Advertisement
Let's start the first Sabbat of this year's Wheel off with a new Maine Pagans Tribe tradition. I will post before each spoke of the Wheel with my reflections on the upcoming Sabbat (if I'm not as prompt with that as you would like, feel free to preempt me and post your reflections first). I hope that you will follow with your own reflections, traditions, ritual suggestions, etc. and share that with our Tribe.
I recently Googled Yule to see what information would come up since so much of Yule tradition is interwoven with that of Christian or other holidays of other religions. I was very pleased to find that Wikipedia has an excellent entry on Yule and covers traditions (in a very non-biased manner) from many different areas of the world. Check it out at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule.
Yule is many things to many people. It is a celebration of the return of the Light after the longest night of the year. The darkness bills
Growing up Christian, I celebrated Christmas for 19 years only to learn from a philosophy professor that most of the traditions that my family practiced were actually from the Pagan holiday of Yule. He and a friend also told me of all sorts of other "Christian" holidays that were rooted in Pagan religion. I had already been questioning the validity of the bible stories that had been a daily part of my life for a few months and this made me really want to investigate. I love to find the origins of things: be it a word, a dance step, a recipe...I want to know how it came into being.
My Yule celebration has been an ever evolving path since my initial exploration into this Sabbat. I generally do some sort of solitary ritual to reflect on the darkness that has been and the light to come and what that means in my life. I also participate in the ritual and feast with my Circle which is a little different each year because we rotate Priest/ess duties. We do always have a tournament, based on the Druid Alban Arthan, to crown the Oak King who then has a battle with the reigning Holly King (who is always sadly defeated). A similar tournament is held at Midsummer to crown the Holly King who then defeats the Oak King. My Circle has also started a tradition of having a Yule Ball with full regalia (this year's is 12/29 in Lewiston and is open to the public, email me for info).
I don't put up a tree because I'm allergic to evergreens, don't like the idea of killing a tree for my celebration, and don't like fake trees. I decorate mostly with snowmen so that they can stay up through the winter months. And, I always hang some mistletoe (I especially like the tradition with mistletoe being cut and hung at Yule and taken out of the home at Imbolc). I've been wanting to stay up through the longest night with friends for several years but it always seems to fall in the middle of the week and I wasn't able to take the time off.
This year, Yule Eve is on a Friday and I've taken the day off so that I can nap and then spend the night with my boyfriend and his family playing games and eating candy until we enjoy the sunrise together (those of us still awake, anyway). I prefer to give gifts on Yule rather than on Christmas day with all of the Pagans in my life. I know that many Pagans use the words Christmas and Yule interchangeably and do their gift exchanges on Christmas Day, but I'm kind of a puritan when it comes to these things (I find it appalling when Christian churches sing Deck the Halls--even if they have edited some of the words). As learned from The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's best not to commandeer someone else's holiday.
With that said, all the winter holidays (Christmas, Chanukkah, Yule..) have several things in common. First, all involve togetherness and remembering family and friends whether they be near or far. All have some form of an exchange of gifts, a feast, and festive decorations.
So, what does Yule mean to you? What are your thoughts, traditions, musings, etc.?
May you all have a blessed and happy holiday full of love and joy, family and friends.
~Raven~
I recently Googled Yule to see what information would come up since so much of Yule tradition is interwoven with that of Christian or other holidays of other religions. I was very pleased to find that Wikipedia has an excellent entry on Yule and covers traditions (in a very non-biased manner) from many different areas of the world. Check it out at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule.
Yule is many things to many people. It is a celebration of the return of the Light after the longest night of the year. The darkness bills
Growing up Christian, I celebrated Christmas for 19 years only to learn from a philosophy professor that most of the traditions that my family practiced were actually from the Pagan holiday of Yule. He and a friend also told me of all sorts of other "Christian" holidays that were rooted in Pagan religion. I had already been questioning the validity of the bible stories that had been a daily part of my life for a few months and this made me really want to investigate. I love to find the origins of things: be it a word, a dance step, a recipe...I want to know how it came into being.
My Yule celebration has been an ever evolving path since my initial exploration into this Sabbat. I generally do some sort of solitary ritual to reflect on the darkness that has been and the light to come and what that means in my life. I also participate in the ritual and feast with my Circle which is a little different each year because we rotate Priest/ess duties. We do always have a tournament, based on the Druid Alban Arthan, to crown the Oak King who then has a battle with the reigning Holly King (who is always sadly defeated). A similar tournament is held at Midsummer to crown the Holly King who then defeats the Oak King. My Circle has also started a tradition of having a Yule Ball with full regalia (this year's is 12/29 in Lewiston and is open to the public, email me for info).
I don't put up a tree because I'm allergic to evergreens, don't like the idea of killing a tree for my celebration, and don't like fake trees. I decorate mostly with snowmen so that they can stay up through the winter months. And, I always hang some mistletoe (I especially like the tradition with mistletoe being cut and hung at Yule and taken out of the home at Imbolc). I've been wanting to stay up through the longest night with friends for several years but it always seems to fall in the middle of the week and I wasn't able to take the time off.
This year, Yule Eve is on a Friday and I've taken the day off so that I can nap and then spend the night with my boyfriend and his family playing games and eating candy until we enjoy the sunrise together (those of us still awake, anyway). I prefer to give gifts on Yule rather than on Christmas day with all of the Pagans in my life. I know that many Pagans use the words Christmas and Yule interchangeably and do their gift exchanges on Christmas Day, but I'm kind of a puritan when it comes to these things (I find it appalling when Christian churches sing Deck the Halls--even if they have edited some of the words). As learned from The Nightmare Before Christmas, it's best not to commandeer someone else's holiday.
With that said, all the winter holidays (Christmas, Chanukkah, Yule..) have several things in common. First, all involve togetherness and remembering family and friends whether they be near or far. All have some form of an exchange of gifts, a feast, and festive decorations.
So, what does Yule mean to you? What are your thoughts, traditions, musings, etc.?
May you all have a blessed and happy holiday full of love and joy, family and friends.
~Raven~
posted by:
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
