Around December 21
Yule coincides closely with the Christian Christmas celebration. This sabbat represents the rebirth of light. Here, on the longest night of the year, the Goddess gives birth to the Sun child and hope for new light is reborn. Yule is a time of awakening to new goals and leaving old regrets behind. The Christian tradition of a Christmas tree has its origins in the Pagan Yule celebration. Pagan families would bring a live tree into the home so the wood spirits would have a place to keep warm during the cold winter months. Bells were hung in the limbs so you could tell when a spirit was present. Food and treats were hung on the branches for the spirits to eat and a five pointed star, the pentagram, symbol of the five elements, was placed atop the tree. The colours of the season, red and green, are also of Pagan origin. A solar festival, Yule is celebrated by fire and the use of a Yule log. A piece of the log is saved and kept throughout the year to protect the home. That piece is used to light the next year's log.
