Yule - mid-winter holiday among the pagans (Yule)

The ancient Germanic peoples celebrated the winter solstice on a grand scale This medieval holiday was called Yule, its celebration lasted 13 days The word “Yule” is translated as “wheel” or “circle”: these objects are a symbol of the infinity of natural cycles Although the holiday had ancient pagan roots, some traditions of this winter celebration turned into Christmas ones On the initial night of Yule, which falls on December 20, the ancient Germans expected the resurrection of the young Oak King This god personified summer, and every holiday he defeated the Holly King, who personified winter That is why on the Midwinter holiday it was customary to light fires in the fields, blessing the future harvest The higher the fire, the better The large flames frightened the evil spirits that broke out from the dark worlds at this turning point Sometimes they threw old things into the fire: this was how they demonstrated their readiness for radical life changes To praise plants and trees, people drank cider, a drink made from fermented apple juice The first toast was raised to the glory of Odin, the second to the glory of the gods of fertility, the third to the health of the earthly king The ancient Germans sacrificed a boar and swore oaths over its head that could not be broken, otherwise the wrath of the spirits could be incurred On the longest night of the year, the hospitable hosts always treated their guests to ham The kids went home with gifts - carnations and apples symbolizing the sun Their baskets were decorated with sprigs of evergreens and stalks of wheat sprinkled with flour The guys sang songs, which in a later era were transformed into carols and Christmas carols Before celebrating Yule, all family members washed themselves to cleanse their body and soul After washing, we no longer started homework Housewives decorated their homes both inside and outside with branches of holly, mistletoe and ivy These plants served as an invitation to nature spirits Fruit baskets and golden candles were also used to decorate the interior A prerequisite when decorating a house was the use of gold, silver, red and green The Yule log, made of ash, was brought into the house on the eve of the holiday According to legend, it helped the newborn sun gain strength The log was placed in the fireplace, sprinkled with flour, decorated with herbs and watered with ale Then it was ceremonially set on fire and kept smoldering for 12 days In later times, the log replaced the log-shaped roll served at the festive table During Yule, it was impossible to be alone; this promised loneliness and unhappiness in the next year It was necessary to meet the new sun with the whole family, to greet it On Yule, it was customary to sing hymns and decorate the Yule tree growing in the forest with pastries, apples, nuts and balls Later they began to bring the tree into the house People also exchanged gifts and kissed under the sacred plant of the goddess of love Freya - mistletoe