Sabbats - Yule

This sabbat holds a special place in my heart due to how family orianted it is! This Sabbat can also be known as the winter solstice though that is celebrated slightly differently. It is usually celebrated around the 21st/22nd December each year.

Yule is a winter festival that has Germanic origins. It can be traced back to around the fifth or sixth century. It was also used as a basis for the modern-day Christmas festival. Today it can be celebrated very differently depending on what type of pagan, heathen or other belief system someone holds. Some celebrate it as close to the old Germanic ways as possible while others celebrate it with feasts and gift givings.

Yule can also be a part of celebrating the winter solstice, which is the day when the night is longest.

Yule activities include creating a Yule Log (usually a baked version), putting up and decorating a tree, creating decorations from natural sources and sharing a feast. My personal favourites are decorating a Yule Tree and the feast. You can also create a wreath, which can be placed on your door throughout the winter season. Exchanging gifts is another big tradition.

Some modern pagans will also incorporate some kind of Santa figure. In my house, we do this purely because the twins enjoy it. In our home “Santa” only brings one gift and the rest comes from family and friends, mainly because it builds up less expectation of massive gifts as they get older.

This year we celebrated with our tree, a feast and gift-giving. Gift-giving is a way I enjoy showing love so, for me, this is a lovely tradition.

How did you celebrate Yule? Is it a holiday you’d be interested in celebrating? Let me know in the comments!