We all have moments of darkness, when we don't know how much deeper we will go before the light starts to treturn (or if it will)....The world has its moments, too; it understands us, and lives as we do."
Ceisiwr Serith, The Pagan Family

Since midsummer, the sun in the northern hemisphere has been rising and setting further and further South, making daylight hours shorter and shorter. It stops this southern decline December 21 (or thereabouts) and turns north again. This return has been celebrated throughout the Northern Hemisphere in remarkably similar ways--across cultures, religions and continents. The common theme of all these celebrations is light in all its forms: bonfires, yule logs, Kwanzaa candles, Menorahs, Christmas trees and decorative electric lights. The meaning of the lights varies from culture to culture, even person to person: a sign of hope, a symbol of the unconquerable, a symbol of magic and mystery, a celebration of the light within each person.

Many Christmas customs come from the oldest of these midwinter celebrations--the Pagan celebration of Yule. During Yule (meaning "wheel") Pagans celebrate the return of the sun, when the "Mother Goddess once again gives birth to the baby Sun-God and sets the wheel in motion again." The centerpiece of this celebration was (and still is) the Yule log. It was lighted on the eve of the winter solstice and was kept burning for twelve hours. Yule log cermonies became an integral part of English and Scottish Christmas celebrations. A large oak was lit on Christmas Eve with the remainder of the previous year's log. For twelve nights, the Yule log is placed on the fire for awhile. On Twelth Night it is removed and kept to kindle the next year's log.

The ritual of extinguishing and relighting fires is found in many traditions. Here is a modern home version for your family to try this winter. To personalize your celebration you might wish to "raid" the following traditions for readings, food, and decoration ideas: St. Lucia's Day (Swedish, December 13), Hanukkah (Jewish, begins December 24, 1997--dates vary year to year), Divali (Hindu, October/November, dates vary), Advent (Christian, 4 Sundays leading up to Christmas), Posadas (Mexican, nine evenings leading up to Christmas), Kwanzaa (African-American, December 26- January 1).

Preparation:
Make snack foods which are symbolic of the sun such as round pita bread, golden cheese, round slices of red tomatoes. Incorporate as many sun colors (red, gold, yellow, orange) and sun symbols (round, hot) as you can think of and are available.

Gather every candle you can find in your house and put them in a holder. (Dripped wax on a saucer will bind a candle long enough to be lit temporarily .) Choose one candle to be the "sun candle" and place all others around it on a table.

If you have a fireplace, find a large oak or ash log to serve as your Yule log this year. In the British tradition people decorate the log with a sprig of green tied with a red string, symbolizing the woes of last year which you wish to let go of and burn. Place the log in your fireplace.

Celebration:
After decorating your house with the evergreens of your area and your Christmas tree (if that is your family tradition) gather to enjoy your sun-food snacks. Take this time to describe the historical context of your celebration. (Refer to Ever Changing, Ever Green in this issue of Connections for more information.)

After your snack, turn off every light in your house and ask everyone to take a seat at the table where you have placed the candles. Begin the following litany (adapted from The Pagan Family by Ceisiwr Serith) by lighting the center "sun" candle. Take turns reading each line, or designate one reader. In either case, the group response after each line is:
The light is reborn.

With each response another candle is lit (again you can take turns or designate a candle lighter), using the "sun" candle to fuel the others, until all candles are burning. (You could make up your own litany if you have a favorite Christmas or winter reading. Simply replace these words with your reading, responding after each line with "The light is reborn," or another appropriate single line response.)

In the greatest darkness
Out of Winter's cold
From our deepest fears
When all seems lost
When the earth lies waste
When animals hide
From fallen leaves
When the river is frozen
When the ground is hard
When hope is hard to find.

Shadows are fleeing
Light is returning
Warmth will come again
Green will come again
Plants will grow again
Animals will be seen once more
Life will continue.

When all the candles are lit, and the reading is complete, have everyone run around the house turning on every light, including closets, attics, stoves, flashlights etc. Kids will have fun (and be very good at) finding all the lights you forget!

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Last updated May 24, 2002 by clf@uua.org