By Hristo Peev, 11.b class
Have you ever wondered if other cultures have an equivalent to Christmas? Well, the answer is yes. You may actually find out that maybe Christmas is a newer version of another holiday. So what is its ancestor?
The ancient celebration of Yule
Yule (or Jol) is a pagan holiday celebrated by the medieval people of Norway, Sweden and Denmark – the so-called “Vikings”. The exact date of its celebration is unknown. As far as the records go, it started a couple of days before or after Christmas. To be more exact – two weeks after the last full moon of November. What is definitely certain is that all celebrations lasted three days. That’s a whole lot of meat for the feast!Traditions
Yule is a spring festival. But why does it take place during winter? Well, it does not celebrate the season itself, but the crops growing at the time. That’s the reason why some decorations present in modern-day Christmas, such as the Yule log, are a big part of our festivities. The Yule log is a log of an evergreen tree. People used to decorate it for the first two days of Jul. On the third day, they burnt the log. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Another tradition lies in candle lighting. All households light candles and put runic symbols around them – for good fortune and a better harvest.
An ancient goddess
A big part of the celebration is on its very first day, as this is the time when the goddess Freyja is honoured. She is the protector of fertility, love, fire, and war craft. Most Norse gods are great fighters and warriors, yet Freyja actually has a fair presence in the Vikings’ war traditions. During the following days there are lots of celebrations, including prayers to various deities and the sacrifice of animals.Does anyone celebrate Yule today?
The answer is “Yes!” However, not in its original fashion. There are no sacrifices, of course. An Irish tradition (Ireland was the Vikings’ colony) has also been connected to these Yule festivities. A straw donkey gets placed in the front yard of a house and a joke or a funny message gets attached to it.
Who celebrates Yule today?
Apart from some Irish communities, there are also the “new pagans” – the people who chose to follow a pagan, usually polytheistic, religion. Most of them are Norse pagans.
As a new member of the community, I personally celebrated Yule for the first time this year. I decided to go easy, so I bought four candles and decorated three of them in runes. On one of them I carved a goat as a symbol of Thor, the god of thunder and strength. He is also the protector of builders and farmers.
After a great winter holiday, let’s hope for a happy Jol this year!