Winter is here and the earth has gone into a deep slumber until Spring. There is truly something magical about winter.
Each year on December 21st, the Winter Solstice, also known as Yule, aligns before Christmas.
Yule is a sacred time full of tradition and folklore and many believe that Yule is where the modern day Christmas is based upon. Learning how to celebrate this sacred traditional holy day is powerful and if you have children, they will also find this time magical!
The History of Yule~
Cultures all over the world - from the Egyptians to Celts to Romans - celebrated Yule. The winter was for many, many years a time of famine and hardship. The Winter Solstice marks the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere and is a time of celebration because this marks the return of the Sun. After the Winter Solstice, light and life will slowly return to the earth as Spring slowly comes closer. We can see how many cultures hundreds of years ago would come to celebrate this time, knowing that winter was slowly winding down. December 21st has the least amount of sunlight in the year.
How to Celebrate Yule~
1. Create a sacred wreath or decorate your home with holly, ivy and mistletoe. You can also decorate your home with the colors green, red and gold.
2. Light a Solstice candle and keep it burning December 21st. This is a sacred way to honor the way your ancestors would have felt the Winter Solstice, sitting around a candle offering their intentions for spring. I recommend buying a Beeswax candle.
3. Every sacred holy day is about feasting! Create a sacred gathering with your friends and family and bake delicious foods like stews, bread and pies.
4. Create a gratitude list. Write out all of the year's blessings and what you have learned. Show gratitude to the ever changing cycles of the world.
5. Write out what you have learned in this year. How have you grown? Who have you become? Are you closer to reaching your long term goals? Allow yourself the freedom to write it all out.
I hope you have a beautiful and sacred Winter Solstice! This is a very sacred time so I invite you to take time out of your schedule to be in silence and journal. If you can gather with friends or family to feast, do that too! This is a lovely time to celebrate.
How are you celebrating Yule? Comment below!