News: Yuletide customs honour tradition of gift giving: Heathen Freehold Society

Yuletide customs honour tradition of gift giving

Gulf Islands Driftwood, Dec. 5 2007

Among all the old pagan holy days, Yuletide, held over the winter solstice, was universally celebrated by all of the Nordic tribes before their conversion to Christianity. The holiday's importance is further attested by the fact that ancient Yuletide traditions are best preserved. Having survived conversion and integration into the new religion, pagan Yuletide customs had a profound impact on the evolution of Christmas.

What is referred to by many as the "Christmas spirit", embodying generosity, hospitality and the enjoyment of the fellowship and love of friends and family, was, in pagan times, foundational to the winter solstice traditions of northern Europe. Called the "Yule-peace", this spirit of fellowship reigned supreme throughout the lunar month over winter solstice.

Yuletide was a time when tradition demanded the cessation of hostilities between feuding parties and the sealing of peace bonds through gift-giving. It was seen as bad luck to threaten the Yule-peace with acts violence. At this season, more than any other, the rule of hospitality required that kindness and generosity be shown even to strangers.

If we have forgotten anything, in the modern celebration of the holiday, it is the knowledge that we are as intimately connected to the earth as we are with our own families. In ancient times, gifts of cake and ale were offered to the earth in recognition of our dependance upon nature. Among primitive tribes, gift-giving is an important way to honour to one's personal relationships, both with friends and family, as well as with the earth.

Blaming the commercialism of the season may be missing the point, when it is our own love of consumerism that is really at fault. Our offering to the earth today should not be a mountainous trash-pile of plastic packaging and wrapping paper, obsolete computers, TV's and VCR's, dead trees and other leftover holiday garbage.

In our haste to grasp the true spiritual nature of the holiday, let us not throw out the baby with the bath water. The celebration of winter solstice has always included joyous gatherings, feasting, singing, dancing and gift-giving, activities which further the key functions of tribal folk-religion. Yuletide traditions serve to consolidate families and build community, contributing to the health and happiness of the people on the darkest days of the year.

If gifts cannot be handmade, buying locally produced gifts with a minimum of packaging would not only add to the health of the local community, it would ensure our gifts to the earth are more appropriate to the season than just some more bags of garbage for the landfill.

- Dan Miller is spokesman for the Heathen Freehold Society, host of the 6th annual Nordic Yule Feast, held this year on Saturday, December 22, at Beaver Point Hall.