“Yule Tidings”

“Yule is, at its essence, a time when we bring Light into the Darkness.

In the case of “Yuletide,” it was a series of days during the midwinter season that was part ritual, part celebration. It marked a season of hunting after the end of the harvest, occurring between the final week of November and the day of the Epiphany in early January. Yule was intentionally centered around the darkest time of year, and began on the night of the Winter Solstice. This time was chosen because Yule was symbolic of bringing light to the longest night of the year, heralded as a time of great mirth and reverie that defied the bitter winter cold. This was a celebration of nature, of a seasonal change—a time of joy and gathering, steeped in a ritual that would help ensure the winter’s end and a bountiful harvest to come.”