December 21: Yuletide
Do you say «Merry Christmas» or «Happy Yuletide»? I guess we can agree that Yuletide is the season of festivities, and that Christmas refers more specifically to Christianity and the birth of Christ. But where does the word «Yule» come from? (FYI: Nothing to do with the actor Yul Brynner, that was just short for his actual first name, Julij)
The use of the word Yuletide is first recorded around 1475, «yule» referring to the Christmas season, and the word «tid» or «tide» meaning a period of time, in this case 12 days from December 21 to January 1. The Germanic people had since the 4th century used the word Yuletide for the period of time from mid-November to early January.
The Oxford English Dictionary tells us about an English monk and scholar, St Bede, who in 726 mentions « Giuli » as a name for the months of December and January. A pre-Christian festival was celebrated on December 25, which was called Modranecht, «Mother's Night», and maybe this celebration was connected to Yul. The Modranicht is part of the veneration of the female deities Madres and Matronas – mothers and matrons – in Northwestern Europe, who are depicted on altars in a group of three from around 1st to 5th century AD. The celebrations for these deities would include sacrifices of pigs, burning incense, and decoration of fruits, plants and trees (does this remind you of some of your Christmas activities?).
Yuletide was in the early middle ages the moment to celebrate the winter solstice, the shortest day and longest night of the year. Some researchers believe the the history of the word Yul comes from the Anglo-Saxon «geol» meaning feast. Others think that it derives from the Germanic word Iol or Iul or Guil, meaning wheel, which could bring us to a conclusion that the celebration was about the turning of the wheel of the year at the winter solstice. But the pagan Norse people wrote no documents of their own, Christian missionaries introduced the art of writing with pen and paper around the 9th century, and we can read the sagas, the prose stories written mainly in the 12th to the 15th century, about the Norse history and legends. For instance the long list of Odin's names, one of them being « Yule father » - the very first Father Christmas?
Some Yuletide traditions have of course changed , but others still remain and have contributed to our modern celebrations. The old tradition of sacrifices of animals was necessary to have a feast of fresh meat for the festival tables, and preserved meat for the winter. Special beer would be brewed and used to toast to the gods (our Christmas Ale). Bonfires were lit in honor of the struggle of the sun with the darkness and the winter. People might have saved a piece of the big logs, the Yule log, in order to start the new year's bonfire. Other traditions, like the decorations with holly and mistletoe, and the exchange of gifts, is said to have been influenced by the Roman Saturnalia festival in honor of the god Saturn, held from 17 to 23 December.
By the 10th century Christian missionaries converted the pagan populations by allowing them to practice most of their old customs, but attaching new, Christian meanings to their beliefs. Nowadays, although Christianized for over 1000 years, the Nordic and Baltic countries still say «God Jul» (Merry Christmas) during the «Juletid».
There are many winter solstice celebrations across the globe, the most well-known is at Stonehenge in England, with structures built thousands of years ago.
In Iran, the «Sha-e Yalda», Yalda Night, is celebrated with family and friends coming together to eat, drink and read poetry. There will be special foods like nuts and pomegranates, and people will stay awake all night to welcome the morning sun.
The Hopi Indians in Northern Arizona celebrate «Soyal» with ceremonies and rituals, a time for purification, and they will welcome the protective spirits of the mountains.
The «Dongzhi» (the extreme of winter) is one of the most important Chinese and East Asian festival, a time for family to get together and enjoying special foods, like the Chinese « tangyuan » (glutinous rice balls) symbolizing reunion.
So wherever you live and whatever beliefs you have, let's all just celebrate on December 21 that the wheel is turning and the days are getting longer ! Happy Yul !
Image:
A c. 1912 Yuletide and New Year card, from the collection of the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, Missouri, USA
[Unknown author - Missouri History Museum URL: http://images.mohistory.org/image/17E9064B-AA0D-0135-8151-3B0923996DB8/original.jpg]
Music:
A lovely alternative to the traditional Christmas songs - YouTube Wyrd Sisters - « Solstice Carole »
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T0i4akX5a8&feature=emb_title]
