Sweet oranges in Europe and northern regions are a special treat at Christmas, going back to St Nicolas of Myra (270 - 343) in today's Turkey. Traditional Yule fruits include cranberries dried apples and plums, or prunes, for food and seasonal decor.
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Oranges have special meaning at Christmas due to a bishop known for his generosity. St Nicolas is regarded as the inspiration for Father Christmas, St. Nicholas of the Christmas season, and Santa Claus.
In one of his most famous gestures he saves three sisters from prostitution by giving them a gift of gold. He distributes oranges at Christmas, which becomes a seasonal tradition. In northern Europe and colder climates oranges are a gift of sunshine.
Oranges are typically among the fruit brought by St Nicholas and his pagan companions on their annual household visits Dec 5 and 6. Yuletide feasting and revelry always incorporate fruit. Oranges are a prime ingredient in mulled wine, a popular holiday drink.
Oranges are sometimes used in gingerbread or gingerbread loaf, an essential treat for the season. The German Christmas treat Stollen, fruitcake bread coated in icing sugar, is originally from Dresden. The tradition goes back to the Middle Ages.
The first Christmas is celebrated in Rome, Dec 25 336 CE. The first Yule is a Germanic pagan festival dating back to the 5th century CE. It originates as an unregulated harvest festival. The revelry of Yule goes until just before Solstice, then the Solstice is celebrated.
Yule is associated with Christmas since c. 11th century. Today Yule begins on the Solstice. In pagan German tradition the feast of ancient German goddess Frau Holle or Hulda starts Dec 25 and ends Jan 5-6. In Babylonian lore, these are the 12 Days of Zagmuk.
In northern Europe, seasonal decorations include ornaments made of dried fruit. Fruit trees such as apple, plum and cherry are important to the economy of homesteading farmers and orchard growers. Dried and preserved fruit lasts through the cold dark winters.
In Nuremburg, prune people are popular ornaments. In German folklore several Harvest Spirits come to fertilize the fruit trees at Christmas. They are the Grain Bull or Harvest Bull (Kornstier), the Buck and Nanny Goats and the Kornesel or Grain Donkey.
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One of the most popular Yule fruits is cranberry. Sweet and tart, the berries are often served with roast turkey in America. Ham is traditional in Germanic Europe. Cranberry decorations make up some of the reds of the season.
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