The Time of The Winter Solstice
The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice, also known as Yule, is one of the oldest winter celebrations in the world and has been celebrated by humans throughout the ages.
Ancient people were hunters and spent most of their time outdoors. The seasons and weather played a very important part in their lives. Because of this many ancient people had a great reverence for, and even worshipped the sun.
In the Northern hemisphere, the Winter Solstice has been celebrated for millennia. The Norse, who called it Jul, viewed it as a time for much feasting and merrymaking. In addition, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, this was a time of sacrifice as well. Traditional customs such as the Yule log, the decorated tree, and wassailing can all be traced back to Norse origins.
The Celts of the British Isles celebrated midwinter as well. Although little is known today about the specifics of what they did, many traditions persist. According to the writings of Pliny the Elder, this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.
Few cultures knew how to party like the Romans. Saturnalia, which fell on December 17, was a festival of general merrymaking and debauchery held around the time of the winter solstice. This week-long party was held in honour of the god Saturn and involved sacrifices, gift-giving, special privileges for slaves, and a lot of feasting. Although this holiday was partly about giving presents, more importantly, it was to honour an agricultural god.
A typical Saturnalia gift might be something like a writing tablet or tool, cups and spoons, clothing items, or food. Citizens decked their halls with greenery, and even hung small tin ornaments on bushes and trees. Bands of naked revellers often roamed the streets, singing and carousing — a sort of naughty precursor to today's Christmas carolling tradition.
Welcoming the Sun Through the Ages
Four thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to celebrate the daily rebirth of Ra, the god of the Sun. As their culture flourished and spread throughout Mesopotamia, other civilizations decided to get in on the sun-welcoming action. They found that things went really well....until the weather got cooler, and crops began to die. Each year, this cycle of birth, death, and rebirth took place, and they began to realize that every year after a period of cold and darkness, the Sun did indeed return.
Winter festivals were also common in Greece and Rome, as well as in the British Isles. When a new religion called Christianity popped up, the new hierarchy had trouble converting the Pagans, and as such, folks didn't want to give up their old holidays. Christian churches were built on old Pagan worship sites, and Pagan symbols were incorporated into the symbolism of Christianity. Within a few centuries, the Christians had everyone worshiping a new holiday celebrated on December 25, although scholars believe it is more likely that Jesus was born around April rather than in the winter.
Yule vs Christmas, What's the difference?
Historically, it’s more a question of why Yule is also called Christmas, instead of the other way around. A staggering number of traditions that are now associated with Christmas are actually much older Pagan practices, used by ancient northern Europeans to show respect to the yearly return of our sun.
Those asserting the holiday cannot be rightly known as anything other than Christmas, often claim to have history and tradition on their side. This may be the true beginning with the globalization of Christianity. But humankind was celebrating the return of the sun long before Jesus Christ was known.
Today, most Christians aren’t even aware that most of their beloved Christmas traditions, such as Christmas trees, Pomanders, Yule logs, Wassailing, and mistletoe were actually swiped from earlier Pagan religions. Even Santa Claus and his 8 reindeer is believed to be an incarnation of the Norse god, Odin and his 8 legged horse Sleipnir.
The early fathers of the Catholic Church were no dummies. They realised the quickest, most effective way to get the people on board with Christianity was to incorporate the traditions and festivals of the Old worship into the New. Then as now, most people resist change, so allowing the common people to keep their familiar rituals made it much easier to indoctrinate them to the worship of Jesus.
The winter solstice had always been crucial for our ancestors whose entire existence revolved around the growing cycles of the year. Winter meant the leanest time of year for most, but the fact that the sun grew stronger every day from the solstice, and the promise of spring, gave people hope and comfort during the long, dark winter months.
Our agriculturally driven forefathers saw the return of the light as a reason to celebrate, and celebrate they did. The solstice was an occasion marked by feasting, drinking, gift giving, and much merriment.
The word “Yule” itself is believed to be a derivative of an ancient Scandinavian turn of phrase meaning “wheel,” although the precise etymology is still a topic for modern debate. The connotations associated with “wheel” seem rather apt for the origin of the word Yule, especially when one considers that Yule was, and is, an important milestone in our yearly journey around the sun, or “wheel” of the year. Many cultures, both old and new, chose this time to celebrate the arrival of a new year. For us witches, Samhain is usually our New Year, however as time goes on a lot of us still celebrate new year with the rest of the world as well as Samhain. Why not be eclectic?!
Evergreens have always been an important symbolic element of Yuletide, which was later incorporated into Christmas traditions. Holly, ivy and mistletoe are all familiar Christmas greenery that has been part of Pagan solstice celebrations in Europe for thousands of years. Evergreens are potent reminders of immortality, a perfect complement to the sun that is reborn every year at the end of December.
The celebration of Christmas is simply the latest in a long line of mid-winter holidays celebrating the rebirth of a sacrificed deity. The names may have changed, but the fundamental myth has remained constant back into the mists of pre-history. Some may see this as blasphemous, while others derive comfort from the knowledge that humankind has been remarkably consistent with the basics of its belief systems, if not the particulars.
A myth spanning back through the millennia is the story of the Holly King, representing the waning year, and the Oak King, representing the waxing year, who battle each other for dominance annually on the summer and winter solstices. This story may harken back to a time when young males were sacrificed to appease the deities that controlled the changing seasons.
The Legend of the Oak King & Holly King
In some Wiccan traditions, the ritual observation of the Wheel of the Year is augmented by the legend of the Oak King and the Holly King. Representing the waxing and waning of the Sun as the seasons turn, the two figures take turns ruling over the year. The Oak King reigns during the light half, or throughout Spring and Summer, while the dark half—Autumn and Winter—belongs to the Holly King.
As the ruler of the dark half of the year, the Holly King is named for the cheery evergreen tree whose bright green leaves and red berries are a welcome sight in the cold winter months. The Oak King, by contrast, is named for the decoratively-shaped leaves that symbolize the height of summer. Both trees are considered sacred to Wiccans, Witches, and other Pagans, and have long been treasured for their magickal properties.
The two kings are brothers, but they are also rivals, who battle each other throughout the year, alternately conquering each other as the seasons shift. The dates on which the battle is won depends on the tradition. In some forms of Wicca, the Oak King takes over at the Winter Solstice, while the Holly King ascends at the Summer Solstice, as these Sabbats are the technical markers of the Sun’s waxing and waning relative to Earth. Other traditions, however, have the change in rule occur at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, so that the Holly King is at the height of his power at the Winter Solstice, when the darkness reigns supreme, and the Oak King is in full glory at the Summer Solstice, when the light is at its strongest. The latter makes more sense to me, but of course I will let you follow your own belief.
Some Wiccans and pagans view the Oak King and the Holly King as twin aspects of the God, in constant battle with each other for the love and attention of the Goddess. Others don’t see such an exact equivalence, but rather observe the legend as another layer of the larger picture of the Wheel of the Year. As with most legends, the actual origins of the Oak King and the Holly King are unknown.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish you ALL Many Yule Blessings and Merry Christmas to those of you who also celebrate this time of year. May the sun bring much light into your lives.
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