Summary:  "Even though Christianity came to Scandinavia a millennium ago, modern celebrations of Christmas hark back to the pagan winter feast of Jul, which comes from the Norse word 'Jol' meaning fun and party." ( CNN Interactive ) This profile examines the connection between the Vikings' "Jul--or Yule--celebrations" and contemporary Christmas traditions. The customary "brewing of beer" during Christmastime, a tradition still embraced in modern Scandinavia, is highlighted.
Subjects:  Celebrations, Paganism, Mythology, Norse

Summary:  "The winter solstice, which marks the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, is a sacred day to Heather Botting, a pagan chaplain at the University of Victoria [British Columbia, Canada]. It is Yule: the festival to celebrate light, the sun and God. On the winter solstice, which occurs [on] Dec. 22 [in 2003]...Botting will lead dozens of students and staff through a series of joyous Yule rituals involving cauldrons, knives, wine, dance, cakes, holly, ivy and stag antlers. In the Anglo-Saxon and Norse pagan traditions, Yule is the New Year." ( Religion News Service ) This overview of the pagan Yule festival highlights the beliefs and rituals associated with the winter solstice and new year. Parallels between pagan and Christian winter traditions are noted.
Subjects:  Celebrations, Paganism, Philosophy and religion, Wicca, Wiccans

Summary:  "Since humans first banded together for survival, the solstice became the natural time to ruminate on death and loss, from the last dried-up crops to the disappearance of light itself, as it seemed on those long dark nights. The more darkness, the more fear." (Palm Beach Post) This article defines the winter solstice and examines how the shortness of the day and darkness negatively affect some people.
Subjects:  Celebrations, Darkness, Seasonal affective disorder

Summary:  "Before the era of the great religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism), the religious and ritual practices of many cultures marked rhythms and patterns of nature. Most temperate-zone ancient cultures held special festivals to celebrate the seasonal changes in the Earth and in its flora, fauna, and weather. Fertility celebrations such as May festivals were identified with the springtime planting season, while thanksgiving festivals were linked to the autumn and harvest time. A surprising number of ancient societies, including those close to the Equator, where no perceptible seasonal changes occurred, celebrated the spring and autumnal equinox and the summer and winter solstice. The equinoxes and the solstices are astronomical events....The noting and celebration of these days is in keeping with these ancient cultures' keen interest in describing the structure and order of nature in terms of space and time." (PARABOLA) A comparative analysis and presentation of the equinoxes and solstices relates their ancient and continued sociocultural and religious significance.
Subjects:  Religions

Summary:  "The true meaning of Christmas is a celebration of nature, the sun and of a return of that same sun to warm the earth for a resurrection of new growth" (TRUTH SEEKER). The origin of Christmas from its early celebration as a winter festival is traced.
Subjects:  Myths, Sun, Religious aspects