Christmas
Eve
“The
grate had been removed from the wide overwhelming fireplace, to make
way for a fire of wood, in the midst of which was an enormous log
glowing and blazing and sending forth a vast volume of light and
heat; this I understood was the Yule log, which the Squire was
particular in having brought in and illumined on Christmas eve,
according to ancient custom.”
Washington
Irving
One
of the traditions of Christmas that I carry on at my house, is a
stripped down version of the lighting of the Yule log. Originally it
was, as most of our holiday traditions are, a pagan ritual associated
with the Winter Solstice in which an entire tree, carefully selected
for its hard wood, was carried into the house and the base end stuck
into the fireplace with the rest of the tree sticking out into the
room. Of course, the several strong men required to carry it in were
rewarded with celebratory libations as was only appropriate to the
occasion. The Yule log is associated with the Twelve Days of
Christmas, presumably because that is how long it took to burn an
entire tree, and wood was saved from it for lighting the next year's
Yule log.
Needless
to say, I don't haul-in an entire tree, or even half a tree, but I do
like a big roaring fire on Christmas eve. Originally, the burning of
the tree was to bring prosperity and to ward off evil spirits. It was
a singularly European tradition thought to have originated in the
pagan religions of pre-Christian Germany, that spread to the British
Isles in the 17th century. Since Liza is the only evil
spirit in this house, and she loves a fire, mine is simply a
wish for warmth, light and prosperity. And, of course, as an excuse
for celebratory libations.
Many
of us will be attending a Christmas Eve candlelight services tonight.
Let us remember the folks who suffered through hurricane Sandy and
are still without homes, those who grieve for their precious children
in Connecticut, and the tens of thousands who are living in peril
around the world, including our own troops. Let us pray that the new
year will bring the peace of the Christ Child among us, and around
us, and within us.
Merry
Christmas, everybody,
Jane
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