Myths and Legends of the World

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Because winter is the darkest time of the year, the winter solstice has long been a time of great celebration, heralding the return of light to the world. Ancient cultures throughout the world and history have held celebrations of this time, most of them of days or even weeks duration. Yule In Scandinavia, the party lasted from Dec. 21 into January. In many places, a sacrifice was made at the end of the festival on Mid-Winter Night, (Jan. 12). The sacrifice was originally probably human, (accounts say that Swedish Kings sacrificed male slaves every 9th year, for example), but became a boar, (think "Boar's Head Carol"). Germanic peoples celebrated the holiday from Dec.-Jan. on a date chosen by their lunar calendar. Records also reflect that the holiday was celebrated in Iceland. The root of the word is the same as the root of the word "jolly" and other traditions based in Yule include decorating fir trees, hanging mistletoe and holly and giving gifts. (We ...