What Is a Yule Log, and What Does the Tradition Symbolize?
Any other old-school English majors out there tasked with memorizing and then reciting the prologue of The Canterbury Tales in Old English back in the day? If so, chances are, you haven’t recovered. But knowledge is power, and you can use that useless task to one-up your nearest and dearest every Christmas.
As everyone gathers to decorate the tree, bake some delicious treats, and trade gifts, get the caroling going. Once they break out into “Deck the Halls,” you’ll have your chance to laugh at loved ones smart enough to graduate with more useful degrees than yours. When everyone gets to the word “yuletide,” let the mocking begin because they’re sure pronounce “yule” like Americans. Show them how liberal arts kids do it when you say it the old-fashioned—nay, the Old English—way “geōl.” Once you’ve dazzled everyone with your linguistics, you can ask Uncle Joe about how taxes work. After all, everyone deserves a chance to shine during the holidays.
What Does Yule Mean?
Even though we’ve come to think of “yule” as synonymous with Christmas—ever heard of the classic Christmas carol called “Cool Yule” performed by Louis Armstrong?—that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, the Old English word “geōl” goes way, way back and was used for something decidedly un-Christmas: an annual pagan festival that took place every December. Before that, the Old Norse word “jōl” referred to a 12-day winter feast. The word became associated with Christmas around the 9th century, and it continues to be a prominent seasonal saying in lots of languages. Scots call Christmas “Yule” today, and it’s part of the holiday vocabulary for Norwegians, Swedes, and Danes (“jul”), Estonians (“joulud”), Fins (“joulu”), and Icelanders (“jol”).
What’s a Yule Log?
During the early solstice celebrations, burning a specific log became part of the festivities. Like the word “yule,” the log became associated with the Christmas season. Here’s how it works: You get a designated log, burn a portion it starting on the evening of Christmas, and you continue to burn some of it every night until January 6. Why then? Here’s a hint—on the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me….That’s right. The 6th is the Twelfth Night! According to folks much smarter than I, there’s one last burn that was meant to get rid of any remaining negativity from the year before, and then take the log remains were then placed under everyone’s beds in order to attract protection and good luck for the new year. However, if you’re thinking of starting this old-world practice, that’s probably not a great idea if you’re concerned about burning the house down, which will not be at all protective or lucky.
What is the yule log dessert?
If you’d like to ensure that the only kinds of sparks flying around the holidays are purely metaphorical, consider logging in and learning how to bake and decorate a Bûche de Noël. That’s just French for “yule log,” and it refers to a delicious dessert that looks like it was foraged in an enchanted forest. Branch out this year with a pretty addition to the dessert table with this recipe for a chocolate-flavored sponge. At the very least, it will give you another opportunity to show off your talent for foreign words. Se ende!
You Might Also Like
