MIDWINTER NIGHT'S EVE: Y U L E ================================ by Mike Nichols Our Christian friends are often quite surprised at how enthusiastically we Pagans celebrate the 'Christmas' season. Even though we prefer to use the word 'Yule', and our celebrations may peak a few days BEFORE the 25th, we nonetheless follow many of the traditional customs of the season: decorated trees, carolling, presents, Yule logs, and mistletoe. We might even go so far as putting up a 'Nativity set', though for us the three central characters are likely to be interpreted as Mother Nature, Father Time, and the Baby Sun-God. None of this will come as a surprise to anyone who knows the true history of the holiday, of course. In fact, if truth be known,the holiday of Christmas has always been more Pagan than Christian, with it's associations of Nordic divination, Celtic fertility rites, and Roman Mithraism. That is why both Martin Luther and John Calvin abhorred it, why the Puritans refused to acknowledge it, much less celebrate it (to them, no day of the year could be more holy than the Sabbath), and why it was even made ILLEGAL in Boston! The holiday was already too closely associated with the birth of older Pagan gods and heroes. And many of them (like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur) possessed a narrative of birth, death, and resurrection that was uncomfortably close to that of Jesus. And to make matters worse, many of them pre-dated the Christian Savior. Ultimately,of course, the holiday isrooted deeply in the cycle of the year. It is the Winter Solstice that is being celebrated, seed-time of the year, the longest night and shortest day. It is the birthday of the new Sun King, the Son of God -- by whatever name you choose to call him. On this darkest of nights, the Goddess becomes the Great Mother and once again gives birth. And it makes perfect poetic sense that on the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls', there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth. 84 That is why Pagans have as much right to claim this holiday as Christians. Perhaps even more so, as the Christians were rather late in laying claim to it, and tried more than once to reject it. There had been a tradition in the West that Mary bore the child Jesus on the twenty-fifth day, but no one could seem to decide on the month. Finally, in 320 C.E., the Catholic Fathers in Rome decided to make it December, in an effort to co-opt the Mithraic celebration of the Romans and the Yule celebrations of the Celts and Saxons. There wasnever much pretensethat the datethey finally chosewas historically accurate. Shepherds just don't 'tend their flocks by night' in the high pastures in the dead of winter! But if one wishes to use the New Testament as historical evidence, this reference may point to sometime in the spring as the time of Jesus's birth. This is because the lambing season occurs in the spring and that is the only time when shepherds are likely to 'watch their flocks by night' -- to make sure the lambing goes well. Knowing this, the Eastern half of the Church continued to reject December 25, preferring a 'movable date' fixed by their astrologers according to the moon. Thus, despite itsshaky start (for over three centuries, no one knew when Jesus was supposed to have been born!), December 25 finally began to catch on. By 529, it was a civic holiday, and all work or public business (except that of cooks, bakers, or any that contributed to the delight of the holiday) was prohibited by the Emperor Justinian. In 563, the Council of Braga forbade fasting on Christmas Day, and four years later the Council of Tours proclaimed the twelve days from December 25 to Epiphany as a sacred, festive season. This last point is perhaps the hardest to impress upon the modern reader, who is lucky to get a single day off work. Christmas, in the Middle Ages, was not a SINGLE day, but rather a period of TWELVE days, from December 25 to January 6. The Twelve Days of Christmas, in fact. It is certainly lamentable that the modern world has abandoned this approach, along with the popular Twelfth Night celebrations. 85 Of course, the Christian version of the holiday spread to many countries no faster than Christianity itself, which means that 'Christmas' wasn't celebrated in Ireland until the late fifth century; in England, Switzerland, and Austria until the seventh; in Germany until the eighth; and in the Slavic lands until the ninth and tenth. Not that these countries lacked their own mid-winter celebrations of Yuletide. Long before the world had heard of Jesus, Pagans had been observing the season by bringing in the Yule log, wishing on it, and lighting it from the remains of last year's log. Riddles were posed and answered, magic and rituals were practiced, wild boars were sacrificed and consumed along with large quantities of liquor, corn dollies were carried from house to house while carolling, fertility rites were practiced (girls standing under a sprig of mistletoe were subject to a bit more than a kiss), and divinations were cast for the coming Spring. Many of these Pagan customs, in an appropriately watered-down form, have entered the mainstream of Christian celebration, though most celebrants do not realize (or do not mention it, if they do) their origins. For modern Witches, Yule (from the Anglo-Saxon 'Yula', meaning 'wheel' of the year) is usually celebrated on the actual Winter Solstice, which may vary by a few days, though it usually occurs on or around December 21st. It is a Lesser Sabbat or Lower Holiday in the modern Pagan calendar, one of the four quarter-days of the year, but a very important one. This year (1988) it occurs on December 21st at 9:28 am CST. Pagan customs are still enthusiastically followed. Once, the Yule log had been the center of the celebration. It was lighted on the eve of the solstice (it should light on the first try) and must be kept burning for twelve hours, for good luck. It should be made of ash. Later, the Yule log was replaced by the Yule tree but, instead of burning it, burning candles were placed on it. In Christianity, Protestants might claim that Martin Luther invented the custom, and Catholics might grant St. Boniface the honor, but the custom can demonstrably be traced back through the Roman Saturnalia all the way to ancient Egypt. Needless to say, such a tree should be cut down rather than purchased, and should be disposed of by burning, the proper way to dispatch any sacred object. 86 Along with the evergreen, the holly and the ivy and the mistletoe were important plants of the season, all symbolizing fertility and everlasting life. Mistletoe was especially venerated by the Celtic Druids, who cut it with a golden sickle on the sixth night of the moon, and believed it to be an aphrodisiac. (Magically -- not medicinally! It's highly toxic!) But aphrodisiacs must have been the smallest part of the Yuletide menu in ancient times, as contemporary reports indicate that the tables fairly creaked under the strain of every type of good food. And drink! The most popular of which was the 'wassail cup' deriving its name from the Anglo-Saxon term 'waes hael' (be whole or hale). Medieval Christmasfolklore seems endless: that animalswill all kneel down as the Holy Night arrives, that bees hum the '100th psalm' on Christmas Eve, that a windy Christmas will bring good luck, that a person born on Christmas Day can see the Little People, that a cricket on the hearth brings good luck, that if one opens all the doors of the house at midnight all the evil spirits will depart, that you will have one lucky month for each Christmas pudding you sample, that the tree must be taken down by Twelfth Night or bad luck is sure to follow, that 'if Christmas on a Sunday be, a windy winter we shall see', that 'hours of sun on Christmas Day, so many frosts in the month of May', that one can use the Twelve Days of Christmas to predict the weather for each of the twelve months of the coming year, and so on. Remembering that most Christmas customs are ultimately based upon older Pagan customs, it only remains for modern Pagans to reclaim their lost traditions. In doing so, we can share many common customs with our Christian friends, albeit with a slightly different interpretation. And thus we all share in the beauty of this most magical of seasons, when the Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again. To conclude with a long-overdue paraphrase, 'Goddess bless us, every one!' 87 WINTER SOLSTICE OR YULE The High Priestess says: "This is the night of the solstice, the longest night of the year. Now darkness triumphs; and yet, gives way and changes into light. The breath of nature is suspended: all waits while within the Cauldron, the Dark King is transformed into the Infant Light. We watch for the coming of dawn, when the Great Mother again gives birth to the Divine Child Sun, who is bringer of hope and the promise of summer. This is the stillness behind motion, when time itself stops; the center is also the circumference of all. We are awake in the night. We turn the Wheel to bring the light. We call the sun from the womb of night. Blessed Be!" Purify, cast the circle, but do not light the candles.Invoke the Goddess and God. All sit down, and begin an antiphonal chant. All: "To die and be reborn, The Wheel is turning, What must you lose to the night? (repeat)" Covener: "Fear." All: "Fear is lost to the night. Fear is lost to the night. To die and be reborn, The Wheel is turning, What must you lose to the night?" Continue interjecting lines and echoing each other, until the energy dies away. Stand up and link hands. The High Priest stands before the altar, holding and animal skull filled with salt. The High Priestess leads a slow, spiral procession, that first snakes outward so that each member is brought to face the High Priest. They are chanting: "The light was born, And the light has died." (repeat) Another Priestess whispers, "Everything passes, All fades away. (repeat) 88 The High Priest places a pinch of salt on each member's tongue,and says: "My body is salt, Taste the breath of death." The High Priestess leads the spiral inward, until the members are huddled together. She leads an improvised trance induction, slowly suggesting that they crumble to the Earth and sleep. As all lie down, they are sent into a deeper trance with a multivoiced induction. As it fades out, they are told, "You are entering a space of perfect freedom." Time is allowed for trance in the state of suspension before birth. The High Priestess approaches one of the coveners, stands by her head with her legs apart, and pulls her through,symbolically giving her birth. She becomes part of the birth canal; they continue the process with the other coveners, the birth canal growing longer. The men of the coven take the newborns one by one and lay them back down to sleep, telling them: "Sleep the sleep of the newborn." As all sink back into trance, they are guided into a visualization of their hopes for their new life to come.Priestess smear honey on their tongues, one by one, saying: "Taste the sweetness of life." 89 A new chant begins softly, builds in power as it gradually wakes the sleepers, who join in on repeating lines: "Set sail, set sail, Follow the twilight to the West, Where you may rest. Set sail, set sail, Turn your face where the sun grows dim, Beyond the rim, beyond the rim. Set sail, set sail, One thing becomes another, In the Mother, in the Mother. Set sail, set sail, Make of your heart a burning fire, Build it higher, Build it higher. Set sail, set sail, Pass in an instant through the open gate, It will not wait, it will not wait. Set sail, set sail, Over the dark of the sunless sea, You are free, you are free. Set sail, set sail, Guiding the ship of the rising sun, You are the one, you are the one. Set sail, set sail, Into the raging wind and storm, To be reborn, to be reborn. Set sail, set sail, Over the waves where the spray blows white, To bring the light, to bring the light. All: We are awake in the night! We turn the Wheel, to bring the light! We call the sun from the womb of night!" 90 The High Priestess says: "He sets his face to the West, but in the East arises!" All: "Who is that?" P: "Who goes down in darkness?" All: "Who is that?" P: "Who sails?" All: "Who is that?" P: "The Renewer." All: "Who is that?" P: "Who brings the golden fruit." All: "Who is that?" P: "Unstained." All: "Who is that?" P: "Whose hands are open?" All: "Who is that?" P: "Whose eyes are bright?" ll: "Who is that?" P: "Whose face is shining?" All: "Who is that?" P: "Mornings hope." All: "Who is that?" P: "Who passes the gate?" All: "Who is that?" 91 P: "Who returns in light?" All: "Who is that?" P: "A glow between twin pillars." All: "Who is that?" P: "A cry between thighs." All: "Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!" High Priestess: (leading, repeated by all) "Queen of the sun! Queen of the Moon! Queen of the horns! Queen of the fires! Bring to us the Child of Promise! It is the Great Mother Who gives birth to Him, It is the Lord of Life, Who is born again! Darkness and tears Are set aside, When the sun comes up again! Golden sun, Of hill and field, Light the earth! Light the skies! Light the waters! Light the fires! All: Io! Evohe! Io! Evohe!" The High Priest lights the fire and point candles, and all begin chanting: "I who have died am alive again today, And this is the sun's birthday! (repeat) This is the birthday of life and love and wings, And the gay great happening illimitably earth. We are born again, we shall live again! (repeat). The Sun Child, the Winterborn King!" 92 Build a Power Chant, focused on reawakening life. Share feasting and friendship, ideally until dawn. Before ending, the High Priestess says: "The Dark God has passed the Gate, He has been reborn through the Mother, With Him we are each reborn!" All: "The tide has turned! The light will come again! In a new dawn, in a new day, The sun is rising! Io! Evohe! Blessed Be!" Open the Circle. Starhawk; "The Spiral Dance: Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of t h e Goddess"; HarperRow 1979 93