by Leif Sturmanis Nordholm and Lyvia Ariella
....and now, friends, you have read SAPA’s Twelve Days of Yule. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you go back and enjoy the last twelve posts. There you’ll find everything from the origin of modern winter holidays, to incense, colours, family, Yule logs, and even Yule goats!
The English tradition of wassailing comes from a common expression of wishing good health to your kin (Old Norse: ves heil, Anglo Saxon: wes þú hál). Wassail can refer to a mulled wine, a variety of which is called “lambswool”. Charles Vallencey suggests that the name comes from the Irish pagan festival, Lamas Ubhal, or the Summer wheat harvest festival.
In Somerset, England, wassailing is held on Old Twelfth Night on the 17th of January to petition deities to ensure a bountiful apple harvest the following spring. In 13th century Scandinavian literature we see the practice of Álfablót, or ceremony of the Elves, practiced at the beginning of the winter months and Winternights (often associated with Yule) celebrated throughout the time of snows.
Anthropology and archaeology suggest that the winter solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years before the common era. Modern religions have recognized the power and magick of the winter holiday season and even named this festive and joyous occasion after the most important character in their mythology. For ages, people have wondered why it is that there is such magick, joy and warmth to be found in the cold, dark winter months. Across cultures, we have honoured the Yuletide as a time for family, community, and the rites and rituals that not only keep our health and spirits up in the cold, dark months, but also increase abundance and prosperity for the return of spring.
Over these days leading up to Yule, we’ve all had incredible experiences and on this, our twelfth day of Yule, our board was invited to the home of a cherished friend to participate in a time-honoured ritual, the burning of the Yule log. Her hearth and home was warm and inviting, and we were greeted with a smile, and open arms; an exquisite, prepared yule log adorned with evergreen, and holly; wine that had been mulled for some tasty wassail; and fire that had already been lighted, awaiting our arrival.
In the spirit of these festivities, we came together, several wassailers on the darkest night of the year, around a blessed hearth crackling and smoking with brilliant fire. There were people of many ages and diverse cultures present around this sacred blaze. We shared drinks, stories, songs, and poetry, each participant contributing a piece of their spirit, knowledge and culture to the atmosphere. One participant even donned antlers protruding from a knitted hood of hemp and bamboo threads. As our group gathered around the fire, the warmth of flame embraced our spirits, lifting our souls, and connecting us in ways that only magick can.
Branches of pine needles encircled the dense Yule log, entwined in a ritualistic manner with love and adoration to the gods, goddesses, and the ancestors that walked before us. Each participant was offered a stalk of dried eucalyptus, and invited to infuse their intentions for the upcoming year into this branch. The log was then passed around our circle. As each pair of hands passed the log, they wove the stalk of eucalyptus, into the bundle. Once the final pair of hands affixed its eucalyptus, the log was held by the master of ceremony, and the bundle was gently lowered into the fire.
What a burst of flame was kindled from that blessed hearth! What joy was shared by these festive friends! Millennia of magick amassed in this moment, the fire dancing in front of the eyes of the onlookers, each seeing the full story of their coming year flashed in radiant brilliance before them. In accordance with tradition, our cherished friend did not add any more wood to the hearth, and let the log burn out to provide kindling for next year’s fire.
Gud Jul, min venner, and Blessed Yule!
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