The winter solstice is right around the corner. That means the Yuletide is upon us! Maybe you’re wondering, what is Yule? Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place.
In today’s post, we’ll look at all the basics and correspondences of Yule. When you’re done reading, you’ll be able to build your own magical Yule celebration based on the themes that most strongly speak to you.
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Early pagans (and also just early humans, really) relied completely on the cycles of the seasons for survival. They had to know when the growing seasons started, peaked, and finished in order to grow enough food to make it through winter. Different cultures observed these cyclical changes in varying ways, but most ancient cultures did observe them in some form.
In modern times, most of us don’t worry about growing food for survival anymore, so we’ve become detached from the cycles of nature. Luckily, all us modern witches and pagans can still tap into these cycles by observing the Wheel of the Year – the eight Sabbats.
What are the origins of the Wheel of the Year?
The Wheel of the Year is Wicca’s answer to modern witches seeking communion with the cycles of nature. These festivals were created by Gerald Gardner, regarded as the founder of modern Wicca. I believe these are modern festivals, but he’ll tell you they’re rooted in ancient tradition. Far be it from me to argue with Gardner. I don’t personally think it matters whether they are ancient or modern.
What does matter to me, though, is knowing the origins of these celebrations. The 4 greater Sabbats (Imbolc, Beltane, Lammas/Lughnasadh, Samhain) are based in Celtic and western European origins, while the other 4 lesser Sabbats (Yule, Ostara, Litha, Mabon) mark the transitional times between the greater Sabbats.
Why is this important? Well, Britain and western Europe have a very specific annual cycle based on their climate. Spring often starts to peek its head out in February, and the growing season is done by the first of November. Winter is cold and snowy, and summer is one big, long growing season.
What If I Don't Live in Europe?
If you live in Texas, Northern Canada, Mexico, the entire Southern Hemisphere, or any number of other places in the world, your annual cycles look different. Your winter might start late like mine. You might not have a winter at all. Maybe you have growing dead zones in December and July. You might even need to observe those changes in the opposite order!
While the Wheel of the Year is well established as a tradition, your input as a witch matters. The best way to celebrate the Sabbats is to learn about them and modify them to be specific to your area. Trust your intuition, and trust your environment when determining what traditions are important to you and which ones you will leave behind. The Wheel of the Year, after all, is meant to help you connect to the cycles of nature.
But I'm Not Wiccan. Can I Still Celebrate?
I’ve never met a Wiccan who will tell you no, though I’m sure they exist. Pretty much everyone I’ve ever spoken to or read information from agrees that the Wheel of the Year is accessible to all of us. Even those of us who are not Wiccan. Modern witchcraft is so variable. There’s no rule book, and you get to make it your own. These celebrations bring us all together even when we are so different. What is witchcraft? Learn more here.
The Wheel of the Year includes associated deity, and the history centers on stories about the god and goddess. However, it’s up to you to decide if that speaks to you.
For many of us, myself included, The Wheel of the Year is simply a great way to reconnect with our environment and the natural cycles of all living things. For others, each Sabbat is a piece of the story that tells their faith.
I feel that as long as we all respect each other, the 8 Sabbats can totally serve both purposes!
The Wheel of the Year begins on November first and ends on October 31. The festivals alternate between solar observances and earth centered observances. Each Sabbat comes with its own themes, correspondences, and traditions that infuse your whole year with magic rooted in the shifts of your climate and seasonal patterns.
What is Yule? The History
Yule, sometimes also called Midwinter, is the festival that celebrates the turning of the wheel toward the deep, cold, dark of wintertime. It us usually celebrated around December 20-23 at the time of the winter solstice. It marks the longest night and shortest day of the year. Yule is observed by many as the point in the wheel where the sun is reborn after its death in the summer. From this point onward, the daylight hours will slowly grow until they are again equal at the spring equinox.
As with many other winter festivals, Yule is a festival of light. We honor the dark times and everything the darkness brings. However, we also celebrate the coming warmer months. There’s a lot of winter left, but Yule brings the promise of spring yet to come. Symbols of Yule include all things darkness. Think nighttime, the moon, and stars. It also includes all things light. For instance, you’ll see the sun, fire, candles, and colorful lights.
Spiritually, this is considered the time when the reborn sun god and the mother goddess are reunited with the sun’s rebirth. Though this is a time for rebirth and new mothers, the influence of the Crone goddess holds strong. Her time is not yet finished.
Where during Samhain we wrapped up old goals and reflected on our year, and Yule, it’s time to start thinking about what this fresh new year will bring. Seeds will be planted later. Right now, it’s time to figure out what you want in the coming year.
Yule Themes and Symbols
When I ask myself, “What is Yule?”, the first place I go for inspiration is the themes of the season. This determines all my altar decor and many of my favorite celebrations. Consider what is going on in nature where you live. Then use these themes to figure out what kind of Samhain celebrations you want to have.
For example, many regions find themselves dealing with a blanket of snow and plummeting temperatures, pushing them into the home. For you, that might mean a theme of inner reflection speaks volumes. If you find that you are in survival mode during winter, a theme of sacrifice or survival might fit your lifestyle.
Themes of Yule
These are some of the common themes of Yule, but don’t feel confined by this list. First and foremost, you should always listen to your intuition and defer to the cycle of the seasons in your area to honor these changes. December in England is very different from December in North Texas where I live. For this reason, I pay careful attention to seasonal cycles relevant to North Texas when trying to determine, just what is Yule?
- births and beginnings – the new year is officially upon us. Time for a fresh start.
- family and ancestral ties – Connect to your family and ancestors. Honor or heal your generational ties.
- gratitude – consider what you appreciate in your life, and show gratitude for those things.
- healing – Winter is the time for rest and reflection. With that rest comes deep healing.
- home and hearth – We’re about to spend a lot of time indoors. Prepare your home.
- protection – Protect yourself from unwanted energy and the issues that winter brings.
- renewal – At Samhain, we reflected on the year and released unmet goals holding us back. At Yule, we use those reflections to set new goals for the year.
- resilience – If you observe nature closely, you’ll see many animals this time of year who have adapted different traits to survive the extremities of winter. Some animals hibernate. Others camouflage themselves to match the barren scenery. Still other animals go into a death-like state as freezing temperatures set in only to thaw and return to life in spring.
- rest and reflection – It’s not just nature that hibernates during this time. Our ancestors did, too. The hard work and preparations were all completed through the fall. Now, it’s time for stillness and rest which helps preserve all those supplies that were keeping them alive.
- sacrifice – This is a traditional time for culling herds and sacrificing animals to feed the community.
- stillness – Midwinter is a time to get comfortable with silence, stillness, and our inner voice.
Symbols of the Season
Think about the symbols of most winter celebrations, and you’re on the right track. The symbols of Yule and Christmas have a lot in common. Think cold, still, and very internal.
- bear and other hibernating animals- resilient animals who survive the winter with steadfast preparation and then steadfast stillness and rest.
- bells – traditionally used to ward off unwanted spirits
- bonfires – represents life, home, and hearth.
- darkness – Yule is the longest, darkest night of the year.
- cauldrons – representative of the mother’s womb and feminine energy.
- deer – symbols of the horned god and the Wild Hunt.
- evergreens – representative of the eternal cycle of life within death. Even in the dead of winter or when cut down, evergreens hold their lively color.
- goats – A traditional sacrifice animal in Scandinavia. The god Odin is also said to travel in a chariot lead by goats at Yule.
- lights/candles – Yule marks the official rebirth of the sun and the approaching light half of the year.
- pentacles – symbol of protection and also resembles a star, which represents the night.
- robin – These bright red birds can often be found thriving in harsh winter conditions.
- sun – Yule marks the rebirth of the sun and impending light half of the year.
- snow – represents winter.
- spirals – symbols of feminine energy and the cyclical nature of life and the seasons.
- stars – symbols of long, dark night of Yule.
- trees – Winter is for the trees. The more wood and evergreen you can incorporate into your rituals and decor, the better!
- winter scavengers such as foxes, wolves, owls, and squirrels – representative of resiliency and the harshness of winter.
- wreathes – Evergreen represents everlasting life, and the circle shape represents the sun and cycles of nature.
- Yule goat – In some traditions, the Yule goat is a sacrifice. Thor’s chariot was said to be pulled by two goats. He would eat the meat when he got hungry. Then, he covered the bones with skin, and they would come back to life through the night.
- Yule log – Usually crafted from oak or birch, the Yule log is covered in evergreen and lit up with candles. Then it is burned in the fireplace or balefire. Some traditions save the ashes to use in rituals later in the year.
Yule Colors, Herbs, and Crystals
You can use these correspondences to bring Yuletide flair to your decorations, foods, altar, and spellwork.
Yule Colors
When choosing Yule colors, look to nature for inspiration. Consider which plants and flowers are in bloom and the color scheme of the world outside your door. Think evergreens, snow, and the night sky.
- black – night time, the dark half of the year.
- red – blood, ancestral ties, feminine fertility.
- green – everlasting life in harsh times.
- gold – gifts for ancestors, the guarantee of comfort in winter, solar energy.
- orange – solar energy.
- white – purification, snow, and male fertility.
- silver – The Goddess, the moon, reflections, shadow work.
- brown – nature, the Earth, soil, roots, decay.
Herbs, Plants, and Oils of Yule
These seasonal herbs, plants, and oils can be infused into your spells, meals, and even decor to add some herbal inspiration to your Yuletide season. I am not a master herbalist or doctor. As with all medicines, treat carefully, and do your research. Don’t take unnecessary risks.
- allspice – supports immune health, good luck.
- bayberry – good luck, wealth, abundance.
- birch – cleansing, protection, fertility, new beginnings.
- cedar – protection, tapping into ancient wisdom, strength.
- cinnamon – brings abundance and prosperity, promotes fertility and good health, shielding.
- clove – healing, wealth, positivity.
- frankincense – raises vibrations, removes energetic blocks, releases spirits from the physical body, promotes calm.
- garlic – supports health, blesses the home.
- ginger – protection, success, personal power.
- holly – protection, luck, love. (Warning: Berries are toxic. Do not consume!)
- ivy – fidelity, rebirth. (Warning: Toxic. Do not consume or use around animals and small children!)
- juniper – manifestation, stress relief, purification, new beginnings.
- oakmoss – calming, grounding, supports spiritual work, financial abundance and prosperity.
- rosemary – healing, protection, supports mental and psychic power.
- mistletoe – fertility, love, prophecy. It also represents resiliency and harshness due it its parasitic nature. (Warning: Berries are toxic. Do not consume! Burn in a well ventilated space)
- myrrh – healing, meditation, offerings.
- nutmeg – brings comfort and peace in trying times, good luck.
- peppermint – healing, positivity.
- pine and pinecones – prosperity, good health, supports persistence, rebirth.
- poinsettia – purity, success, the return of the sun.
- rosemary – past life recall, healing, strength.
- sage – cleansing, healing, supports meditation.
- salt – protection and preservation.
- star anise – promotes psychic vision.
Yule Crystals and Stones
These crystals and stones are perfect for home and altar decor. They’re also great for infusing your spell work and your day with the energy of Yule. I don’t recommend putting any crystals directly in water. If you choose to use crystals in baths or elixers, I suggest using an indirect infusion method. Please do your research.
- bloodstone – healing, supports ancestral connection.
- carnelian – healing, protection, creative potential.
- citrine – abundance, creativity, joy, solar energy.
- emerald – healing, love, friendship, money.
- garnet – strength, passion, fertility, love, stability, commitment.
- Iceland feldspar – clears Chakras, stability, self trust, helps give clear vision to desires and turn thoughts into action.
- labradorite – a stone of transformation and magic.
- moonstone – hidden knowledge, the Moon, the Goddess.
- onyx – protection, grounding.
- orange calcite – cleansing, brings happiness and joy, increases vitality, cleansing.
- rhyolite – helps you to connect past, present, and future, supports healing trauma and helps you find your true path, aids in positive transformation.
- ruby – protection, helps with goal setting, supports dream magic, helps you see that nothing is as it seems at surface level, a great support stone for shadow work.
- Selenite – supports past life recall, protects from harmful energy, helps to build energetic connections.
- silver – associated with fairies, the Moon, and the Goddess.
- smoky quartz – protection, supports transformation, helps you stay open to messages from the universe.
Flavors of Yule
Any seasonal foods and drinks this time of year make the perfect addition to your Yule celebration. These are some of the most common suggestions as well as a few of my favorites.
- any meat, but especially pork or goat – representative of sacrifice.
- baked goods – cakes, breads, cookies, and more offer up a bit of sweetness and fill up your tummy when fresh foods are scarce.
- bone broth – a great use of those meat bones and sooo good for your gut.
- ginger tea or ginger bread – warming, spicy, and delicious!
- grain – hearty and sustaining when fresh foods are scarce.
- cranberry – abundance, healing, love, protection, communication.
- fermented foods – a great way to preserve food and stay healthy through winter.
- warm drinks and mulled beverages – a great way to preserve fruits and warm your bones in the dead of winter.
- nuts and seeds – represents potential, hearty and calorie dense food with a long shelf life for the cold months.
- oranges – solar energy, supports the immune system.
- pomegranate – associated with Persephone, whose mother Demeter is said to be responsible for the harsh winter season.
- root veggies like potatoes, carrots, radishes, turnips, parsnips, onions, garlic, and rutabagas.
- soups, especially stews and squash soups with lots of bone broth and hearty veggies.
- winter greens like kale, spinach, winter lettuce, chard. Kale chips, anyone?
- Winter squash like pumpkins, butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, pretty much any hard skinned squash.
What is Yule? Activities to Bring Magic to Your Yuletide Season
Mundane Ways to Celebrate Yule
Maybe you’re short of time or looking to get skeptical family members involved in Yule. Perhaps you’re just not super into the witchy aesthetic, or spiritual stuff makes you uncomfortable. These fun activities are just the ticket for helping you reconnect with the cycles of the season without the pressure to include actual spell work.
- Go on a nature walk. If you’ve got kids, let them pick up sticks, leaves, flowers, and acorns. You can bring them home and set up a simple science investigation to help your little witchlings learn about the changing season. My oldest loves looking at everything under a magnifying glass, while the baby loves crunching and squishing whatever she can get her hands on!
- Make salt dough ornaments – This craft is super easy, and kids love it. Hand made ornaments make great gifts from little witchlings who can press their hands into the dough or paint them for family.
- Make bird feeders for animals. The old standby of pinecones, peanut butter, and birdseed works well. Otherwise, work in a bit of solar energy by using a hollowed out orange peel for a bowl. String it up in a tree and fill with nuts and seeds for birds and squirrels.
- Wear the colors of the season. Go simple with painted nails or a tie. Alternately, go full out with a head to toe Yule inspired outfit.
- Put up lights and decorations. Yule, like many other winter celebrations, is a festival of light. Make your home feel as festive as you wish!
- Brew up a warming batch of Wassail to help warm your bones and bring in the energy of Yule.
- Watch holiday movies to get into a festive state of mind.
- Host a bonfire to inspire faith that it will be warm and bright again.
- Gather the family together to give gifts and express your love and gratitude for each other. Spend this long night reconnecting with your living relatives and remembering your beloved dead.
- Make a Winter Holiday or Yule playlist, and play seasonal music in your home throughout the season. This brings festive energy to your home, and music is said to clear negative energy.
- Plant flower bulbs and peruse seed catalogues – Spring will be here before you know it, and now is the time to start preparing for spring planting!
- Give back. This is a hard time of year for many people. Donate money, time, or survival essentials to those in need if you are able, and practice gratitude for all that you have.
Witchy Ways to Celebrate Yule
If you want to infuse some magic into your season, these activities are perfect for all you witches at heart.
- Wake up just before dawn to toast the rising sun with a glass of orange juice. As you watch the sunrise, ruminate on all the lessons and blessings in your life that can only be brought in by the darkness, and practice forgiveness and appreciation for these lessons.
- Set up your Yule altar. Include the colors, foods and symbols you have learned about here!
- Decorate a Yule tree to bring in the energy of Yule with evergreens, bells, sparkly ornaments, and lights. You can also decorate with natural elements like dried oranges and cranberries, pinecones, acorns, candles (unlit or battery operated for safety reasons), popcorn garlands, pentagrams made from twigs, feathers
- Make a witches ball and fill it with items that represent your desire for the new year. Hang it on your Yule tree or in your window.
- Set up or refresh an ancestral altar to honor your dead (pets included). Fill it with photos, family heirlooms, and favorite foods/drinks of your passed loved ones.
- Perform a year at a glance tarot pull to see what the coming year has in store for you.
- Do some shadow work to release what no longer serves you. Tread carefully, as shadow work often brings up old traumas with a vengeance. For some, this is best done with the support of a mental health professional.
- Carry the crystals of the season with you. Choose one stone per week over the 6 or so weeks of the Samhain season. Then, make sure to pay attention to what you notice, and journal about your experience. Perhaps you’ll find a new favorite.
- Host a bonfire. Tap into some ancient tradition by ushering the sun back with fire. Add a bit of ritual to your bonfire by casting slips of paper into the fire that represent things you want to release or manifest in the coming year.
- Make a Yule log – Use the Yule log as a centerpiece in your decor. Then, at Yule, burn your log in the hearth fire. Save some of the ashes for spring, and save a chunk of the log to help kindle next year’s fire. If making one is too challenging, bake one instead!
- Cleanse your home using your favorite methods. Get rid of things you don’t need and tidy up so you have a peaceful and comforting space.
- Decorate and wear masks that represent the animals of winter. You could even participate in calling in the Wild Hunt if you’re feeling brave enough.
- Collect snow water for spells. Use the water in baths or rituals that match the associations of Yule.
- Bake all the goodies. Practice a bit of sigil magic by carving hidden sigils, runes, or symbols into your crusts, doughs, and batters.
- Meditate – Yule is a time for reflection and still a very good time to work on releasing our demons and incorporating our shadow selves. This way, we are ready to take on the worlds again at spring time
Divination for the Season
Pretty much any of your favorite forms of divination are fair game any time of year. However, these are some of my favorites that I feel truly embrace the themes of the season.
- Pull out your favorite tarot or oracle deck.
- Throw bones.
- Cast runes made of bone or wood.
- Try your hand at scrying. Scrying with a black mirror, water, ice, fire, crystal ball, or a scrying stone lends itself well to this time of year.
- Ogham rods.
- Brew up a warming cup of tea, and read the leaves after you drink it.
Yule Spell Ideas for Seasonal Magic
Whether you have loads of time for an elaborate ritual, or you’re a busy witch with no spare time, you’ll find spell ideas here to perfectly suit your needs and bring in the themes of Yule.
- Protection Magic
- Working Candle for Protection
- Home Protection Witch’s Ball
- Travel Protection Talismans
- Protection Charms
- Witchy Kitchen Wassail Potion for Joy and Prosperity
- Make a Dream Pillow
- Healing Magic
- Self Care Rituals
- Release Rituals
- Cleansing Magic
- Cord Cutting Rituals
- Abundance Magic
- Ice Magic
Spirits and Deities of Yule
Yule is the time of year for Mother and Crone goddesses, dark goddesses, and the gods of the sun. Here are a few examples to guide your research if deity work interests you. This list is NOT exhaustive and really only scratches the surface.
Crone goddesses
- Ameratasu – Japanese goddess of the sun.
- Baba Yaga – Slavic goddess of the forest.
- Cailleach Bheur – the Celtic hag aspect of the triple goddess who rules the winter.
- Grandmother Spiderwoman – Native American goddess responsible for giving man the sun and fire.
- La Befana – a witch in Italian folklore who rides around on her broom leaving gifts for children at the solstice.
Dark goddesses
- Demeter – Greek goddess of grain, the fields, and harvest. Mother of Persephone. Her grief at losing her daughter was said to explain the cycles of dormancy that occur each year.
- Frau Holle – Norse goddess associated with Yule and snowfall.
- Freya – Norse goddess of love, sex, fertility, and war.
- Rhiannon – Welsh moon goddess of fertility, death and rebirth, magic, and transformation.
Gods and Male Entities
- Baldur – Norse god who was impaled and killed by a sprig of mistletoe. He was later resurrected.
- Cernunnos – ancient Celtic god of nature, flora, fauna, and fertility, often represented with antlers or horns similar to the Horned God.
- Holly King or Oak King- different traditions have differing beliefs about whether the Holly King or Oak King win their grand battle during Yule, but the victor is responsible for bringing in the light half of the year.
- Horus – Egyptian sun god.
- Odin – Norse god who flies around on a winged horse or a chariot pulled by goats giving gifts to people.
- Saturn – Roman agriculture deity
- The Horned God – the male deity in Wiccan traditions who is reborn during this time.
- Santa Claus – Based on the 4th century bishop known as the patron saint of children. He would travel the countryside giving away gifts and possessions to the impoverished and reviled members of society.
- Krampus – the pre-Christian, Central European, dark counterpart to St. Nick who is said to punish naughty children by spanking them with birch switches, taking them down to the underworld, and even eating them. You can celebrate Krampusnacht on the night of December 5th.
- The Tomten – mischievous Scandinavian spirits who protect children and homesteads.
How Do You Celebrate Yule?
As you can see, Yule can mean so many different things to each of us. You have a lot of options to make your Yule magical! It all just depends on what rings true and what lines up with our surroundings.
What is your favorite way to celebrate Yule? Do you have any traditions I didn’t mention here? I’d love to hear about them!
So, what is Yule to you?
