Yule: 24th December
Here is the first part of the section on Yule in The New Pagans’ Handbook:
The Rituals
These commence on the night of the 23rd/24th. Where possible, and weather permitting as it so often is, the celebrants can gather in the open around a holly tree. However, as is more likely, a spruce tree (Christmas Tree) will be the chosen symbol, a tradition imported into, England by the Prince Consort who brought the idea from Germany, where incidentally the peak of the celebrations was more often on the evening and night of the 24th.
The tree should be set up in the garden or the entrance to the dwelling. Red wine is poured into a libation bowl and each person present comes forward to pour a libation to the tree, sprinkling some of the wine over it. Each may say as much or as little as he or she pleases in the form of prayer. Candles should be set up in the form of a five pointed star, each of the celebrants taking it in turn to place a candle. A short prayer follows invoking the Goddess as Mother of all and particularly at this time as Mother of the Star Child and the Promise:
‘To the Great Goddess, mother and Maker of all things, we call for a light to lead us, that light of promise held in our hopes when we waited in the shadowed lands, on the plains of ashes and in the places of darkness. Bring us, we pray, once more that Light in our darkness to comfort us against cold death, to warm us with new life, new strength, and so to set the brilliance of new day and day-growth once again upon our lands. Bring us, we beg, Your Star Child and the Promise of the Sun.’
