrations and traditions at the winter solstice predate Christianity by thousands of years.
There are numerous references to Yule in the Icelandic sagas, and in other ancient accounts testifying to how Yule was actually celebrated.
The Yule celebrations would last 12 nights, becoming the Christian 12 nights of Christmas.


First Day of Yule (Winter Solstice)
Yule starts on the Winter Solstice.

On this first day the home should be decorated with finery such as;

Mistletoe: A symbol linked to the Sun god Balder, who as we have already stated is reborn at the winter Solstice.
Balder, was supposed to be immune to all forms of destruction because of spells cast by the other gods.
The only thing they missed was mistletoe and so Loki, the trickster god contrived to have Balders blind brother Hoder kill Balder by firing an arrow made of mistletoe.
After the other gods brought Balder back to life, the mistletoe promised never to hurt anyone again. It became the symbol of love.
And thus we now have people kissing below the mistletoe.

Holly and ivy: both evergreen plants were taken into homes when winter began, to shelter the elves and fairies who could live with mortals at this time without causing injury.
They were also regarded as an excellent form of protection from evil spirits, thunder, lightning and the evil eye.

a Yule tree: A more modern than old heathen tradition but based on the old custom of bringing evergreen plants into the home.

All of which should remain for the whole twelve days of Yule.

Also on this first day the Yule log should be lit.
Traditionally the Yule log which was sacred to the god Thunor, should be lit with a remnant of the previous years log.
The Yule log was protection against the darkness and any evil spirits which may have lurked in the long dark nights, just as the Thunor hammer was a charm of protection worn by our ancestors and follower's today.

This Yule log was to be kept burning for a full 12 hours of the winter solstice, as this the longest night of the year was needed to keep Woden's 'Wild Hunt' at bay.
Historically people seeing this 'Wild hunt' were supposed to receive bad luck and would mysteriously vanish.
If the log burnt out too quickly it was considered a sign of bad luck for the coming year.

Heathen New Year (Night of the 24th Dec)
The start of the New Year for the Heathen Anglo-Saxons, this would be the end of the long cold dark winter nights, of the rebirth Balder and the restart of life in the countryside.
Our ancestors would celebrate this with a New Years feast and with the giving of gifts to friends and family.
Hopefully bringing luck for the following year.

Mother's Night (Night of the 25th Dec) Anglo Saxon Modraniht
This is a time of celebration that Bede mentions though fails to explain its significance or meaning.
Could it possibly have represented mothers because of the act of giving birth?

Last Day of Yule (1st/2nd January)
This is the celebration of the final day of the twelve days of Yule.
Before night fall all Yule trimmings and decoration that were put up on the first day of Yule, can be taken down and put into storage for next years Yule.

The Twelfth Night celebrations should include the gathering of friends and family.
The most popular tradition on this night is the custom of wassailing, which is a word that comes from the Old English waes hael, meaning to your health.

All those attending the celebration would drink from the wassail bowl, before each person drinks they should honour all those present with a "waes hael" and in reply the group would call "drinc hael" (drink and be well).

We hope this little bit of history has interested you, and the Steadfast Trust would like to wish all its supporters and friends the happiest of Yuletide celebrations and the best of luck in the new year.
Waes hael.
From all the Trustees of the Steadfast Trust