The Christmas tree is mystical Tammuz, the slain god come to life again. This material may not be reproduced without permission. You can trace the origin of the yule log back to a 1966 broadcast from … It is believed, if the tradition is followed with sincerity and devotion, it would bring good health, wealth and productivity in the year ahead. London: Cassell, 1995. While the Yule log tradition has become somewhat less commonplace in recent years, it has experienced a resurgence with the popularity of videos featuring crackling Yule logs, on websites like YouTube and Netflix. Once practiced by the Vikings and Germanic people, the burning of the Yule Log, was a part of the celebrations of the winter solstice. For example, the yule log, as in the lyric “See the blazing yule before us,” was originally a real tree limb or trunk burnt on the hearth, but now makes an appearance at Christmastime as a cake shaped like a log. Once burned, the ashes from the logs were kept as protection against evil and misfortune. The custom of burning the Yule Log began with the ancient Scandinavians who burned a huge log, felled from and Ash tree, to honour their god Thor. Yule comes from the old Norse jól and Old English géohol which was a season of hunting after the harvest was done. The logs were rubbed with wine or salt and trimmed with pine cones, ivy, and sprigs of holly, and their flames were thought to cleanse the remnants of the old year and usher in a fruitful spring. The Old Norse 'jol' seems to have been borrowed in Old French as 'olif', which gave way to the Modern French 'joli'; "pretty, nice," originally "festive". In the Celtic tradition, a continual hearth fire was kept to prevent spirits from entering the home. As the end of the year approaches, the holidays offer an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate traditions with family, friends and loved ones. The tradition originated in Scandinavia, then spread to the Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans, who believed that burning a yule log would bring good luck. Reviews: Most Helpful Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest. A Dictionary of Superstitions. It too was lit on Christmas Eve, usually just at dusk. Ronald Reagan, Karl Marx, what's the difference? Pickering, David. Care was taken to keep it burning at least as long as the hosts were still up (if not all night, depending on regional custom). People in many European countries light a Yule log at Christmas time. The Scandinavian tribes have given us the following Yuletide traditions: (1) Feasting, (2) Keeping the Yule log lit all night on the 24th of December, and (3) Hanging mistletoe. Yule means feasting, and tide means time (period of time). It was originally a Nordic tradition. The Yule log tradition had many accompanying rules, and failure to adhere to them exactly risked bad luck. ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 77). There are historic references in the late 1800s that indicate a French pastry chef developed a log-shaped cake to resemble an actual Yule log. Coffin, Tristram. This was not always an easy task, as special caution was given against stirring the embers during the lengthy Christmas Eve supper. The Yule Log was originally an entire tree, that was carefully chosen and brought into the house with great ceremony. The Yule Log is a television show originating in the United States, which is broadcast traditionally on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. Once lit, the log had to be kept burning for twelve hours. nutrition-modal. The tradition originated in Scandinavia, says the Why Christmas website, then spread to the Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans, who believed that burning a yule log would bring good luck for the upcoming year. The Christmas Chocolate Yule Log we all know and love, actually represents the historical practice of collecting and burning a very large log in the hearth, throughout the Christmas season. A viral anti-vaccine video mangles the science behind the production of a potential COVID-19 vaccine. Fast food is nothing if not quick to prepare. A Yule log is a special log burnt on a hearth during the Yuletide season. TikTok videos and tweets have claimed for years that saying "my pleasure" at Chick-fil-A earned customers a discount, free ice cream, or free food. Dictionary of Superstitions. The celebrations included feasting and cleansing rituals, the most important of which was the ritual burning of specially anointed and decorated logs. This article provides more Yule log lore. As early as 1725, Henry Bourne sought an origin for the Yule log in Anglo-Saxon paganism: “It seems to have been used, as an Emblem of the … Yule Log History A holiday celebration that began in Norway, on the night of the winter solstice it was common to hoist a giant log onto the hearth to celebrate the return of the sun each year. A bit of the burnt-down candle was also preserved from one year to the next as a lucky charm for the household. Everything to do with them was fraught with ritual — certain formulas had to be followed very carefully lest disaster befall the household in the upcoming year. Keeping the Yule Log Burning . What is a Yule log? The history of the Yule log cake stretches all the way back to Europe’s Iron Age, before the medieval era. After supper, people would gather around the hearth to tell ghost stories and examine the shadows cast on the wall by the flickering flame. Silent prayers would be … An Iron Age tradition of burning huge logs to ring in the New Year evolved over the centuries into a rich Christmas dessert made of rolled sponge cake and whipped cream. This tasty cake stems from a long-standing Christmas tradition. The Yule Log, an ancient symbol of the season, came to us from the Celts. The Norsemen believed that the sun was a giant wheel of fire which rolled away from the earth, and then began rolling back again on the winter solstice. The yule log has its roots (and often simply was a root) in Norse mythology, and from there it was all up and up. II, p. 903). For starters, the logs couldn't be purchased; they had to come from the homeowner or a neighbor's land, per Snopes. All Reviews for Classic Yule Log - of Reviews. Food and good fellowship, the Yule log and Yule cakes, greenery and fir trees, gifts and greetings all commemorated different aspects of this festive season. The entire log was decorated with holly, mistletoe, and evergreens to represent the intertwining of the god and goddess who are reunited on this sabbat. The Christmas celebration is sometimes even called Yule, from the Scandinavian … When Christianity came to Europe in the fourth century, many families continued to celebrate the Yule log tradition inside their own homes, turning the pagan ritual into a practice associated with Christmas. It’s origins are unclear, but it was first recorded in 1184. In a year as tumultuous as 2020, we'd rather not time travel to the past. The Original WPIX Yule Log. Share options. It was unlucky to buy a yule log. Two doctors who raised the specter of vaccines causing sterilization have both spread pandemic misinformation. With spring, the days would become longer and would mean the rebirth of the Sun. It became a symbol of Christmas, morphed into a … The Book of Christmas Folklore. While the origins of the Yule log are attributed to the Scandinavian countries or to Germanic paganism, most would say the tradition started in Ancient Rome, where entire trees would be burned in an effort to keep away Kallikantzaroi. And clean hands only, please — to attempt to light the log with dirty hands would have been an unforgivable sign of disrespect. The tradition of Christmas caroling actually began as the tradition of wassailing. (Read the full story here ). Rumor has it the infamously named town has officially been bowdlerized. The first step towards lighting the yule log was fetching the carefully-preserved scrap of the previous year’s log from under the homeowner’s bed. New York: Seabury Press, 1973. It was unlucky to buy a yule log. Yule or Yuletide ("Yule time" or "Yule season") is a festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples.Scholars have connected the original celebrations of Yule to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and the pagan Anglo-Saxon Mōdraniht.. Later departing from its pagan roots, Yule underwent Christianised reformulation, resulting in the term Christmastide. The first reference of the tradition of the Yule Log can be found in Norse Mythology. Yule also carries associations with a farm animal. Such an important duty had to be handled gravely. To Honour and Protect: The Yule Log. The log itself is traditionally the largest, hardest log that can be gotten from the nearby forest with the intention that it will burn hotly and brightly through the longest night of the year. The Yule Log is a tradition possibly of Germanic or Nordic origin. The most Yule families were found in and Scotland in 1841and Scotland in 1851and Scotland in 1861and Scotland in 1871and Scotland in 1881and Scotland in 1891and Scotland in 1901. A Yule log cake is a dessert traditionally served near Christmas, popular in France and Quebec and is also known as bûche de Noël. Back then, Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans would gather to … The candles and lights associated with Christmas, meant to symbolize guiding beacons for the Christ child, may have evolved from the Yule log, which was lit to entice the Sun to return as part of the jol (Yule) festival in pagan Scandinavia. Nevertheless, the symbolic cake substituting wood log was quickly a success and tradition changed from a real log to a fake log, our now classic Yule log. In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log. The word "yule" gets thrown around a lot during the Christmas season, but what does it even mean? Like the yule log, a proper Christmas candle could not be bought, so grocers made a practice of handing them out to customers. Yule Log If you have a birthday— for either a child or adult—that falls during the holidays to fete, why not celebrate it with the season's spirit? 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