The celebration of Yule begins on Mother Night, (on or about Dec. 20) which is the night before the shortest day and the longest night (winter solstices). The celebration honors the beginning of the Sun's return and the ending of Winter and is celebrated over twelve days. The origin of Yule began thousands of years ago and in the time of the ancients this was a time of celebration, for it meant the turning point of winter and the return of spring.
The Winter Solstice marks the longest night of the year. The days start to become longer and longer and the sun is at its most southeastern point over the Tropic of Capricorn in the northern hemisphere. Yule is the time when they honored the Goddess for giving birth to the sun once more. It is the time when the Oak King is victorious over the Holly King. The Holly King represents death and darkness and the Oak King represents rebirth and life.
The main celebration and rite of Yule is the holy feast. It was very important to keep nothing back when providing for your guests - both the living and dead - as the dead were also believed to attend the celebrations. All good spirits shared in the Yule feast. Dogs and cats ate the same food as humans and were brought indoors. Offerings of cream, beer, and bread were left out for the house spirits. If the feast was being held by a chieftain or a person of wealth, many people would be invited and the feast would last many days, with presents being given to the guests as they left. For less wealthy folk, there would be as good a feast as could be provided, and Yule ale would be shared between family members and friends. Sumble (ritual toasts) would be drunk to the Ancestors at this time also, for Yule was the season to recognise that human life is eternal.
Drinking Wassail at Yule is an English custom from pre-Christian times. 'Wassail' comes from the Anglo-Saxon Wes Hal, meaning "to your health". The drink was made from ale, wine, and cider with fruits and spices added. Traditionally it was used as an offering to apple trees in thanks and for their continued fruitfulness. Bits of toast were floated in the wassail bowl which was placed in the branches of the tree and libations were poured over the roots. This is the origin of our term "to toast" someone.
Another Yule tradition that survives from heathen times is the burning of a Yule Log. This was a specially chosen tree that was to burn for at least twelve hours and possibly it originally burned for all of the twelve days of Yule. Twelfth Night (about Jan. 1) culminates the traditional twelve days of Yule.
From time immemorial, Yule has been a time of peace and charity. In Norway work had to be reduced to a minimum. No wheels were allowed to be turned, for that would show impatience with the great wheel in the sky, the sun. During this time- called Julafred - neither bird, beast nor fish is trapped, shot or netted.
Yule was later merged with Christmas when the Christians chose that time of the year to celebrate Jesus's birth. Yule was so widely celebrated that many of the original customs were intergrated into the Christian festivities. Most people think that those customs - such as the yule log, decorating the tree and hanging mistletoe - are Christmas traditions. Not so. Yule was a major festival of the pagan calendar and it still survives today, thousands of years after it began.