Long Winter Nights
The winter solstice happens every year when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.
The shortest day of the year lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 41 seconds in Britain, which is 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the June Solstice.
The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.
In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.
It was also celebrated by Anglo-Saxon pagans. Druid priests would mark the important date by gathering mistletoe and sacrificing bulls – which was also likely a practical measure to limit the number of mouths to feed during months of famine.
In addition to mistletoe and 12 days of festivities, several Christmas traditions, such as Yule logs and decorating trees, date back to Yule, which were later adopted and adapted by Christians.
Long Winter Nights
The winter solstice happens every year when the North Pole is tilted farthest away from the Sun, delivering the fewest hours of sunlight of the year.
The shortest day of the year lasts for 7 hours 49 minutes and 41 seconds in Britain, which is 8 hours, 49 minutes shorter than the June Solstice.
The day after the winter solstice marks the beginning of lengthening days, leading up to the summer solstice in June.
In pre-Christian Scandinavia, the Feast of Juul, or Yule, lasted for 12 days celebrating the rebirth of the sun and giving rise to the custom of burning a Yule log.
It was also celebrated by Anglo-Saxon pagans. Druid priests would mark the important date by gathering mistletoe and sacrificing bulls – which was also likely a practical measure to limit the number of mouths to feed during months of famine.
In addition to mistletoe and 12 days of festivities, several Christmas traditions, such as Yule logs and decorating trees, date back to Yule, which were later adopted and adapted by Christians.