Yule was never the same since the royal decree of King Haakon the Good of Norway, in an attempt to minimize the pagan festivities, merged Yule with Christmas. According to some sources, Yule originated as a hunting holiday after harvest was done, ending in December.
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In other views Yule came into being as a celebration of the Winter Solstice. Festivities began at the Solstice on Dec 21 and lasted to midwinter on January 12. Yet another theory sees Yule originally a midwinter celebration.
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Yule comes from Old English “gēol,” derived from older Germanic languages predating Christianity, such as Old Norse. “Jól” was used poetically to refer to a celebratory feast. The word jolly comes from the same root.
Haakan (Haken) Haraldsson, otherwise known as King Haakan the Good, ruled Norway from 934 - 961 CE. An enthusiastic supporter of the Christian faith he's most famous for his dramatic decree changing the dates of Yule to coincide with Christmas season.
Hunting Holiday & Harvest Rituals
Harvest rituals celebrate abundance, gifts of the Earth and blessings of elemental spirits. They're a time to eat, dance, drink, spend time with family and community. In autumn, wild game brought the bounty of forest and streams to the table. Harvest celebrations in the Northern Hemisphere roughly parallel the hunting season from mid-Sept to mid-Dec.
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Harvest can happen all summer and into late autumn, with crops like winter wheat and rye harvested as early as June, and later wheat and corn up to November. Traditionally, harvest festivals begin the first Sunday before the Harvest Moon (Sept-Oct) which is the closest full moon to the Autumn Equinox (Sept 23).
The hunting holiday was a good time to stock the larder with venison and other wild meats. Smoked or cured, meat would last through the natural refrigeration of winter until the coming of spring and Mardi Gras or Fetter Donnerstag in February. People relied on the generosity of wild nature as much as on domestic produce.
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According to the Ynglinga Saga by Icelandic poet and historian Snorri Sturluson, King Domalde was sacrificed at Uppsala in autumn, after three years of famine. The people hoped a royal blood sacrifice would be looked upon more favorably by the gods. In the Saga, the first day of Yule is the last day of autumn.
Following, the first day of winter according to the old Norse calendar falls between Oct 21 and 27. Gormánuður is the first winter month, and midwinter is in January. In between is the Winter Solstice, the day of the longest night.
Winter Solstice Celebrations
In Wicca and neo-paganism Yule is held on the Winter Solstice based on historical and mythological context. In Germany the feast of the ancient goddess Frau Holle falls over Yuletide. The feast of Yule itself lasts about three days but Yuletide celebrations range from the Solstice to the time of the Yule Sacrifice in January 12.
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In German lore, Frau Holle is a powerful figure who has survived centuries of change and attempted suppression to emerge stronger than ever today. She's most popular in north and central Germany. A woman of many facets she is variously a domestic deity, a weather goddess, a warrior goddess, a White Lady and the Dark Grandmother. Her origin may date back to the time of creation.
Winter Solstice was a time to welcome the return of the Sun. An ancient solstice celebration is the cult of Mithras, a solar deity in Roman antiquity rivalling the cult of Christianity, which began about 47 CE in Rome. Even earlier in Rome, Dec 25 was the day of Sol Invictus or the Unconquered Sun.
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Another related idea was the celebration of midwinter, which in the Norse calendar fell in January. Norwegian winters comprise very short days and long, bitterly cold nights, when the Undead were said to roam.
Haakon the Good
Haakon the Good, who ruled from 934 to his assassination in 961, was the youngest son of King Harald Fairhair (r. 872 - 930) and brother of Eric Bloodaxe (r. 931 - 933). It's suggested in early literature Haakan's father Harald Fairhair brought the tribes together and unified Norway.
Before then, Vikings settled the vast reaches occupied by the native Sami people, and made forays to Denmark. They traveled up the Rhine to pillage such German towns such as Bonn, Cologne and Andernach. The earliest Viking settlement is at the town of Füsing in north Germany, near the Danish border. It's first mentioned in records of 804 CE from the court of Charlemagne.
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As he knew of all the blood plots and cunning schemes at the Norwegian court, Harald Fairhair sent Haakon to the Anglo-Saxon court in England. There, Haaken learned about Christianity. He was baptized, and in 934 two Benedictine monks came with him to Norway to spread Christian ideas in his kingdom.
While Haakon was growing up, his half-brother Eric Bloodaxe came to the throne. Returning to Norway in 934, Haakon was no stranger to strategy. He got an influential group of people on his side by promising to remove certain taxes. It worked like a charm and Bloodaxe, in fear for his life, fled Norway with his family. He and one of his sons died in battle in northwest England twenty years later.
Haakon rose to the throne in 934 and killed two more of Eric's sons in other battles. So much for brotherly love.
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Haakon built several churches and found people to act as priests. At the time of his rule, Yule festivities were held at midwinter. He changed to dates so Yule would coincide with Christmas. The people kept many of the old traditions. According to the Historia Norwegiæ, a Latin history of Norway c. 1500 CE, Haakon practiced both Christian and pagan rites.
The remaining three sons of Eric Bloodaxe bided their time. In 961, they came back and attacked Haakon. While they didn't kill him, the King later died of infection from an arrow wound.
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A Merry Viking Yule
According to Norse historian Lee M. Hollander, Norse farmers had to come to the temple hof every nine years and make animal sacrifices during Yuletide. Sanctified blood went to paint parts of the temple such as altar and posts.
The person making the offering was also doused or painted and said to be washed in blood. Blood represented life and the life force, strength and courage.
Afterward there were feasts, drinking, dancing and a communal bonfire. The Gretis saga describes Yule as the time of "greatest mirth and joy among men."
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It was a time to make oaths, a tradition which survives today in New Year's Resolutions. Business deals, arranged weddings and partnerships were also part of the Yuletide tradition.
Today, Yule is usually a Solstice festival. Traditions brought from early Yule celebrations to Christmas or neo-pagan Yuletide include the log, which is supposed to burn continuously the three to twelve days of Yule.
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In Norse tradition it was an oak log inscribed with runes. In England a birch log is popular, while the French use cherry wood sprinkled with wine. Part of the log is kept to start next year's Yule fire.
The evergreen wreath or tree is a Yule tradition, festive with small treasures, berries or nuts. Decorations for the tree included candy, sweet treats, candles, and sometimes goat ornaments to symbolize the goats of Thor.
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Trees can be spruce or even long-needled pine, but for optimal Tannenbaum efficiency get a fir. The needles stick to the branches and don't shed in the same abundance as other conifers like spruce.
Decorating with greenery is a Yule tradition. Holly at Christmas comes from another solstice festival, the Roman Saturnalia.