Yule and Christmas
What do they have in common? There are some Pagan practices that started as early as the 4th century, and have been integrated into Christmas practices around the 8th century.
Christmas Trees
The christmas tree was not an evergreen tree at first due to the relations evergreens had with Pagan traditions. In England, the first christmas trees were decorated with eggs, hazelnuts, and apples to increase the likelihood of fertility in the coming year (Nature, 1998). This practice aligns with the Pagan’s practice of decorating their houses with evergreen branches to remind them that spring is coming (Nature, 1998).
Yule Log
The burning of the Yule log originated in pagan Scandinavia (Nock, 2007). It symbolized the rays of the sun and tried to invoke the sun’s return (Nock, 2007). Pagans would keep a piece of the yule log for next year to rekindle the fire and disrupt the darkness of winter (Nock, 2007). In England, the yule log would be burned on Christmas eve, and stay lit until festivities were over (Nature, 1998). In some other areas, the yule log was used for warmth and hospitality (McCorristine, Mocellin, 2016).
The Feast
Pagans celebrated Yule with a huge feast to ensure good blessings all year. In early celebrations of Christmas, many Christians were wary of their feast being too similar to the Pagan’s (Nothaft, 2012). This resulted in Chrisitans having the feast at a very specific time and place. It was important to honor the birth of Christ by having this specific feast (Nothaft, 2012). In England, the Christmas feast was connected to the feast of the dead, which was much like the feast seen among Pagans (Nature, 1998).