Almost all holidays celebrated at this time (the Christian holiday Christmas, and the Jewish holiday, Hannuka), have something to do with light or the birth of a divine child. During Christmas, the birth of the Son, Christ (who is also known as the bringer of light or the light of the world) is celebrated, and Hannuka is also known as the Festival of Light. In the Wiccan religion, Yule is when the birth of the Goddess's child is celebrated (sound familiar?), and it also begins the reign of the Oak King, and the departing of the Holly King.

Other holidays which were historically celebrated during this time are:
-the Saturnalia festival, celebrated by the Romans, in honour of Saturn, the god of agriculture. During this festival, people wore garlands on their heads and carried lighted candles through the streets, giving candles and green wreaths as presents.
-November feasts called Jiuleis or Giuli were held by the northern barbarians; the yule log represented fire, warmth and light and was lit to bring luck.
-Dies Naralis Invicti Solis (Birthday of the Unconquered Sun) was another Roman festival held on the 25th (is it just me, or did the romans really like to party?:) ) It was the main festival of the Phrygian god Attis and of Mithras.
-A festival honouring the Egyptian Goddess, Isis, mother of Horus, the sun God.

The winter solstice took place this year on the 21 of this month, when the sun begins to make its return journey. The days begin to get longer, and the nights shorter, as we move towards summer. This was always a happy time, with feasts and merry-making. People celebrate the triumph of light and life over darkness.

THE 25th- No one really knows when exactly Jesus was born, so the Christians tried to ease the transition to Christianity choosing the same time as the pagan festival of the Nativity which was already held every year in Rome.

SANTA CLAUS- Well, he is reminiscent of the Witches' Horned God, with his horned reindeer. The Horned God was also made out as the Christian devil, who was called Old Nick. We all know that Santa is also referred to as Saint Nick, so...

CHRISTMAS TREES- Evergreen trees are sacred to the Goddess, and also to the Druids who viewed them as a symbol of life, for they retain their greenery all year round. They are alive during the winter when all the other plants look dead, and they represent hope for spring. We decorate them with lights, and shiny ornaments, to remind us of the return of light. The Christmas angel, placed on top of the tree, is a Goddess symbol, to honour the birth-giving mother.

HOLLY AND MISTLETOE: We decorate our homes with holly in honour of the departing Holly King. The Druids believed that holly stayed green to keep the earth beautiful when the sacred oak lost its leaves. Holly was also the sacred plant of Saturn and was used at the Roman Saturnalia festival to honor him. Mistletoe has always been considered a sacred plant, especially by the Druids, who believed that it was most potent when cut from an Oak tree (possibly in honour of the Oak King), and the Celts, who believed it had miraculous healing powers. In Gaelic, the word for Mistletoe is all-heal.

So, as you see, the celebration of the return of the sun and the birth of the divine child wasn't originally a Christian holiday, though many people now see it as such. Many cultures have celebrated the winter solstice through the ages, and many cultures continue to do so. If we think about it, we're all celebrating the same event, so HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE! :)

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://christmas.com
The Witches of Coventry Greens Yule edition of the THE COVENTRY CALL
Paganism: a beginner's guide by Teresa Moorey

© Copyright Sabrina Wish 1998