The Rebirth of the Sun

this article originally appeared in The Fellowship Journal of UUFLB in December of 2005.

Yule – or Midwinter – is the longest night of the year. The Goddess, who carries the God’s child, gives birth at Yule – the God. And with the birth of the God, the days become longer, although seemingly imperceptible at first. It is not until Imbolc when we first begin to take notice of this phenomenon. The Yuletide season celebrates the return of the God, the return of the light, and the rebirth of the sun.

Yule is sometimes referred to Midwinter, as on the old Celtic calendar, winter started with Samhain and ended at Imbolc. This Winter Solstice is midway between these to celebrations, hence marking midwinter.

The Winter Solstice is usually on December 21^st, and one of the traditions is the burning of the Yule Log. This is a log, usually oak or ash, is brought into the home – it must be given, never bought. The log can then be adorned with holly and evergreens, and burned through the night, while revelers stay up all night to see the sunrise, to ensure it will rise in the morning. A remnant of this Yule Log should be saved through the coming year to relight next year’s Yule Log.

Some people light fires or candles to welcome the Sun’s returning light. The Goddess, sleeps through the winter of Her labor, and rest after the God is born. Yule celebrate the return journey of the Sun, and the life it will bring. It is seen as a reminder that death is followed by rebirth. Houses can be decorated with holly, mistletoe, evergreens, pine cones, ivy, berries, and ribbons.

The symbolism of the oak for the Yule Log, being adorned by holly, is based on another story from Celtic mythology: the story of the Holly King and the Oak King. Twice a year, at Midsummer (Litha) and Yule, these two brothers fight the to death to determine who will rule that coming half of the year. At Yule, it is the Oak King who dethrones the Holly King, and he will rule in the coming light half of the year.(At Litha, it is the Holly King who is victorious over the Oak King, and rules during the dark half of the year.)

For those who do spell work, this is a time for balance, peace, harmony and beauty spells. Happiness and love spells can also be appropriate. This is a time of renewal and rebirth, a time of meditation and introspection. On this longest night of the year, what will you meditate on? What will be reborn for you this year? In this dark time, look forward to the coming year, and start planting your own seeds for what you wish to accomplish in 2006.

With this article, my Wheel returns to Imbolc, and we have completed another turning of the Wheel of the Year. Blessed Be.

See you Sunday,

Trys

Sources:

* Ivy’s Pentacles; Yule Fact Sheet

* Sabbats - Eight Days of Power in the Pagan Religion

* The Holly King and the Oak King

* Yule, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

* Yule Lore, written & compiled by StormWing

uploaded 27 nov 05

Wheel of the Year Series