A bit of Lore and Mythos - Yule
Yule is one of the most important Sabbats. It marks the time of year when the Sun King is reborn to warm the frozen Earth and enable Her to bear forth from the seeds that she held protectively in her womb throughout the Autumn and Winter months. To usher in the Sun King our ancestors spent the day in acts of sympathetic magick.
Parents would take their children from house to house to joyfully give gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges that represented the sun. Once they returned home they would decorate both the insides and the outsides of their houses with holly, mistletoe, and ivy. This fine greenery was their way of inviting nature spirits and sprites into the home to join in the celebration.
The highlight of the family celebration was of course the Yule log. This sacred log must have either been harvested on the householders land or been given to the family as a gift. Once put in the fireplace it was doused with ale and then set ablaze along with a small piece of the Yule log from the previous year (which the family had saved just for this purpose). The log was burned overnight and then allowed to smoulder for twelve days before it was ceremonially put out.
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