The Festival of Frau Holle decks the halls from her Feast Day 25 Dec to the 5-6th of January. An ancient German goddess, Frau Holle predates the Norse pantheon and has a complex mythology.
She's known by many names including Holla, Holda, Holde, Hulda, Old Mother Frost; and Perchta or Bercht in the south. In the north, Frau Holle is cognate with the Elderberry Mother or Holundermutter.
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Among her many aspects Frau Holle is the patron of spinning and weaving. Her southern sister manifestation Perchta taught humans to spin flax into linen. Frau Holle and Perchta are considered the same person. As noted by scholars Holle's mythology dwindles in the south where Perchta's picks up.
A goddess of Light, Frau Holle lives in the clouds. She's also a patron of trees and nature spirits. Perchta lives in a well, which leads to her realm. Kind and generous to those who are courteous and work hard, Holle and Perchta can punish those who haven't done their allotted spinning, or who spin during the feast days, which is forbidden.
Proper protocol earns a silver coin or two under the pillow. Offenders may have their insides ripped out and stuffed with straw.
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Perchta and Holle have different feast days, with Holle's falling on December 25 and Perchta's on January 5-6. They're reflections of each other framing the days. Specifically Frau Holle rules the time of den Zwölften (the Twelve), which has been replaced with the 12 days of Christmas.
The twelve days start on the 25, Holle's original Feast Day, and end on 5 Jan, which is a Feast Day of Perchta. As a goddess of both dark and light Frau Holle can be associated with Solstice, so the Twelve can get a few days more if they want.
Some of today's neo-pagans celebrate Frau Holle's feast from the Solstice Dec 20-21 to the New Year Jan 1. Other celebrations occurring over Solstice and Dec 25 include the Feast of Sun God Mithras, Greek Brumalia, Saturnalia; the Dongzhi Festival in China and indigenous solstice festival Soyal in the southern United States.
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Bonfires help the Sun warm the Earth and the smoke blesses people and animals who walk through. Some people mark the Solstice a few days after the event when the difference in the days is noticeable. Pre-Christian Romans called Dec 25 the Day of the Unconquered Sun.
Solstice honors the return of light, hope, optimism, coming of spring, reawakening of the Earth. For some it means sowing of crops. For others it's time to chase away the Undead who stalk the long nights.
Like many other Yuletide Festivals, the Feast of Frau Holle is a celebration of light. It's marked with candles, bonfires, singing, dancing and general revelry. White lights are the color of Frau Holle as she's associated with snow and snowflakes, and has the qualities of a White Lady in folklore.
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She's also an example of opposites in harmony, as Frau Holle has both light and dark aspects. As the Dark Grandmother she receives the spirits of children who die in infancy. She sends them to a place of light. A candle can be lit for remembrance.
General Yule celebrations already include plenty of coniferous greenery, so the spirit of nature enters the home. Apples are a symbol of Frau Holle. Apple Strudel and apple decorations make her happy. She's also associated with the elderberry tree. Domestic harmony sends good vibes. She's a Goddess of Women and overall Domestic deity.
In her warrior aspect Frau Holle is a Lady of Light. A powerful goddess, she was later associated with witches and witchcraft in attempts to undermine her influence and demonize her nature. Up until modern times witches and witchcraft were synonymous with evil. There was no concept of "good witches" as we have today.
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Tales of Frau Holle riding around on a spindle leading hordes of women on diabolical revels echo the stories of the Dionysian mysteries, in which women were said to leave their husbands and families to get drunk and party in the hills. In both cases it's a way to anger self-righteous people and disempower pagan gods.
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Frau Holle has been equated with Roman Goddess Diana. In the Lora Ley novella The Wild Hunt, the two goddesses join with Norse Frigg to take leadership before the forces of chaos triumph, with Lora and Wolf in the midst of it all. Meanwhile, vegan Norwegian Brook Horse Skoldt gets a summons from home.