Yule is rooted in ancient paganism, many additional names have appeared over the course of centuries of history. This day, besides Yule, is also called the Bonfire Festival. On special sites outside the city and on its outskirts, residents burn huge bonfires, in which they destroy all their troubles and misfortunes along with old unnecessary items, garbage. In the new year, they enter traditionally renewed. There is still a lot of interesting things in this holiday, let's take a closer look.
Yule - winter solstice holiday
The word "yule" was used by the Vikings, the Germans, it means "wheel". The Celtic holiday of the winter solstice is very similar in its traditions to our Christmas time and Christmas. Many are interested in the question of what date Yule (holiday) is in Iceland. The holiday is celebrated for 13 days. Its date falls on the eve of the winter solstice on December 22. It also captures Christian Christmas. These two holidays have long been intertwined, the richer the traditions and rituals of the celebration. In Iceland, Yulem is the name given to the holiday of Christmas, which is celebrated in the west on December 25th. Yule used to be a pagan holiday of the middle of the northern winter, it faded into the background after the baptism of the northern peoples. Rituals and traditions have migrated from one holiday to another, and this is easy to see in Iceland. People go to church services, worship biblical characters, but they fully believe in the existence of ancient trolls and mystical power that awakens on the longest night on Yule.
Iceland
Iceland is an amazing country. It is here that the flames of volcanoes and eternal glaciers coexist side by side. Normal summer in our concept does not happen here, but the winter for these latitudes is very warm. In hot springs, the swimming season does not stop all year round. The inhabitants of this area do not have surnames, there are no railways in the country. But it is in these parts that there is a high probability of admiring whales in summer, and the northern lights in winter.
And in this country, like nowhere else, the most ancient traditions are preserved, which the Vikings brought here more than a thousand years ago. The entire population is fighting for the purity of the Icelandic language, because it is so similar to Old Norse. And this makes it possible even to read medieval sagas without translation. This is such an amazing country. And since those very ancient times, Yule has been carrying its history - a holiday in Iceland.
Folklore
In traditioncelebration, there is always a Christmas tree, which, like ours, is decorated with various decorations, symbolizing prosperity in the house. With the "yolka" everything is clear, but other folklore traditions are very curious. Yule is a mid-winter holiday, and it is at this time that a variety of dangers await people. The most mysterious stories tell about it. Dangers come from mystical forces and trolls, the main one being the cannibal Grila. The giantess these days descends from the icy mountains, taking a large bag with her. In it, she collects her favorite delicacy - naughty and lazy children. The Church of Iceland disapproved of such “horror stories” during the Christmas period and even issued banning decrees in this regard. But this did not stop Grila and her trolls from surviving to this day. Grila's household is very curious, she lives with her third lazy husband, whose name is Leppaludi (what happened to the first two, history is silent). For humans, Leppaludi is not dangerous, he is very clumsy and lazy.
Yule Boys
The unsympathetic married couple has thirteen sons, who are called Yule Lads, or brothers. Among the Vikings, they were considered terrible monsters, but over time they turned into harmless petty thieves and pranksters. Now (there is progress!) they compete with Santa Claus himself. The latter has not yet become popular in Iceland. The idea of a good-natured Santa giving everyone gifts at Christmas was to the liking of the Yule Boys, they became kinder. Modeled after Santa they now wearwhite beards, may wear red coats, but more often appear in peasant costumes. In every house, the attribute of Icelandic Christmas is the figurines of these guys. By tradition, the brothers kept the funny names Sausage Thief, Gorshkoliz, Beggar and others.
Yule is a holiday, the date of which falls exactly on Christmas, is celebrated for thirteen days. On each of these days, the guys come down from the mountains. Icelandic kids don't get just one gift like the others from Santa Claus, but thirteen from each of the Yule Lads. One can only envy. Of course, we are only talking about obedient children, mischievous people can find rotten beets or a piece of coal in their boot.
Yule cat
The most colorful character of the holiday is, of course, the Yule cat. He lives in the Grila family in the mountains in an ice cave. The cat is not at all like our pets. This huge terrible monster with fangs and claws catches those who are left without a woolen new clothes for the holiday. Trusting the legends, in the best case, a person will lose his Christmas dinner, but in the worst case, the cat will drag his children, and even himself to his cave. This legend arose a long time ago, when sheep were sheared in autumn and all the wool had to be processed by winter. The Yule holiday falls just in the middle of winter. Good workers at that time already had new woolen clothes, but lazy people fell into the clutches of the Yule cat. The tradition has come down to our days. At Christmas, Yule holidays, it is always customary to give gifts made of wool, whether it be socks or justmittens. The idea is wonderful, everyone is happy with such gifts in this northern country.
Ritual bonfires
Yule is a holiday, the rituals of which the people of Iceland honor to this day. One of them is the Yule bonfire. It was once believed that bonfires drive away evil spirits from the home on dark nights. Later, all obsolete things were burned in the fire, symbolizing farewell to the old and the transition to the new. Now making fires is a good reason to have fun on the beach with songs, dances in a good company of friends. Everyone can bring small garbage and burn it, following the old ritual, this means that the house is clean, everything is ready for the holiday.
In our time, fireworks have become more popular, which also symbolize the cleansing of evil spirits. They look especially beautiful against the backdrop of Icelandic landscapes. The bright lights of bonfires and amazing fireworks make the northern night brighter. You can not be afraid of evil trolls and other Icelandic monsters at these moments.
Signs on the day of the winter solstice
If you believe the signs, then the various contracts concluded on the Yule holiday, the contracts will be the most correct. At the end of December, namely on the 20th, in Iceland it is a good sign to get a job, although it would seem that the date is not very convenient. All proposals that are presented during this period must be accepted without a doubt, the results will meet expectations. Love explanations will lead to a happy marriage.
The day following the solstice is especially important, it determines what the whole year will be like. You have to listen to everything that is said.and what is happening around. You know, there is such a fortune-telling: a question is asked, and then look for the answer in the environment - what is said on TV or in a crowd of people you do not know. For example, if you won the lottery that day, without hesitation you need to carry the winnings to the stock exchange, you will be lucky again. But this, of course, is from the realm of miracles. But if you thought about your relationship with your soulmate and suddenly saw a cute couple of old people on the tram. What do you think the Celtic spirits are hinting at in this case?
Divination for the Yule holiday
To tempt fate, many guess on December 21st. On this night, from ancient times, braids were woven from a variety of colored threads and before going to bed they put their creation under the pillow. The dream must come prophetic and magical.
Who had an unsolvable, difficult problem, took the tangled yarn and unwound it. Finger dexterity played a big role, it depended on how soon the tangle of problems would unravel.
The girls prepared two different logs for this night: one is even, the other is crooked with knots. They threw them into the fire. If the gnarled one lit up first, then the future did not bode well, it was not worth getting married this year. If an even log lit up brightly, then the girl had to meet a good guy who would become a caring husband.
People gave great importance to dreams during these thirteen nights, each of them could portend the events of life.
Conspiracy in progress
The conspiracy and divination for the Yule holiday have great mystical power, so many resort toto them in our modern world. Until now, many make an amulet and utter a conspiracy to attract money. It requires nine coins, six green candles, a copper tray (or any shiny one), a piece of green silk, and dried basil to make it. On a tray, you need to create a circle of candles, put coins in its middle, light candles and say a conspiracy: “On this day, it’s coming to me, it’s pouring golden rain on my money. Sunlight will come and we alth will come to me! Candles need to be moved so close to each other that the wax flows onto the coins. Let the candles burn to the end. After the wax hardens, cut it out of the tray along with the coins and sprinkle the whole thing with dry basil. The amulet must be left in such a place that light falls on it during the day. He must lie there day and night. After that, wrap everything in a silk shred and hide it in a hiding place where you keep documents. Many people believe this ritual, and, perhaps, such a silk patch can be found in many caches of the Icelanders.
