Yule is a Pagan holiday which is celebrated on Winter Solstice. This is the shortest night of the year. It occurs on the same day as Christmas. Many Wiccans celebrate this holiday. Other Pagan religions celebrate it too. It is a celebration which has crossed many boundaries. Most cultures have some festivities on Yule.
It is named Yule which is symbolic of a wheel. This is a word from Scandinavian culture spelled 'Jul'. This word is where Yule is known to be from. In Scandinavian culture winter was very long. Yule was a halfway point towards the summer. Most of us do not live in Scandinavia. This is a very small country. This word is very important because it is the one which is used. The Scandinavia culture might have had more power than you would think.
In Ireland and Norway the lights were left burning throughout the night. This was a symbolic gesture to bring back the light. Many Pagan religions have associations with the Sun. The Sun is a very powerful luminary. It heats up our entire world.
Christmas honors the virgin birth. This is not a concept foreign to Paganism. The word virgin was 1st applied to priestesses in Mediterranean temples. This was during the Roman Pagan period. Women were not bound by secular law when they became priestesses. They were free to take as many lovers as they wanted. These concepts are not associated with Christmas, but the virgin birth is.
Yule is a time of festivities. Many of them you are familiar with. The Christmas tree is a Yule custom. Many Wiccans also celebrate with a tree. People like to decorate trees for Christmas. Sometimes they are Fir. Fir is a tree associated with prosperity. It is a Jupiterian tree.
