Christmas Series: Traditions

History of Christmas Traditions

Are some pre-Christian?

Holly plant. Image: Wikimedia

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Many of the customs that we commonly associate with Christmas come from previous pagan or pre-Christian European backgrounds.

Let’s look at some of these familiar traditions and some connections to other folklore elements with which we may be unfamiliar.

Christmas Traditions

• The word Yule comes from the Germanic jōl or the Anglo-Saxon geōl. It refers to a twelve-day celebration starting on or around December 21 among Norse and Germanic people associated with the Winter Solstice. Yuletide later became associated with Christmastide.
• Yule logs were not sweet confections but a whole tree that would burn for twelve days on the hearth. The large end would be lit with the remnants of the previous year’s log, wine would be poured over it, and each person would take turns feeding the whole length of the log into the fire as it continued to burn. It was considered bad luck to let it go out.
• Evergreens played an essential role among Vikings, who would decorate evergreen trees with food and carvings.
• Mistletoe was prominent in the traditions of the Druids and the lore of Northern…