Yule: What Was It and Where Did It Go?
As the Winter season begins, usually near the holidays one will occasionally hear the word "Yule." The word has almost become synonymous with Christmas, and can be heard in music, poems, and of course, certain traditions such as the Yule Log. But what exactly is Yule? Or rather, what was it, and who celebrated it? And what does it have to do with Christmas? What was Yule? Yule, also known as Yuletide, was a festival celebrated by the ancient Germanic peoples as early as the 4th century. The event lasted for several days, sometimes up to two months. Early Yule celebrations can be traced back to two different origins, as the Germanic tribe was large and split up. To the far north, the Scandinavians held Yule in honor of their demi-god Odin and his Wild Hunt. The Anglo-Saxons on the mainland celebrated Modranicht. Being that the migration of the Germanic people did not begin until the 4th century and the Viking Age did not occur until 8th century, there is still believed to be s...