Yule marks that point in the year which celebrates the return of the light. It begins with the longest night ("Eve") of the year after which the daylight increases. This is also the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, and all the "dying" gods of various religions. The reborn god is generally depicted in child form. The Roman Cult of Sol Invictus was an ancient Sun god worshipping group who worshipped the Sun god Apollo. Interesting note here is that on the original Roman Julian calendar this "Eve" date was originally set as December 24th, 46 BC., but was shifted to December 21st. in 1582 AD by the Roman catholic Gregorian calendar. However, Xmas (the Birthday of the Sun gods) kept the traditional December 25th. date.
The Winter Solstice (also called Yule, Christmas, Xmas, Jul, Midwinter, and Saturnalia): usually occurring around December 21st or so of the civil calendar. Also, this is a day sacred to the Sun, Thunder, and Fire deities. Large fires were built outdoors and Yule Logs lit indoors, in order to rekindle the dying Sun and help it to return brightly to the Northern skies. Burnt logs and ashes from the Midwinter fires were kept as a talisman (charm) against lightning and house fires. It was also a custom in many parts of Paleopagan Europe to decorate live evergreen trees in honor of the gods (cutting down a tree [Xmas tree] to bring it indoors is considered [by Neopagans] to be a blasphemous desecration of the original concept). This is considered, along with Midsummer, the best day of the year to cut mistletoe. Among some Paleopagans, a date on or near this was celebrated as the birthday of Mithras and/or the Feast of Saturnalia (which the catholics co-opted to use for the birth of Christ).

i love it when they try to preach at me when im minding my own business, ignorance is bliss to them but knowledge is power to me, the difference ....they blindly follow brainwashed by a book, and i chose to read many and learn with an open mind...so i tell them christianity hijacked pagan holidays...it gets under their skin....lol

goddess be with you

Actually, the dates of the old festivals were not fixed, they depended on the turning of the seasons and the positions of the sun and moon. Solstice and equinox dates vary by a few days each year, which is one of the reasons the old stone circles were set up - they could show when the festival was coming. The other festivals were more related to what was actually happening in the environment - the harvest or first lambing, for example.

Yes, the Christians used these same festivals, but then again, hasn't everyone?

goes back to the changing of calendar dates by the church to separate 25th from the 21st christianity even incorperated pagan observances in the beginning to bring the other religions in...stoke of genius on their part

the Catholic church has done a MASTERFUL job of brainwashing the judeo-modeled world that ALL holidays were SOMEHOW influnced by christ.. not the other way around.....

not a single "holiday" we practice as a Christian event had ANYTHING to do with it till they started tryin to unite all under one church!

all holidays are now just ways to turn a profit.. if that wasn't the reason when they were started!!


but I got a feelin that i am preaching to the choir here .. cause anyone who is takin the time to read this thread is already aware of this ****!!

It's neither here nor there to me if the holidays were hijacked. Holidays hold different meaning for people even within the specific religions.

The beauty of Paganism is the tolerance of all beliefs.

It's frustrating when people who do not understand my ideology and they simply wish to argue with me -- and bully me. I wish I could give them the gift of peacefulness in what I believe.

Since our belief system is based on the universe, turning of the seasons, and Mother Nature’s whim, we have the luxury of celebrating around a flexible calendar.

I had NO idea this forum existed. I’ve been on Mingle just short of a year and I never ventured passed the “upper” forums.

I am so happy to have found this discussion group.

Welcome to our world.

HEY!!!! i was gonna say that.!!!...lol

why yes....yes we are

blessed be..

Blessed be...

Wow and thank you! The first Mingle forum wherein I feel truly welcomed!

Continue to fight over greeting me!

I'll second the ones who like to argue. It gets old real fast.

i just giggle at their blindness.
unless they try to preach to me....then i give them a history lesson...they hate that..lol...truth hurts

I love the ones who refuse to listen. They always make me laugh, like little kids sticking their fingers in their ears yelling "NU_UH!"

Okay. Here is my little side-rant where no one will see it. Because I'm really not interested in fighting about this. I don't see why we can't just all get along when it comes to the holidays. But I just left the General Religion forum where I'm already seeing the Christians complaining about the fact that they can't say Merry Christmas and that this season is all about Jesus.

What about Haunakah and Yule? These were holidays long before Christmas came along. Wht are Christians so angry at being asked to show a little religious sensitivity? They can celebrate Jesus' birth all they want and say Merry Christmas to each other all day long. But why is it so horrible to ask that they show a little sensitivity and say Happy Holidays when in public or with people they don't know?

Okay, that's my rant.

And stop bashing Halloween as "that Pagan holiday" which they always say with a shudder.

Do they talk like that about Ramadan? Samhain is an important holiday for Pagans. I won't rain on their Easter parade if they'll stop looking at me in disgust for celebrating Ostara.

Okay. I better stop or I will be cranky and "anti-Christian" all day.