Like a lot of heathens/norse pagans, we celebrate Yule in the modern way, consisting of 12 days in the season, starting on 12/20 and ending on 12/31.
Historical Yule was the first full moon after the first new moon after the solstice. That would mean that Yule this year is on January 17, 2022.
We adopted the neo-pagan timing of Yule as being 12 days because at the time, well, we didn't know better. By the time we realized it was a-historical... we'd built up a new family tradition around this specific time of year, with things we do the each day of Yule, and we like it and don't want to change it.
Plus, as we thought about it more, celebrating it at that time helps us blend in with the over-culture, at least in the West. It's easier for my younger child, who I'm raising in this faith (my older child is atheist but celebrates the season in a secular way), to not be excluded from the other kids doing Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanzaa stuff at the same time.
It also ties my subset (norse pagans/heathens) of a small subculture (pagans in general of all traditions), many of whom are also doing some sort of Winter Solstice-time pagan holiday stuff (and those folks who celebrate "Christmas" with no reference to Christ whatsoever, like how the Japanese celebrate Christmas, not being Christians). We need community, and celebrating at this time, helps us build it and binds us together with other pagans, even if we all have different reasons for celebrations during this season.
Plus, it keeps us connected to family/friends who are still Christian, which is a good thing.
HOWEVER, in recognition of Historical Yule, I plan to do a ceremony and offering on Jan 17. This will be the first year I've done that, so I have to do some research on what that will look like.
If you're new, you might be struggling with this question, so I'm posting how our Yuletide season celebration will be this year.
I post this as encouragement for any of you trying to figure out how and when to do this stuff. Holidays are, in my opinion, SUPER important to the establishment and connection of ourselves with our gods, ancestors, and wights, as well as our community as a whole.
This is a religion of doing, not believing, so don't be afraid to jump in, especially at Yuletide, which I think is a fantastic time to get moving in this religion.
At my house, have various ceremonies and activities that we've borrowed from all over the place, including from Christians and practices that are within my own family. This is still evolving, as we try different things, so next year will be different than this year, and this year different than prior years.
So, here's our 2021 plan.
We've already started Sunwait, which we are doing on Thursdays. Read more here: https://hildshall.tumblr.com/post/666960669725294593/sunwaitv%C3%A4ntljusstaken
Every year, I make a Yule Log Cake, and we cut one piece each night of Yule starting on Mother's Night, and whomever is in the house shares a bite of the cake slice. At this nightly ceremony, we typically talk about values and our world view (like about wyrd and luck, our deeds matter more than our intentions or beliefs, etc.).
We also do 12 gifts, one for each day, for each person. Some are big, some are small (think "stocking stuffers" - a favorite candy, a small gadget or toy, luxury foods you don't normally buy - for me, it's always some somewhat pricey chunk of exotic hard, sharp cheese).
12/20 is Mother's Night. We re-set our altar for the Yule Season (after Sunwait). We do an offering and remember Goddesses and female ancestors & loved ones. We also put up our Yule Tree. If this was also the winter solstice, it would be a part of Sunna Vigil.
12/21 Winter Solstice. On the solstice (could be 12/20, 12/21, or 12/22, this year is 12/21) we do our Sunna Vigil. At sundown, we light candles and keep them going until the next dawn (if you have a fireplace, start the fire at dusk). We stay up all night, playing games, watching movies, chatting, etc., just spending time with each other and anyone else staying with us on this day (note - NO BIG MEAL during the Vigil, you want to snack your way thru the night, and you don't want to fall asleep from a carb crash!). At dawn, we say a prayer to Sunna/Sol welcoming her back, and we blow out the candles. Then we have a BIG BREAKFAST. Then we sleep! If the solstice is on 12/20, we won't have anything else other than the yule log ceremony.
The day after Solstice is the day I want to take off of work/school as a true "holy day" in this season, to recover from the Vigil. If you work in a profession that works on Christmas, this is a great day to trade with a Christian coworker for covering 12/25, if that's a thing at your job.
12/22 - Honoring the Gods of Winter (if the solstice is 12/22, we do this on 12/21). A lot like Mother's Night, but for winter gods & goddesses.
12/23 - In our family, kids decide dinner & activities for the day/evening, but has to be centered on humor, laughter, and good feelings (nothing too serious). Offering and remembrance to Loki & Sigyn.
12/24 - Night of the Wild Hunt. Hail Odin & Holle (Frau Holde) as the wild hunt rides. This day, we typically have off of school and work (or a half-day), so we are going to clean the house to prepare for the ride over us (Frau Holde likes a clean house), and we bake cookies. Plus we leave out snacks for the riders & the animals of the Hunt. The Hunt usually leaves us goodies - 99% foodstuffs of some sort - in a stocking (a leftover from Santa & Christmas, sure, but we like it) as a gift for a gift.
12/25 - We open our stockings in the morning, and usually have some sort of family meal later in the day because most of us aren't working today. Other than that, we do our yule log ceremony and that's it. We try to make this (and the 26th if possible) a day of rest and rejuvenation (OR as I mentioned above, we'll work on this day, either in a trade with a coworker, or if we can get time-and-a-half or double-pay for it!)
12/26 - If we are not working, we are all staying home, reading, playing games, etc. Again, more rest, relaxation, rejuvenation.
12/27 - 12/30 - typically we will just do our yule log ceremony for the day, as well as open a gift and light a candle. One of these nights - we've done it different ways, this part is still gelling - we will remember and thank the wights of the land and of the home. One of these nights will be take-out (or we eat out) versus cooking at home, to get a break from the dishes!
12/31 - Father's Night. We honor and remember Gods & our male ancestors. We usually have a ham/pork dish of some sort with black eyed peas (I grew up and lived in the Southern US for a long time - read more about this tradition here: https://gardenandgun.com/recipe/why-do-we-eat-black-eyed-peas-on-new-years-day/ - I do it on 31st instead of the 1st, but that's where the idea comes from) and celebrate the secular New Year. This is the last night of the yule log ceremony.
1/1 - we take down the Yule Tree and it away for the next year. As we're also doing historical Yule this year, we're debating keeping it up until Jan 17. BUT we have not decided that yet. If you didn't do black eyed peas yesterday, have some today!
If you are trying to figure out how to celebrate Yule, feel free to copy what we do. Some of our celebrations are inspired by what you see in this post (SO helpful: http://www.heathenhof.com/12-devotional-days-of-yule/) as well as a lot of sources I've run across over the years. Or you can make up your own thing. There's no rules here you have to follow.
We tend to do most of our ceremonies and celebrations in the evenings, but if you work day/overnight shift, you can absolutely do this stuff any time of day!
Have fun, enjoy the season, and a Good Yule to All!
yousharknotpass
blakekathryn
stormborns
vaporwave
titsay
