Winter Solstice: Yule Celebration

With Christmas being Just tomorrow, I thought it would be fun to talk about the celebration of the pagan and Wiccan holiday of Yule, the winter solstice! What is Yule? Yule is the holiday celebrated at the winter solstice as the rebirth of the great horned hunter god. This year of 2019, Yule began on December 22nd and will end next year on January 2nd. Yule celebrates the longest night of the year and the rebirth of the sun. Most witches don’t typically celebrate all 12 days of Yule, and only celebrate it on the one day that is the winter solstice (the longest night of the year). Much like Christmas, Yule has it’s own deities and monsters and myths of the holiday. The list of Yule deities includes: • The Goddess Brighid • Isis • Demeter • Gaea • Diana • The Great Mother • Apollo • Ra • Odin • Lugh • The Oak King • The Horned One • The Green Man • The Devine Child • Mabon The best known of these gods and goddesses would be Dagda and her daughter, Brighid. The list of Yule monsters and myths includes: • Krampus, the yuletide demon • Jólakötturinn, the Yule cat • Frau Perchta, the witch • Belsnickel, the anti-santa • Hans Trapp, another anti-santa figure • Père Fouettard, the Yule cannibal • The Yule Lads, the 13 Icelandic trolls • Gryla, the mother of the Yule Lads Like Christmas and Hanukkah, Yule has specific foods to go along with the festivities. • Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider • Fruits & nuts • Pork dishes • the basic turkey, eggnog, and wassail • ginger tea • lamb’s wool (a mix of ale, sugar, nutmeg, and roasted apples) Yule activities include the basic traditions of caroling, decorating the (Yule) tree, exchanging of presents, and smooching under the mistletoe along with the traditions of wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, honoring the pagan god of Yule, Kris Kringle. Much like Christmas, the colors of Yule are red and green along with the colors of silver, gold, white, yellow, and orange. Witches use stones and gems and crystals in everyday practice, so of course those would be included in Yule as well as part of the holiday and traditions. These stones include rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, and diamonds. The spell works of Yule include those of peace, love, harmony, and increased happiness. Other than the Yule tree and the decorating process of it, another important decorating part of Yule is the designing and the burning of the Yule log. The Yule log in an ancient symbol of the season, coming from the celts. The Yule log is traditionally cut from an oak tree and covered in holly, mistletoe, and evergreen. It was then tossed into the fireplace and burned to release the magic. Different woods bring different things in a Yule log. Oak brings healing, strength, and wisdom. Ash brings protection, health, and prosperity Aspen invoked the understanding of the great design Holly inspires visions and reveals past lives Pine brings prosperity and growth And finally willow invokes the goddesses to achieve desires. Another version of the Yule log is the Yule log cake, to which I will include a recipe to... Yule Log Cake CAKE 1 cup cake flour 1-1/4 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 6 Tbl cocoa 1/3 cup boiling water 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1/4 cup butter, softened 1/4 cup vegetable shortening 1 cup granulated sugar, divided 2 eggs, separated 1/2 cup buttermilk CREAM FILLING 1 cup whipping cream 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract GLAZE 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup whipping cream Confectioner's sugar Preheat oven to 325 degrees. For cake, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, combine cocoa, water, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. In a large bowl, cream butter and shortening. Gradually beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until mixture is light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beginning with the butter and egg mixture, alternately beat in the flour mixture and buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Beat in cocoa mixture until smooth. In a medium bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat the remaining 2 Tbl. sugar until mixture is stiff. Fold 1/4 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining egg white mixture. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 15X10X1 inch foil-lined jelly roll pan. Smooth top with a spatula. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until the cake is slightly puffed and just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cake will be underdone. Place on wire rack to cool. For filling, beat cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form. Using a knife, loosen the cake from the edges of the pan. Place a second jelly roll pan on top of the first pan and invert cake on to top of the second pan. Peel off foil. Invert cake again so it is right side up. Spread the cream filling over the cake, leaving a one-inch border around the edges of the cake. Beginning with one long edge, roll up the cake. Wrap the cake tightly with aluminum foil and freeze overnight. For glaze, melt chocolate chips in the top of a double broiler over warm water. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Beat in butter and cream. Allow mixture to sit at room temperature until slightly thickened. Remove cake from freezer and unwrap. Place cake, seam side down, on a wire rack placed over wax paper. Pour the glaze over the cake -- spread evenly over tops and sides. Transfer to serving platter. Use a fork to make the "bark." Refrigerate until served. Prior to serving, sprinkle confectioner's sugar on top to simulate snow and top with a sprig of holly. Happy Solstice and Merry Christmas! Love, Absinthe Noir ♥ ♥ ♥