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"GOD JUL!"
The above phrase is the greeting you would get from my Norwegian ancestors this time of year. It's pronounced "Goo Yule" and it's typically translated to mean "Merry Christmas." It's the time of year my mother makes tin and after tin of the light and sweet, wafer cookie called, krumkake. (When some of these wonderful tins arrive in Maine, they make me a very popular woman!) Besides a fragrant evergreen tree, our home is decorated with images of the little Jul Nissen. These are the Middle World spirits who bring holiday gifts. The rest of the year, these elven beings are petitioned for help on the farm.
The greeting " God Jul" also harkens back to the Old Norse holiday of Yule. The Norse peoples viewed this season as the time for much feasting, merrymaking, and, if the Icelandic sagas are to be believed, 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. Yule is a celebration that welcomes the returning Sun.
There are many holidays that fall around the Winter Solstice. At this darkest time of the year, people all over the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the Solstice's longest night as the turning point marking the Sun's return.
Many of this season's holidays use light or fire as a centerpoint. Hannukah has its bright menorahs and Kwanzaa celebrations also include lighting candles. It's also no accident that Christmas is celebrated near the Winter Solstice. Moving Jesus' birth to this time of year unified the event of the returning Sun with the arrival of the one Christians call the "Light of the World."
Similar ornaments are used all over Scandinavia at this time of year!
Yule takes place on the day of the winter solstice, on or around December 21. During the Autumn, the earth's axis has been tilting away from the sun in the Northern Hemisphere. On the Winter Solstice, the sun reaches at its greatest distance from the equatorial plane. The word "solstice" actually means "sun stands still." For a few days, it seems as though it’s rising in exactly the same place… and then the miraculous event happens. The light begins to slowly return!
As a festival of the Sun, the most important part of any Yule celebration is light -- candles, bonfires, and the burning of the Yule Log. In Norway, on the night of the winter solstice it was common to hoist a giant Log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year. The Norsemen believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire which rolled away from the earth, and then began rolling back again on the winter solstice.
Making a Yule Log
While the Yule Log has its origins among the ancient Norse, it has been embraced by others wanting to celebrate a warm, ceremonial fire at the holidays. You can make your Yule Log of any type of wood you choose. Each wood is said to have magical properties. Birch is favored as the first tree to colonize a meadow so it is wonderful for new beginnings. The Pine is associated with prosperity while the Oak symbolizes strength and wisdom. I prefer to burn birch for two reasons. One reason is that this time of year signals a new beginning as the Sun makes its way back to the world. The other reason is that I am totally smitten with the lovely bark of the paper birch!
To make a basic Yule Log, you will need the following:
• A nice, fat log about 14 – 18” long
• Pinecones
• Dried berries, such as cranberries
• Cuttings Holly, Fir, Balsam or Pine
• A spray of Mistletoe (This plant and berries are highly poisonous--use caution!)
• Feathers
• Cinnamon sticks, star anise and whole cloves
• Festive red and gold ribbon – use paper or cloth ribbon, not the synthetic or wire-lined type
• A hot glue gun
• A drill with a ~ 7/8" spade bit (Use a bit that is the same size as the candle diameter.)
• Red or gold acrylic paint and a brush
• A wooden board 3/8"-1/2" thick by 4"- 6" wide that is the same length as the log
• Screwdriver and 2 " screws
• Three 12" taper candles. Use gold, silver, red or natural beeswax candles.
Some of the above ingredients can be easily gathered by you and your family members on an early December walk.
Read all the directions before you begin!
Paint the board well before you are ready to decorate the log and set aside to dry.
Once the board is dry, lay the log on it's side with its best surface facing upwards. Now, turn it directly over and mark it as the "bottom." Wrap the log with festive ribbon and tape or staple it at the bottom. Screw the board to the bottom of the log to create a footing. This will keep the log from rolling or toppling over the candles. If you are using a manual screw driver, you may wish to predrill the holes before driving the screws.
Now, using the spade bit, drill three holes about an inch deep along the top surface of the Log. It helps if you have someone steady the Log as you drill. Space the holes about 3 to 4 inches apart. (You may want to start by drilling the center hole and then drill one on either side.) These will become natural candle holders.
Now you can insert your branches, cuttings and feathers under the ribbon. In some households, a feather is placed on the Yule Log for each member of the family. You could also have each member of the family make their own paper decorations. Once you’ve gotten your branches and cuttings in place, begin gluing on the pinecones, cinnamon sticks and berries. Add as much decoration as you like.
Before placing the candles in the drilled holes, wrap a bit of aluminum foil on the base of the candles to make removal easier when they have burned down.
Once you’ve decorated your Yule Log, you can use it as a centerpiece for your holiday table. A Yule Log looks lovely on a table surrounded by more holiday greenery. (Take care to not burn the greenery or decorations with the candles!) The aromatic greenery, cinnamon and cloves will fill the air with sweet aromas!
Another way to use your Yule Log is to burn it as our ancestors did so many centuries ago. Some customs include writing down a wish on a piece of paper, and tucking it into the ribbons just before it is burned. These are usually wishes for the upcoming year.
If you have a fireplace, you can certainly burn your Yule Log in it, but if possible burn it outside! There is nothing quite like a winter fire under a starry sky to sparkle up the soul. Bundle everybody up in blankets and mittens, and have thermoses full of warm drinks at hand.
Start the Yule fire with an intention to honor this special time. Before you burn your Yule Log, feed the Fire Spirit some sweets and alcohol with gratitude for its loving warmth. When you are ready, place your beautiful creation on the fire. As your Yule Log is consumed by the flames, sing holiday songs and and remember all the things that you are grateful for in your life.
May your new year be filled with good health, much abundance and happiness!
© 2008 Evelyn C. Rysdyk
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Evelyn C. Rysdyk, author of Modern Shamanic Living is a nationally recognized presenter. Included in the book Traveling Between the Worlds she is among the world’s most influential writers and teachers of shamanism.
Originally trained in core shamanism, she has integrated practices taught to her by elders from North and South America, Central Asia, Nepal and Siberia. She is also a Medicine for the Earth Teacher--teaching ways that transfigured human energy can heal our planet.
With her partner C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, LCSW, DCSW she presents
eco-spiritually focused training programs--which include advanced shamanism and shamanic healing---across the USA and Canada. In addition, as a founding member of True North, a unique, integrated medical center in Falmouth, Maine--she collaborates with physicians, nurses, a psychiatrist, a naturopath and several other complementary healthcare practitioners to provide a new model of health care that includes Spirit.
www.spiritpassages.org
www.spiritliving.org
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