From Our Troth:
The mightiest night of Yule is the solstice itself, the longest night of the year when all the wights who wander in darkness are freest and the human hold on this earth is weakest. The word “Yule” itself is ur-old, its meaning clouded; it could have sprung from roots meaning “wheel”; “time of joy”; “year-turning”, “time of sacrifice”, or perhaps “blind (dark) time” (de Vries, Wörterbuch, p. 292; Ásgeirr Blondal Magnússon, Órðsifjabók, p. 433). This is the night on which the Yule-log should be burned and the watch kept; this is the night on which the holiest oaths are sworn. It is not good to be alone on this night, for then the only folk about one are trolls and the dead - chancy companions at best!
Traditionally, this is also the night of feasting. Unfortunately the Christianization of Yule has the celebration set for the 25th instead of Solstice. Since our friends can’t properly revel on a Tyr’s Day, we settled for an impromptu party. Had a good number of folks wander through, and everyone left with a gift or a stiff drink to ward against the cold weather. It was during this time that sunset occurred. We lit the Yule Candle and began our vigil.
We continued the party alone, taking this time to exchange gifts. White Russians, Southern Comfort, ahi burritos, and nacho grandes were our feast. (The Yule spirits ended up with the monster portion of the nachos.)
As for gifting . . . I got the full season of Firefly on DVD! Woot!! I gave my wife a ton of books (and vice versa,) and we both ended up with iPods.
Since I’m the night owl, I stayed up through the night on vigil. The candle’s light was steady and strong. I listened to tunes on my iPod and reread the first Harry Potter book. At four am, I woke the wife to continue on while I took a nap. (Dr’s appt this morning, urgh.) She rousted me just before sunrise and together we put out the flame, welcoming the sun’s return for another year.
The next big push is the generally accepted feast day on the 25th. We’ve got RSVPs from lots of friends in the area who’ll drop in, share food and drink, and celebrate the coming new year. I’m looking forward to it!
