Yule Traditions and Symbols

There are many Yule symbols and traditions, which have many origins from Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, as well as many other places.  Although every culture developed their own symbologies, after awhile all the symbols, customs and traditions melded together into what has become the modern holiday. In the final analysis it really doesn’t matter which ideas belonged to Paganism or which belonged to Christianity, or some other religion.  All that matters is that they are sacred and belong to the Yuletide season - a season of diversity and joy -- the happiest time of the year.  What follows is a list of many holiday customs and their origins.  If you have any additional items you would like to add to this list, please respond and post the symbol, what it means and information about the origins of that symbol.

Advent Wreath:  Although Advent initially came from the Lutherans, many religious sectors adopted the tradition and adapted its function to suit their own purposes.  Traditionally, the wreath is made of evergreens with four candles ensconced within, and its ritual begins four Sundays before Christmas.  A candle is lit each Sunday and burns throughout the week to welcome the “light of the world.”  On the fourth Sunday, all four candles burn together in welcome.

Bells: A throwback to the ancient Pagans, festival participants originally rang bells to drive away the demons that surfaced during the cold, dark time of the year.  The Christian bible, however, stated that people should “...make a joyful noise to the Lord.”  Since the tinkle of bells seemed to fit the bill, the tradition of bell ringing uring the holiday season survived and still remains intact today.

Bird’s Yule Tree: The bird’s tree is a sheaf of wheat, branches of milo maize, ears of con or some other sort of grain attached to an outdoor pole or fence post.  Traditionally, the tree is set up on Christmas Eve so the birds can enjoy it on Christmas Day.  Though this Scandinavian symbol is primarily associated with Christmas and thought to be Christian, its theme is Pagan in nature.  The main idea is to share with the animal world and make its members a part of the celebration.

Blowing in the Yule:  Although this noisy tradition probably originated as a Pagan means to chase off evil spirits, it’s still alive and well today in the Scandinavian and Germanic sections of Europe. In the late hours of Christmas Eve, musicians congregate at the local church and play a carol to each of the four directions.  This is orchestrated so they finish at midnight with the ringing of church bells to herald the arrival of Christmas.

Candles: Because fire melted winter’s chill and was thought to encourage the Sun to shine, it was always an important part of the ancient winter festivals.  Candles, however, are thought to have originated with the ancient Romans who gave them to each other as Saturnalia gifts.  Their brightness was thought to chase away dark winter demons and urge the Sun back into the sky.  In later years, the Christians embraced them as symbols of Christ, the Light of the World; hence they became a large part of the Christmas celebrations we know today.

Candy Cane: Peppermint leaf and peppermint tea has long been a part of Yule celebrations for Pagans with its coolness symbolizing winter and its heat symbolizing the Sun. The candy cane, however, was invented by an American confectioner who based its form and appearance on Christian roots.  He formed  it of white candy to signify the virgin birth, then shaped it in a “J” to represent Jesus.  The never-ending red stripe was to have symbolized the blood shed on the cross. In spite of the inventor’s painstaking creativity and religious devotion, though, the cane somehow wound up as a common holiday symbol and treat -- devoid of all Christian testimony and witness.

Carols: These holiday songs are said to have originated from the Catholic Church during the fourth century.  The religious repertoire continued to grow through the Middle Ages up until the Renaissance period.  The nature of these songs continued to be religious until sometime in the nineteenth century, when European composers began to incorporate other holiday symbols and customs into their music.

Chimney: Santa’s descent down the chimney first originated in England.  The reason? Santa had to come and go in secret, otherwise no gifts would be left. This tradition was brought to America by the Pilgrims, and still thrives today.  (Apparently, German and Scandinavian Santa Clauses don’t have to be sooty to leave gifts; it’s okay for them to come in and out of the front door!)

Christmas Cards: This tradition was initiated in England in 1843 by a man named Sir Henry Cole. That year, artist J.C. Horsely designed one card and printed a thousand copies.  In 1875, the tradition arose in America when Louis Prang printed some cards in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Wanting to make them more popular, Prang then held design contests.  The winners walked away with cash, and the tradition of American Christmas card mailings was born. 

Elves:  There are several reasons why elves may have come to be associated with the winter holidays.  For one thing, the land of elves (Alfaheimr) was inhabited by the spirits who created the Sun, and including these beings in the festival would certainly encourage them to rejuvenate the Sun and make it shine again.  A more Yulish theory, though, has to do with Odin the Elf King, whose magical capabilities were incorporated into the Santa Claus we know today.  More than likely, the elves were thrown in for good measure to complete Santa’s persona.  After all, what’s an elf king without elves?

Evergreen:  Decorating with evergreens dates back to the earliest winter festivals.  Because the green never faded from their branches and leaves, evergreens were thought to have power over death and destruction -- enough power to defeat whatever winter demons roamed the Earth, and enough tenacity to urge the coming of the Sun.

Gift Exchange: Thought to have originated in Babylonia with Zagmuk, the tradition of gift exchange gained great popularity during the Roman Saturnalia festivals.  In later years, the Christians took up this custom as well, but attributed it to the Magi and their bringing of gifts to the Christ-child.

Gingerbread: The Crusaders were originally responsible for this holiday treat, for they introduced ginger to eleventh century Europe on their return from the Middle East.  The cookie-like substance didn’t become popular during the winter, though, until French and German bakers united and formed gingerbread guilds during the fifteenth century.  In those days there were strict laws regarding specialty breads, and since gingerbread was categorized as such, its production was only allowed during Easter and Christmas.  Because bakers always had stalls in the European Christian markets -- and no Easter marketplace existed -- its spicy flavor and heavenly scent soon became associated with the winter holidays.

Holly: Since holly sports vibrant green leaves and bright red berries during winter’s deathly chill, it provides an excellent symbol of rebirth.  The prickly shrub was a favorite amulet among early Europeans, and they often placed it in their homes to rid themselves of negative entities and nasty weather. The British have their own holiday tradition concerning the plant, thought; since the thorny-leaved plants are considered male and the smooth are known as female, the variety first brought into the house during the holidays determines which gender shall head the household during the next year. 

Lights: For centuries, homes and holiday trees were decorated with candles to frighten negative entities and urge the Sun to shine. Although the candles were beautiful, the practice was dangerous; it meant that people had to keep a constant watch o make sure nothing caught on fire. In 1895, an American named Ralph E. Morris finally came up with a solution; he hung some strings of switchboard lights on his tree, and electric holiday lighting was born.

Mistletoe:  Although attributed to the Celts -- the Druids, more specifically -- historians agree that mistletoe was probably first used in the Greek winter ceremonies.  When the holidays spread throughout Europe, though, the Druids gave the parasitic plant sacredness and new meaning.  For them, the berried plant symbolized the semen of the god and was used to bring about great fertility and abundance.  Hung over the doorway, it also protected from thunder, lightning, and malicious evil.  How did we come to kiss under the mistletoe? Norse legend has it that Frigg (the mother of Balder) loved Her son so much that She couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to Him.  She made a pact with the four Elements that nothing in Their realms would do Him harm. Loki (the God of Mayhem) was up to His regular mischief, however.  He fashioned an arrow from mistletoe and gave it to Balder’s blind brother.  At Loki’s instruction, the arrow was shot and Balder fell dead.  The wash of Frigg’s tears restored Her son to life, and She was so happy that She declared the mistletoe a plant of luck, love, and promise.  Since ancient times, people have been kissing under the mistletoe -- some of them unwittingly -- to receive Frigg’s blessings.

North Pole:  Aside from the fact that Santa has to live somewhere -- and that he appears publicly only in the wintertime - his icy, native home is said to be an American inclusion of no particular significance.  After pondering the matter, though, the death-rebirth symbolism becomes apparent in Santa’s affiliation with the North Pole. For one thing, the land he lives i is dark and cold; so cold, in fact, that nothing could ever survive its bitterness. Yet, the kindest, jolliest man in the world not only lives there happily, but brings warmth and joy to the hearts of everyone else on the planet.  Looking at it from this angle, it becomes apparent that the Sun (Santa Claus) is born each winter and thrives against its chill (the North Pole) - one of the ideas upon which the Winter Solstice celebration is based.

Ornaments: The Germanic peoples originally decorated their trees with fruit, candy, cookies, and flowers.  These ornaments symbolized the abundance to come when the Sun shed His warmth.  While a lovely custom, the decorations were heavy and difficult to keep on the tree. After a few years, the area glassblowers put their heads together and came up with a solution: They could decorate trees with lightweight glass orbs they produced.  The use of the orbs made tree decorating an easy process.  Even better, the round, three-dimensional shape of the ornaments replicated the shape of the Sun: this provided Pagans with a simple way to honor it - even in the Christian world.

Plum Pudding: Plum pudding is an odd name for this dish, considering that it isn’t a pudding, contains no plums at all, and is prepared more for fortunetelling than for eating.  A stew, the mixture contains raisins and meat and is laced with spiced brandy and rum.  In seventeenth century England, preparing the dish was a family affair; household members stirred the pot and made a wish.  At one point in the preparations, several items - a ring, a coin, a button, and a thimble -- were added to the pot.  What did they represent?  The ring stood for marriage, the coin for wealth, and the button and the thimble were symbols of the eternal bachelor and spinster, respectively.  What if one of the items wound up in your serving? Why, it foretold your personal status for the coming year!

Poinsettia: Known for centuries as the Flower of the Holy Night, the poinsettia is the product of an old Mexican myth.  Apparently, a young boy wanted very much to give the Christ-child a birthday gift.  He was very poor, though, and couldn’t afford to buy Him anything.  His intensions were so sincere that the Divine intervened and - -voila! -- the flower sprang up at his feet. During the nineteenth century, Dr. Joel R. Poinsett - America’s Mexican ambassador and an amateur botanist -- became so interested in the flowers that he brought some back to the United States with him.  Eventually, the plants were renamed after him, and the poinsettia was born.

Reindeer: Although commonly associated with Santa Claus, many people believe that reindeer represent the stags that drew the chariot of the Norse gift-giving goddess, Freya.  Another notion is that they symbolize the abundance of the Celtic horned god, Cernunnos.  No matter how you slice it, though, the presences of the horned, hooved beasts during the holidays definitely has Pagan origins.

Santa Claus: Although often associated with the Norse Sun-god, Kris Kringle, the initial origins of Santa’s capabilities probably had much to do with the myths surrounding the Aryan god, Odin, Lord of the Winds.  Legend contends that He was a nocturnal god capable of flying through the stormiest clouds on His gray eight-legged horse, materializing and vanishing at will, and that he held the whole of magic -- even its forbidden secrets -- in the palm of his hand.  Such origin explains why Santa flies through the sky, is never seen, knows who’s been naughty and nice, and has a bag of toys that never runs dry. 

Sleigh: Santa’s sleigh is more than likely a holdover from the Norse myth of Freya. Legend has it that every year She spent the twelve days immediately following the Solstice giving gifts to the nice and doling out misery to the naughty.  Her mode of transportation?  Why, a chariot drawn by stags, of course!

Snowflake:  Because winter brings snow in many areas, it only stands to reason that the snowflake would become a common holiday symbol, right? Well, maybe.  There’s more to it than that: according to legend, the snowflake was formed from the tears that Demeter cried after Persephone’s descent into the Underworld.  The microscopic flakes have six sides, and since six is the numerological digit associated with affection, the snowflake was used by Pagans as a winter symbol of love. 

Stockings: Although we often think of stockings as a normal part of the winter holiday decorations, they didn’t start out that way.  Legend has it that three young ladies of meager means were terribly distraught over the probability of their impending spinsterhoods.  The problem? They had no dowries and in those days, no dowry meant no marriage.  Somehow, word of their angst reached St. Nick.  For two nights, he tossed bags of gold through their window.  On the third night, however, all the windows and doors were locked.  Not to be deterred, he climbed down the chimney and filled the stockings they’d left by the hearth to dry. This legend seems to be the first account of St. Nick being the Santa-like figure we know him as today.

Tinsel and Icicles:  The tradition of placing tinsel and foil icicles on holiday trees came from a seasonal story of unknown origins. The gist of it was that spiders weren’t allowed anywhere near the tree - not even close enough to take a peek.  Upset at this discriminatory practice, they whined to the Christ-child.  Once the baby allowed their admittance, they climbed into the tree and covered it with webs.  He was so delighted with their creativity that he turned the webs into strands of sliver.

Tree:  Even though the use of evergreens dates back to the Greeks and Romans, the use of the holiday tree is said to have originated in eighth century Germany.  Legend has it that the Christian St. Boniface was trying to convert a group of Druids.  Try as he might, though, he couldn’t convince them that the oak tree was neither sacred nor invincible.  In desperation, he finally cut one down. When the tree fell, it crushed everything in its path but a single evergreen sapling.  Boniface declared it a miracle, then proclaimed that the fir tree belonged to the Christ-child. AFter that, trees were brought into homes as holiday decorations.  It wasn’t until the the sixteenth century, however, that the Germans thought to decorate the branches.  Some historians say that the first ornaments - fruit, nuts, and cookies - were used as offerings to thank the spirit of the tree.

Twelve Days of Christmas: the custom of holding a twelve-day winter festival probably began with the ancient Egyptian Sun celebration, and then continued with the Babylonian Zagmuk.  (Modern-day historians also allude to the fact that the twelve-day celebration may have originally been designed to honor the zodiacal wheel.)  Be that as it may, the church reinvented the twelve-day custom when the holiday was Christianized Instead of revolving around the twelve days of Solstice, their festival commenced on December 25 (the Christ-child’s new birthday) and continued through Epiphany, or January 6, which was the day the gift-laden Magi supposedly arrived in Bethlehem.  During the Middle Ages, gift-giving on each of the festival days became tradition.  This custom was the basis for the popular carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Wassail: The original name of an apple orchard fertility ritual, the term “wassail” came to us from the Anglo-Saxons and means to hail or salute.  The actual ritual was a matter of saluting the trees and sprinkling them with a mixture of eggs and apples to which wine, ale, or cider was added. This consecration was believed to increase the apple yield for the coming year.

Wreath: Long before Christianity, the circle shape was the primary Pagan symbol of life everlasting -- the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.  It was often used to represent the Sun as well. It’s little wonder then, that the Greeks utilized this shape, covering it with greenery, and incorporating it in the decor for Sacaea festival.  When the Romans first formed the Saturnalia celebration, they took up the custom, too, but also gave wreaths as gifts to symbolize the infinity of goodwill, friendship, and joyfulness.

Yule Log: Although normally attributed to the Scandinavian peoples, it might be said that the Yule log actually originated with the ancient Greeks, who burned whole trees in an effort to hold off the mischievous Kallikantzaroi.  However, the Celts reinvented the custom, and gave it a whole new meaning.  The log (a symbol of their Oak King) adorned with traditional evergreens (a representation of the Holly King) signifies the death of darkness and the warmth of the Sun during the newly born solar year. According to tradition, the log should burn continuously for twelve days, and a bit of the wood should be saved to start the next year’s fire.  The first day of the Yule fire varies depending upon religious belief. Pagans usually light the Yule fire on the Winter Solstice, while Christians wait until Christmas day.