Yule

Yule is an old winter festival that was celebrated by Germanic peoples long ago. It happened around the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. People would gather for feasts, share drinks, and make important promises together. They also told stories and played games, often about magical beings like trolls and ghosts visiting their homes.

Over time, as Christianity spread, Yule mixed with the Christian holiday of Christmas. Today, the word Yule is still used in some places to talk about the Christmas season. Some people who follow Modern Germanic paganism also celebrate Yule as its own special holiday, separate from Christmas.

Etymology and derived terms

The word 'Yule' comes from old languages. In Middle English, it was written as ȝol, and in Old English as ġēol. Scholars think it might come from a Proto-Germanic word, but they are not sure what it really means.

'Yule' is related to words in other languages. For example, in Icelandic, Faroese, and Norwegian Nynorsk, it is jól, and in Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian Bokmål, it is jul. These words all refer to Christmas and the time around it. In Finnish, the word juhla means "celebration" and might be connected to the same root. The word 'Yule' was also used for an old midwinter festival celebrated by people before they became Christian. Today, 'Yule' is often used to talk about Christmas and the days close to it.

Yule months

See also: Early Germanic calendars

Yule is an old festival from the time of the Germanic peoples, and it was celebrated over a wide area. The earliest record of Yule comes from a Gothic calendar from around 350 CE, which mentions a month before the Yule-month.

Two months named after Yule are described by the English historian Bede in a book from around 726 CE. He wrote that the heathen Anglo-Saxons called both December and January Giuli (the months of Yule). A 10th century English text calls these months se ǽrra Geola and se æftera Geola, meaning "the earlier" and "the latter Yule month". Bede also noted that the heathen English began their year on December 25, the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, and called this night Modranecht ("Mothers' night").

Old Norse sources also mention two Yule months: Jólmánuðr ("Yule month") and Ýlir. After Scandinavia became Christian, the Church introduced a new calendar, but some old traditions continued for a long time.

Timing of heathen Yule celebrations

The exact timing of the old Yule celebrations before Christianity is not fully known and scholars discuss it a lot. One of the oldest records comes from a writer named Procopius who lived in the 6th century. He wrote about people called the Heruli living in a place called Thule, which may have been around modern Norway. He said they celebrated their biggest festival 20 days after the winter solstice, when the sun comes back after 40 nights of darkness. This would be around mid-January today.

Another writer named Bede, who lived in the 8th century, said that the Anglo-Saxons had two Yule months linked to the winter solstice. One month came before the solstice and one came after. In their old calendars, the winter solstice was thought to be on December 25. But because they used a different kind of calendar based on the moon, the exact timing would change each year.

Historical Nordic traditions

Blót, feasting and drinking

In medieval Scandinavia, special ceremonies called blót were part of Yule celebrations. During these, animals were given as gifts to gods, and their meat was cooked and shared by everyone. These meals were very important, and people would also drink ceremonial drinks together.

Feasting was a big part of Yule. Old poems called skaldic poetry sometimes used the word jól to mean a feast. Kings and leaders would hold big meals during Yule, and everyone would share in the food and drinks.

Heitstrenging

People would also make special promises called Heitstrenging on Yule-Eve. These promises were very serious, and people would hold hands on special items while making them.

Games and performances

Games were also popular during Yule. Different kinds of games were played, like wrestling and tug-of-war. There might have also been performances or plays connected to the festival.

Supernatural visitations

Stories of supernatural visitors during Yule, like mysterious figures or spirits, were common in Northern Europe. These stories often involved conflicts between people and these visitors.

The Wild Host

One famous story was about a group of supernatural beings called the Wild Host. These beings would travel through the land, sometimes stealing food or causing trouble for people. In some stories, a leader guided these groups.

Guising

People would also dress up in costumes and go from house to house during Yule. These costumed figures would perform, ask for food and drinks, and sometimes play jokes on people who didn’t give them what they asked for. These traditions varied a lot between different places and times.

Academic reception

Significance and connection to other events

Scholars have long seen Yule as a festival tied to the winter solstice, a time when the sun appears to be born again. By the late 1800s, many agreed with this idea. Some later argued that ancient Germanic peoples did not understand the solstices because the word "solstice" comes from Latin. However, other words from their languages, like sólhverf ("sun-turning") and solhof ("sun-heightening"), show they did notice these special days. Today, many believe these peoples knew about solstices before Christianity arrived.

Yule has also been seen as a time to honor the dead, celebrate fertility, or mark the new year. This time of year was especially challenging, with long, dark nights and threats from unseen forces. In Scandinavia, people focused on keeping their homes safe and their families together during the cold, dark months. Customs like the Yule log, Yule boar, and Yule singing might have roots in older Yule traditions, as suggested by Simek.

Existence of pre-Christian Yule

Historian Ronald Hutton questions whether "Yule" originally named a festival before Christmas. Some think Vikings brought the word "Yule" to England, where it became linked to Christmas. However, the word appears in old writings from around 350 CE and in Scandinavian literature from the 8th century. Most scholars agree that Yule was an ancient winter celebration in North Germanic communities that later became part of Christmas as Christianity spread. Old stories, like Heimskringla from the 13th century, describe Yule feasts. Even without knowing all the details, it seems likely that Germanic peoples celebrated seasonal festivals before Christian missionaries arrived.

Contemporary traditions

Relationship with Christmas in Northern Europe

As Christianity spread among Germanic peoples, the festival of Yule gradually combined with the Christian celebration of Christmas. For example, stories tell of leaders who helped change old traditions into holiday feasts at Yule, Easter, and other special times. In Norway, a leader made a rule so that Yule celebrations happened at the same time as Christmas. This way, old customs were kept but linked to the new Christian holidays.

Today, many people in Northern Europe still use versions of the word "Yule" to mean Christmas. In some languages, "Yule" is the main name for this holiday.

Modern paganism

Different groups today celebrate Yule in various ways. Some people try to follow what they think ancient Germanic traditions were like, while others mix together rituals from many sources.

In a group called Wicca, Yule is celebrated during the winter solstice as a time when the sun is born again. People may gather in small groups called covens to mark this special time, sometimes holding private ceremonies at home. They often meet during festivals like Yule and Samhain, which are linked to Christmas and Halloween.