The First Day of Winter - Moving Towards Longer Days
Today, December 21, is the Winter Solstice. That means a couple of things: today is the shortest day of the year, tonight is the longest night of the year, and today is the first day of Winter. Some people bemoan winter, but really winter means spring is right around the corner! Besides, us gardeners need some time off! In days gone by winter was celebrated and fire was used to celebrate winter, secure good fortune, ensure fertility for livestock, and bountiful crops in the new year.
The smaller household Yule log was usually burned during the Twelve Nights of Christmas, or for at least a minimum of twelve hours. The wood of the Yule log itself was steeped in special powers: the prior year's ashes were strewn over the fallow fields during the Twelve Days of Christmas to ensure the vigor of next year's crops; the number of sparks when the log was stoked predicted the number of calves, piglets, chicks, etc. in the spring; a piece of the log's charred remnants was saved to protect the house from lightning during thunderstorms - to name just a few beliefs! The charred remnant was finally used to kindle the new log at the beginning of the next Twelve Days.
In some places, a massive candle was burned instead - its light must not go out on its own or the luck of the family would be "blown away." In other areas, bonfires were lit on Twelfth Night and, in simulation of the life-giving power of the sun, villagers ran with blazing torches throughout the fields and orchards to promote a good harvest.
The Yule Log is one of the most deep-rooted and widespread customs still enjoyed today - from the more traditional Yule Logs still burned in families' fireplaces to the buche de noel cake decorated to look just like a log ready for the fire, to the televised burning Yule log broadcast on Christmas for those without a fireplace of their own.