| The Winter Solstice was traditionally | | | | familiar? |
| celebrated on December 21 in the northern | | | | |
| hemisphere. Well before the birth of Jesus, | | | | Do you think the Christmas tree originated as |
| ancient peoples marked the Winter Solstice | | | | a Christian tradition? Well, think again - |
| with celebrations and rejoicing that the | | | | In Scandinavia during the Winter Solstice, |
| coldest part of the year was behind them. | | | | men and their sons used to go in to the woods |
| From December 22, the days start to lengthen | | | | to cut a tree down. After the tree had been |
| and the days gradually get warmer. | | | | felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, |
| | | | and the men would carry the log back to the |
| Christmas celebrations are, to some extent, | | | | home. This log was dubbed a Yule Log, and the |
| the modern day equivalent of the Winter | | | | Yule log was burned in the fireplace. The |
| Solstice celebrations. | | | | entire time the Yule log burned, the family |
| | | | would feast. Again, this was a Winter |
| The actual birth of Jesus is widely believed | | | | Solstice tradition rather than a specifically |
| not to have occurred in December. | | | | Christian tradition. Often, the Scandinavian |
| Nevertheless, the celebrations of Jesus's | | | | Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days! |
| birth occur on approximately the same day as | | | | Nowadays the Yule log is represented in the |
| the Winter Solstice. Christmas now serves as | | | | form of an iced log-shaped cake, and is |
| the mid-winter celebration for the northern | | | | associated with the Christian Christmas |
| hemisphere. Of course, in the southern | | | | experience. |
| hemisphere, Christmas falls in mid summer - | | | | |
| at approximately the time of the Summer | | | | As the Yule log burned it sent sparks out of |
| Solstice. | | | | the hearth and as the sparks flew out of the |
| | | | fire place, the family would count the |
| Saturnalia was also a celebration of the | | | | sparks, as they believed that each spark |
| Winter Solstice that occurred in ancient | | | | represented a farm animal that would be born |
| pagan Rome. Saturnalia was celebrated in | | | | on their property that year. These beliefs |
| honor of the god of agriculture, named | | | | have little to do with Christmas beliefs and |
| Saturn. During the time of Saturnalia, | | | | celebrations, but the Yule log is now firmly |
| servants and peasants spend time with and | | | | associated with Christmas in the minds of |
| celebrate the holiday with people of higher | | | | many. |
| classes, which certainly did not occur | | | | |
| throughout the rest of the year. The | | | | Even the Christmas story is thought by some |
| Saturnalia festival in itself could last as | | | | to have been influenced by a pagan myth. But |
| long as a week in Rome. During that time, | | | | despite that, the story itself and all the |
| people rejoiced all over Rome. The phrase | | | | traditions which have come to be associated |
| 'eat, drink, and be merry' was played out to | | | | with it form a firm part of the Christmas |
| its fullest. | | | | experience of millions, both in the northern |
| | | | and southern hemispheres. So whether you |
| So celebrations at the time of the Winter | | | | celebrate Christmas in the snow, or on the |
| Solstice were well established prior to the | | | | beach, you're likely to identify Christmas |
| birth of Jesus. But what about some specific | | | | with Christmas trees, Yule logs, lots of |
| Christmas traditions with which we're all | | | | food, and family time. |