In fact, if truth be known, the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with its associations of Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why John Calvin and other leaders of the Reformation abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even made illegal in Boston! The holiday was already too closely associated with the birth of older Pagan Gods and heroes. And many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus, and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse, many of them predated the Christian Savior.

Ultimately, of course, the holiday is rooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is the winter solstice that is being celebrated, seedtime of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God—by whatever name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, “the dark night of our souls”, there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.

That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps even more so, since the Christians were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month. Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic fathers in Rome decided to make it December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans, the Yule festival of the Saxons, and the midwinter revels of the Celts.

There was never much pretense that the date they finally chose was historically accurate. Shepherds just don’t “tend their flocks by night” in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus’ birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only time when shepherds are likely to “watch their flocks by night”—to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of the church continued to reject December 25, preferring a “movable date” fixed by their astrologers according to the moon.

Thus, despite its shaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a single day, but rather a period of twelve days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations.

Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that “Christmas” wasn’t celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own midwinter celebrations. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of last year’s log. Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn dollies were carried from house to house while caroling, fertility rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins.

For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon yula, meaning “wheel” of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual winter solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Low Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter days of the year, but a very important one. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree but, instead of burning it, lighted candles were placed on it. In Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred object.

Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically—not medicinally! It’s highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was the “wassail cup”, deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term waes hael (be whole or hale).

Medieval Christmas folklore seems endless: that animals will all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the 100th psalm on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow, that “if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see”, that “hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May”, that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on.

Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And, thus, we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long-overdue paraphrase, “Goddess bless us, every one!”

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Deities of the Winter Solstice
From Patti Wigington

While it may be mostly Pagans and Wiccans who celebrate the Yule
holiday, nearly all cultures and faiths have some sort of winter
solstice celebration or festival. Because of the theme of endless
birth, life, death, and rebirth, the time of the solstice is often
associated with deity and other legendary figures. No matter which
path you follow, chances are good that one of your gods or goddesses
has a winter solstice connection.

Alcyone (Greek): Alcyone is the Kingfisher goddess. She nests every
winter for two weeks, and while she does, the wild seas become calm
and peaceful.

Ameratasu (Japan): In feudal Japan, worshippers celebrated the return
of Ameratasu, the sun goddess, who slept in a cold, remote cave.
When the the other gods woke her with a loud celebration, she looked
out of the cave and saw an image of herself in a mirror. The other
gods convinced her to emerge from her seclusino and return sunlight
to the universe.

Balder (Norse): Balder is associated with the legend of the
mistletoe. His mother, Frigga, honored Baldur, asked all of nature to
promise not to harm him. Unfortunately, in her haste, Frigga
overlooked the mistletoe plant, so Loki – the resident trickster –
took advantage of the opportunity and fooled Baldur's blind twin,
Hod, into killing him with a spear made of mistletoe. Baldur was
later restored to life.

Bona Dea (Roman): This fertility goddess was worshipped in a secret
temple on the Aventine hill in Rome, and only women were permitted to
attend her rites. Her annual festival was held early in December.

Cailleach Bheur (Celtic): In Scotland, she is also called Beira, the
Queen of Winter. She is the hag aspect of the Triple Goddess, and
rules the dark days between Samhain and Beltaine.

Demeter (Greek): Through her daughter, Persephone, Demeter is linked
strongly to the changing of the seasons and is often connected to the
image of the Dark Mother in winter. When Persephone was abducted by
Hades, Demeter's grief caused the earth to die for six months, until
her daughter's return.

Dionysus (Greek): A festival called Brumalia was held every December
in honor of Dionysus and his fermented grape wine. The event proved
so popular that the Romans adopted it as well.

Frigga (Norse): Frigga honored her son, Baldur, by asking all of
nature not to harm him, but in her haste overlooked the mistletoe
plant. Loki fooled Baldur's blind twin, Hod, into killing him with a
spear made of mistletoe but Odin later restored him to life. As
thanks, Frigga declared that mistletoe must be regarded as a plant of
love, rather than death.

Holly King (British/Celtic): The Holly King is a figure found in
British tales and folklore. He is similar to the Green Man, the
archetype of the forest. In modern Pagan religion, the Holly King
battles the Oak King for supremacy throughout the year. At the winter
solstice, the Holly King is defeated.

Horus (Egyptian): Horus was one of the solar deities of the ancient
Egyptians. He rose and set every day, and is often associated with
Nut, the sky god. Horus later became connected with another sun god,
Ra.

La Befana (Italian): This character from Italian folklore is similar
to St. Nicholas, in that she flies around delivering candy to well-
behaved children in early January. She is depicted as an old woman on
a broomstick, wearing a black shawl.

Lord of Misrule (British): The custom of appointing a Lord of Misrule
to preside over winter holiday festivities actually has its roots in
antiquity, during the Roman week of Saturnalia.

Odin (Norse): In some legends, Odin bestowed gifts at Yuletide upon
his people, riding a magical flying horse across the sky. This legend
may have combined with that of St. Nicholas to create the modern
Santa Claus.

Saturn (Roman): Every December, the Romans threw a week-long
celebration of debauchery and fun, in honor of their agricultural
god, Saturn. Roles were reversed, and slaves became the masters, at
least temporarily. This is where the tradition of the Lord of Misrule
originated.

Spider Woman (Hopi): Soyal is the Hopi festival of the winter
solstice. It honors the Spider Woman and the Hawk Maiden, and
celebrates the sun's victory over winter's darkness.

©2007 About, Inc., All rights reserved.
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htm?nl=1

History of Yule
From Patti Wigington

A Festival of Light:
Many cultures have winter festivals that are in fact celebrations of
light. In addition to Christmas, there's Hannukah with its brightly
lit menorahs, Kwanzaa candles, and any number of other holidays. The
holiday called Yule takes place on the day of the winter solstice,
around December 21. On that day (or close to it), an amazing thing
happens in the sky. The earth's axis tilts away from the sun in the
Northern Hemisphere, and the sun reaches at its greatest distance
from the equatorial plane. As a festival of the Sun, the most
important part of any Yule celebration is light -- candles, bonfires,
and more.

Origins of Yule:
In the Northern hemisphere, the winter solstice has been celebrated
for millenia. The Norse peoples viewed it as a 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.

Celtic Celebrations of Winter:
The Celts of the British Isles celebrated this midwinter holiday as
well. Although little is known about the specifics of what they did,
many traditions persist. According to the writings of Julius Caesar,
this is the time of year in which Druid priests sacrificed a white
bull and gathered mistletoe in celebration.

Roman Saturnalia:
Few cultures knew how to party like the Romans. Saturnalia was a
festival of general merrymaking and debauchery held around the time
of the winter solstice. This week-long party was held in honor 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 honor an
agricultural god.

Welcoming the Sun Through the Ages:
Four thousand years ago, the Ancient Egyptians took the time to
celebrate the daily rebirth of Horus - 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 worshipping a new holiday
celebrated on December 25.

In some traditions of Wicca and Paganism, the Yule celebration comes
from the Celtic legend of the battle between the young Oak King and
the Holly King. The Oak King, representing the light of the new year,
tries each year to usurp the old Holly King, who is the symbol of
darkness. Re-enactment of the battle is popular in some Wiccan
rituals.

©2007 About, Inc., All rights reserved.
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/yulethelongestnight/p/Yule_History.htm