Hello, thank you for reading this. With the Winter Solstice approaching and the Wild Hunt soon on it's way, I thought I'd quickly share with you my Yule celebration. I have not posted anything here for a good while, and am trying to get back into the rhythm with something light.
For myself, Yule is celebrated for 12 days starting on the Winter Solstice. The first day of Yule, I pick out a "Yule log" that I and my loved ones will write what the Gods have blessed us with that year. It also being the shortest day of the year we make offerings to Sol, allowing her rest and welcoming her back to lengthen our days again. The second day I make an offering to my ancestors, and spend most of the time alone. The third day I make an offering of food and song to Odin and the Alfar that accompany him in preparation for the Wild hunt. The fourth day through the seventh we decorate our trees, make offerings, sing songs and prayers to the gods, our ancestors, and wights of the land. The eighth day is the day of drinking and gift giving, usually aligning with my Christian families' Christmas celebrations. We will then take a few days of rest and self reflection, writing down on paper whatever it is we wish to be delivered amongst the Nine realms. Poems, prayers, thankful messages, and that we want to say to our loved ones who passed that year. On the last day we burn our log, as well as the papers and decorations, and solemnly wait for Wild hunt to end and the fire to go out.
Thank you for reading this far, if you could, I'd love to hear your Yuletide traditions, traditional or not, and I am always looking for ways to enhance my own religious practice. Thank you.
Very nice. I say our practice last fro three days from the 21 of the solstice and for three nights we drink, talk about all the things we have done eat very well and fattening and talk about our goals and expectations for the new year. Gift giving is done on my fatherinlaws christmas but I find the drinking and good food to be wonderful and giving offerings to those who have past and to those we follow.
This is my fisrt year to celebrate it. Your forum actually helped me a lot on how to celebrate 12 days beging raised chrstian an all. I wish I could help you sound like you got a plan. That is what im going to to along with maybe get a yule cake and have some friends over and play drums. While we intake of the earth. I would love to get up early to catch the sun on winter solstice but im not to sure what to do.
To be honest, your Yule traditions do not have to be completely traditional, it can be a great start, but most of the most memorable traditions are the ones you start on your own first celebration. I hope you have a great Yule none the less. Cheers!
Typically I celebrate 12 days giving offerings of food, favored items, and song to my ancestors and the gods. I also put sugar and straw in a basket and leave it by my door for the 12 days. I tend to do divination and scrying during Yule and go out into the woods when I can. I burn incense like cinnamon and pine and patchouli. Unfortunately I don't have anywhere I could burn a Yule log so I usually just engrave a large stick with the runes that represent what I hope for in the new year and drop it into the water at a lake near my house. I usually end up doing spell work to, typically in hopes that the next year will be successful and filled with positive growth and opportunities as well as health and prosperity for me, my pets, people I care about, and my gardens. The only other things I can think of that I do are make flower crowns bake soul cakes as offerings and wear my traditional dress at home. Most of my family members are either Christian or atheists so it's difficult to celebrate a lot of things because of the lack of people and lack of support. I had to look up most of the holidays traditions.
