- For other uses, see yule log (disambiguation)
A Yule log, sometimes known as the Great Ashen Faggot,[1] is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures. It can be a part of the Winter Solstice festival or the Twelve Days of Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, or Twelfth Night. The expression "Yule log" has also come to refer to log-shaped Christmas cakes, also known as "chocolate logs" or "Bûche de Noël".
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Origins
In Northern Europe, winter festivities were once considered to be a Feast of the Dead, complete with ceremonies full of spirits, devils, and the haunting presence of the Norse god, Odin, and his night riders. One particularly durable Solstice festival was "Jol" (also known as "Jule" and pronounced "Yule"), a feast celebrated throughout Northern Europe and particularly in Scandinavia to honor Jolnir, another name for Odin. Since Odin was the god of intoxicating drink and ecstasy, as well as the god of death, Yule customs varied greatly from region to region. Odin's sacrificial beer became the specially blessed Christmas ale mentioned in medieval lore, and fresh food and drink were left on tables after Christmas feasts to feed the roaming Yuletide ghosts. Even the bonfires of ancient times survived in the tradition of the Yule log, perhaps the most universal of all Christmas symbols. The origins of the Yule log can be traced back to the Midwinter festivals in which the Norsemen indulged in nights filled with feasting, "drinking Yule" and watching the fire leap around the log burning in the home hearth. The ceremonies and beliefs associated with the Yule log's sacred origins are closely linked to representations of health, fruitfulness, productivity, and regularity. In England, the Yule was cut and dragged home by oxen or horses as the people walked alongside and sang merry songs. During winter, towns people would gather these large logs to be ridden, like a modern sled, down embankments of ice and snow. It was often decorated with evergreens and sometimes sprinkled with grain or cider before it was finally set alight. In Yugoslavia, the Yule log was cut just before dawn on Christmas Eve and carried into the house at twilight. The wood itself was decorated with flowers, colored silks and gold, and then doused with wine and an offering of grain. In the area of France known as Provence, families would go together to cut the Yule log, singing as they went along. These songs asked for blessings to be bestowed upon their crops and their flocks. The people of Provence called their Yule log the tréfoire and, with great ceremony, carried the log around the house three times and christened it with wine before it was set ablaze. To all Europeans, the Yule log was believed to bring beneficial magic and was kept burning for at least twelve hours and sometimes as long as twelve days, warming both the house and those who resided within. When the fire of the Yule log was finally quenched, a small fragment of the wood would be saved and used to light the next year's log. It was also believed that as long as the Yule log burned, the house would be protected from witchcraft. The ashes that remained from the sacred Yule log were scattered over fields to bring fertility, or cast into wells to purify and sweeten the water. Sometimes, the ashes were used in the creation of various charms, to free cattle from vermin, for example, or to ward off hailstorms. Some sources state that the origin of Yule is often associated with an ancient Scandinavian fertility god and that the large, single Log is representative of a phallic idol. Tradition states that this Log was required to burn for twelve days and a different sacrifice to the fertility god had to be offered in the fire on each of those twelve days.
History
The Yule log has been suggested to have been originally a custom amongst the Germanic peoples in tribute to the major Germanic god Thor associated with Yule. Thor was associated with oak trees, such as Thor's Oak, in surviving references amongst the ancient Germanic tribes.[2] Since the custom survives to varying extent amongst the descendants of the Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians, cultural connections have been suggested between the modern practice of the Yule log and the ancient veneration of trees associated with Thor.[3] Traditional European observance varied from region to region and from one time period to the next, but generally included some common traditions. An oak log that had been chosen on the previous Winter Solstice was decorated with pine snips, generally containing pine cones as well. Notes written on small slips of paper containing good wishes for the upcoming year could be tucked into the foliage as well. The log was then burned during the Yuletide celebrations. It was believed that the ashes of the Yule log contained magical qualities if kept.[4]. Later, as Christianity spread throughout Europe, the tradition became more closely tied with Christmas, especially in England, where Father Christmas was often depicted carrying a Yule Log. [5]
Confection
Sometime in the late 18th to early 19th century, a facsimile of the Yule Log became a traditional French dessert. Usually, it is in the form of a large rectangular yellow cake spread with frosting and rolled up into a cylinder - one end is then lopped off and stood on end to indicate the rings of the "log." This "Bûche de Noël" became a traditional Christmas dessert, and has recently spread to other regions, where it is often referred to as a yule log.
Modern popular culture
In the United States and Canada, the "Yule log" has also become a modern tradition in the form of a TV screen in one's home showing video of an actual Yule Log burning in a real fireplace. The video is accompanied by Christmas music, crackling fire sounds, or both at the same time. This is now a very popular trend on DVDs, but it began on a whim in 1966, by Fred Thrower, former TV programming director for WPIX in New York City, who wanted to offer a Yule Log for the majority in New York City who had no real fireplace of their own. It has been offered for several hours each year (on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas Day) as a video greeting card to viewers, and is syndicated across the U.S. Many others have offered their own versions over the years on TV, and in all video formats.
References
- ^ Ashen Faggot at Dartmoor
- ^ Ellis Davidson, H.R. Gods And Myths Of Northern Europe (1965) ISBN 0140136274
- ^ Walsh, William Shepard.Curiosities of Popular Customs And of Rites, Ceremonies, Observances, and Miscellaneous Antiquities (Page 1014) (1897)
- ^ Williamson, John. The Oak King, the Holly King and the Unicorn: The Myths and Symbolism of the Unicorn Tapestries. Harper and Row, 1986.
- ^ [1]
External links
- Several variations of Yule Logs created by Pastry Chef Eric Hubert
- The Yule Log at culture.gouv.fr
- The Yule Log at noelnoelnoel.com
See also
- Yule goat
- Christmas ham
- Wassail
- Tió de Nadal - a Christmas log tradition in Catalonia.
- Badnjak - a Christmas log tradition of Serbs.
