Bonus Post *Christmas & Winter Superstitions, Folklore & Weather lore***

* Christmas Superstitions *
source unknown

~ Snow on Christmas means Easter will be green.

~ A blowing wind on Christmas Day brings good luck.

~ Wearing new shoes on Christmas Day will bring bad luck.

~ The child born on Christmas Day will have a special fortune.

~ Place shoes side by side on Christmas Eve to prevent a quarreling family.

~ To have good health throughout the next year, eat an apple at midnight on Christmas Eve.

~ A clear star-filled sky on Christmas Eve will bring good crops in the summer.

~ Eat plum pudding on Christmas and avoid losing a friend before next Christmas.

~ On Christmas Eve all animals can speak. However, it is bad luck to test this superstition.

~ If you refuse a mince pie at Christmas dinner, you will have bad luck for the coming day.

~ Good luck will come to the home where a fire is kept burning throughout the Christmas season.

~ In Greece, some people burn their old shoes during the Christmas season to prevent misfortunes in the coming year.

~ In Devonshire, England, a girl raps at the henhouse door on Christmas Eve. If a rooster crows, she will marry within the year.

~ One must begin decorating one's house with a wreath on the front door, with no decorating to have been done before that. After the wreath is in place, the rest of the house should be decorated, working in from the front door. The wreath placed on the front door at the start will guarantee nothing but good energy enters the house, and the energy will follow the decorations within, leading into the heart of the home. The reverse is also true; the wreath should always be taken down last when removing holiday decorations.

 

* Winter Weather Forecasting by Woolly Worms *

by Old Wives Tales

People in many areas know that autumn has arrived when they start spotting woolly worms. One of the enduring folk tales in the United States is that a woolly worm can share insight about the upcoming winter's weather. Is there a grain of truth in this belief? First off, we need to establish what is a woolly worm. You may have also heard them called woolly bears.

Woolly worm is a common name for the larval [caterpillar] stage of a family of tiger moths. If you want to get technical, the scientific name is Pyrrhactia. Woolly worms generally are from 1 to 3 inches long and found throughout the United States. This may explain why belief in their winter prediction ability is widespread.

The woolly worms of winter weather forecasting fame are not just any ol' Pyrrhactia family member. You want to seek out the Pyrrhactia Isabella [Isabella tiger moth]! This is the woolly worm which is densely covered with bristly hair that is black at both ends of the body and light reddish-brown in the middle. The predictive area you want to observe is the brown band portion: The narrower the band, the harsher the winter. If more brown than black and the middle band leans toward orange, that indicates the winter will be mild.

As widely shared as that bit of folk lore is within the United States, experts will say that the belief is simply not true. The variations in a woolly worm's bands are due to other factors and not weatherly predictive powers. In other words, the scientific evidence does not help support that particular weather lore.

For example, the bands vary due to differences in species. The particular genus [Pyrrhactia] contains around eight different species whose larva will parade in the fall months with fashionable bristly haired coats. Some are solid black, without any bands, and others have bands of varying sizes. Yet I already shared earlier in this article that you wanted the Pyrrhactia Isabella due to the type of banding on that particular species. So could this mean the scientists think that people will easily confuse what caterpillar, out of that particular family, that they need to observe? In a way but there are other reasons they will share.

The size of bands is also be due to the stage of growth the woolly worm is in and not the weather predictions being shared. A woolly worm has six larval stages before entering the winter cocoon stage. What this means is that the caterpillar sheds its former coat, or molts, six times and this process can have the color and size of the bands vary from molt to molt. For example, older caterpillars may have more black than younger ones.

There are some year-to-year weather factors that can help determine the amount of black hair on banded woolly worms. Now don't let that get your hopes up that this is where the predictive ability of the woolly worm may come into play. Ones that ate and grew in an area where the fall weather was wetter generally have more black hair than the woolly worms from drier areas. So in essence, according the scientific community, the woolly worm cannot be fully counted on to provide an accurate peek at the upcoming winter. It may instead hint about growing in an area where the weather had been a damp or that it is getting ready to enter the pupal stage.

However, just because I shared a view point that woolly worms weather forecasting skills are more lore than fact does not mean you cannot have fun appreciating the little critter or the folk lore associated to it. Every October the town of Banner Elk in North Carolina holds a Woolly Worm Festival! The town boasts that, over the past 20 years, their "Woolly Worm Readers" have had an accuracy rate of nearly 90%. What's the secret of their accuracy? Well, first off they have to know which woolly worm to use.

And I do not mean they just rely on making sure that they have the larval Isabella tiger moth either. They host a woolly worm race where the caterpillars race upwards on strings that are three feet long. It may be an edge to train your woolly worm for this competition. However, there isn't a prerequisite that you have come to the festival with your own woolly worm for this racing event. You can try your luck by selecting a particularly speedy looking woolly worm to purchase from one of the local children.

The woolly worm that becomes champion of the Woolly Worm Race is then used by festival's "Woolly Worm Readers" to determine the official Woolly Worm Forecast for winter! If that isn't honor enough, the woolly worm's owner will also win a cash prize! [For more information, contact: Woolly Worm Festival,
PO Box 3335,
Banner Elk, NC 28604
Phone: (828) 898-5605].

References:
The Official Site of The Wooly Worm Festival 

University of Illinois at Urban – Champaign

Iowa State University Entomology Department

* Folklore and Weather lore of Winter *

Source Unknown or Unavailable

~ Count each foggy day in August, there will be a snowfall for each.

~ If July is hot & August is exceptionally cool, it will bring a hard winter with little snow.

~ A windy December is indicated by a rainy March.

~ If October is overly warm, February will be exceptionally cold

~ If October’s full moon arrives without a frost, there won’t be front until after November’s full moon.

~ The severity of Winter can be foretold by how close to Christmas Day the new moon falls – the closer it is, the harder the Winter to come.

~ If Autumn flowers bloom late, the Winter will be bad.

~ If in August the first week is exceptionally warm, the following Winter will be very long, and bring heavy snows.

~ Expect a bad Winter if November is overly warm.

~ Watch the growth of the weeds – their height indicates how high the snow banks will be.

~ If the leaves drop early in the season, it indicates winter will be mild, however, if the leaves drop late, winter will be nasty

~ A cold Winter is indicated by thunder in the Fall.

~ Thunder during the week of Christmas foretells a rough Winter.

~ If Christmas is green, Easter will be white

~ Onion skins are an indicator of the coming Winter – if thin, the Winter will be mild, if thick & tough, Winter will be long & hard

~ Look to other fruits & vegetables , as well as wildlife for signs – thick cornhusks, tough apple skins, plentiful nuts & berries, early migration of birds, bees building very high in trees – all indications to prepare for a bad Winter.

~ If ant hills are high in July, the Winter will have lots of snow.

~ Squirrels scurrying to gather nuts indicates a fast, heavy snowfall is on the way. Holding their tails high is another indication of a long Winter.

~ Look at the breast of your Thanksgiving goose (turkey maybe..? not sure on this one…) lots of spots indicate long, cold Winter, few  spots indicates a mild Winter.

~ Have access to a partridge (not necessarily in a pear tree…)? Look at the feathers on it’s legs. The farther down they’ve grown, the more severe the Winter to come.

~ A wide brown band on a woolly bear caterpillar, says it will be a mild Winter.

~ The first snowfall coming before the ground has frozen hard indicates a mild Winter.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Thursday This Is Your Spell – Snow ***Merry Christmas!!!***

* Invocation to the Snow Queen *
By Lilly Willow; © Copyright 2000

I looked and looked for a source for this, but couldn’t locate anywhere on the web. But I think it’s beautiful & should be shared… if this is yours, and you have a site you’d like others to visit, please contact me

Once upon a dark and frigid night,
through the still and silent forest,
a faint, cloaked figure beckons me.
The Snow Queen.

Her delicate alabaster hands
with their long pale icy fingers unfurl.
A blustery wind begins to chill my face,
as the sky's feathery flakes drift down,
blanketing the woods with alabaster.

Closer, and closer now, I see her breath,
soft puffs of tiny frosted crystals,
that catches the gossamer silvery moon's light
Whispering my name with her ancient voice,

I soon grow weary and curl up to rest.
She embraces me with her primordial ice
and then is gone, the Queen of Winter,
leaving no footprints in the snow.

Spell For Protection In The Snow
found on Wicca

You will need:

• A non-metal bowl
• One peppercorn
• A pinch of salt
• Pinch of powdered ginger
• Pinch of powdered cloves
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• A small square piece of red cloth (Preferably cotton)

Place the peppercorn in your bowl, visualize you traveling safely through the snow, guarded and protected. Say this:

"I charge you with protection.”

Place the salt in your bowl, visualize as above, and say:

"I charge you with stability."

Place the cayenne pepper in your bowl, visualize as above, and say:

"I charge you with warmth."

Place the ginger in your bowl, visualize as above, and say:

"I charge you with protection."

Place the cloves in your bowl, visualize as above, and say:

"I charge you with health."

Mix the assembled spices and salt with your fingers. Visualize yourself having safe travel, a protected and cozy time, happy play times in the snow, etc etc. Now transfer the herbs to the center of the cloth square. Fold in half, and then in half again and sew up the ends. Carry this with you during Winter tide. Make a new charm every snowy season.

Snow Magic
found at Wiccan Information

Snow is nature’s purifier. It insulates plants and seeds against winter’s fury and cleanses the earth. Snow is the perfect element for winter rituals. To remove negativity from the home, try this snowball spell:
As the moon wanes, make a snowball and stand outside your home. Hold the snowball and visualize red light streaming from every window and door, collecting in the snowball. See the light changing from red to blue. Place the snowball on the ground as you say:

“I release all negative (or name a specific problem) and let it return to the earth.”

Let the snowball melt naturally. If you live in an area without snow, use ice. Before winter purification rituals, place snow or ice in a white bowl and let it melt. Anoint your forehead, heart, feet and magical tools with this water. Then proceed with your spell.

And for the witchlets….or anyone who needs a break, really *grin*

Spell to Make It Snow – Part 2 (Pt. 1 is here )
Source Unknown

You go outside and kind of like run in place, or you can just run in circles while you chant

"Snow, snow,
You're there I know;
Please come down and touch the ground
And make it white all around".

You have to do it at least four to five times.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Wednesday – Christmas Eve – Christmas History & Lore

* The Holly King and Other Lore *
From the earth Witchery Webpage; Source no longer available : (

The Holly King

From the Celtic tradition, we get a pair of ancient pagan images who fight for supremacy at Yule. The Holly King and the Oak King are probably constructs of the Druids to whom these two trees were highly sacred. The Oak King (king of the waxing year) kills the Holly King (king of the waning year) at Yule. The Oak King then reigns until Midsummer when the two battle again, this time with the Holly King as the victor. The Holly King, who has evolved into the present day Santa Claus, wears red, dons a sprig of holly in his hat, and drives a team of eight (total number of solar Sabbats) deer, an animal sacred to the Celtic Gods. Holly and mistletoe are traditional to the season through commemoration of the battle. The holly was hung in honor of the Holly King; the mistletoe (which grows high in the branches of oak trees) in honor of the Oak King. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Yule, but they are two sides of a whole, and neither could exist without the other.

Santa Claus

Today's Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year), and Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats). Julbock or Julbukk, the Yule goat, from Sweden and Norway, had his beginnings as carrier for the god Thor. Now he carries the Yule elf when he makes his rounds to deliver presents and receive his offering of porridge.

When Early Christians co-opted the Yule holiday, they replaced the ancient Holly King with religious figures like St. Nicholas, who was said to live in Myra (Turkey) in about 300 A.D. Born an only child of a wealthy family, he was orphaned at an early age when both parents died of the plague. He grew up in a monastery and at the age of 17 became one of the youngest priests ever. Many stories are told of his generosity as he gave his wealth away in the form of gifts to those in need, especially children. Legends tell of him either dropping bags of gold down chimneys or throwing the bags through the windows where they landed in the stockings hung from the fireplace to dry. Some years later Nicholas became a bishop--hence the bishop's hat or miter, long flowing gown, white beard and red cape.

When the Reformation took place, the new Protestants no longer desired St. Nicholas as their gift-giver as he was too closely tied to the Catholic Church. Therefore, each country or region developed their own gift-giver. In France he was known as Pare Noel. In England he was Father Christmas (always depicted with sprigs of holly, ivy, or mistletoe). Germany knew him as Weihnachtsmann (Christmas man). When the communists took over in Russia and outlawed Christianity, the Russians began to call him Grandfather Frost, who wore blue instead of the traditional red. To the Dutch, he was Sinterklaas (which eventually was mispronounced in America and became Santa Claus). La Befana, a kindly witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys into the stockings of Italian children. These Santas were arrayed in every color of the rainbow--sometimes even in black. But they all had long white beards and carried gifts for the children.All of these Santas, however, never stray far from his earliest beginnings as god of the waning year. As witches, we reclaim Santa's Pagan heritage.

Reindeer

Santa's reindeer most probably evolved from Herne, the Celtic Horned God. Eight reindeer pull Santa's sleigh, representative of the eight solar Sabbats. In British lore, the stag is one of the five oldest and wisest animals in the world, embodying dignity, power and integrity. From their late Autumn dramatic rutting displays, stags represented strength, sexuality and fertility. As evidenced by multiple prehistoric excavations of stag antler ritual costumes, the wearing of stag antlers in folk dance recreated the sacred male shaman figure called Lord of the Wild Hunt, Cernunnos, or Herne the Hunter, among others--he who travels between worlds, escorting animal spirits to the afterlife and sparking wisdom and fertility in this world. Likewise, the stag's branching antlers echo the growth of vegetation. In America, the stag represents male ideals: the ability to "walk one's talk," and powerfully, peacefully blend stewardship and care of the tribe with sexual and spiritual integrity.

In Northern European myth, the Mother Goddess lives in a cave, gives birth to the sun child, and can shape shift into a white hind, or doe. Therefore, the white hind was magical, to be protected and never hunted. In myth, graceful running women of the forest--who were actually magical white hinds--brought instant old age or death to hunters who chased them. To the Celts, all deer were especially symbolic of nurturing, gentle and loving femaleness. White deer hide was used to make tribal women's clothing. White deer called "faery cattle" were commonly believed to offer milk to fairies. In Britain amongst the Druids, some men experienced life-transforming epiphanies from spiritual visions or visitations by white hinds, balancing and healing their inner feminine energy. In Europe white hinds truly exist, and are many shades of warm white cream-colors, with pale lashes--otherworldly in their peaceful and modest behavior. To many Native American tribes, deer are models of the graceful and patient mother who exhibits unconditional love and healthy, integrated female energy.

Wreaths

The Wheel of the Year is often symbolized by the wreath. Its circle has no beginning and no end, illustrating that everything in its time comes back to its point of origin and travels onward, over and over again. Scandinavians began the tradition of hanging the wreath at Yule, the beginning of their new year, to commemorate new beginnings in the cycle of life. Today in rural Germany, a giant wreath, known as St. Catherine's Wheel, is a holdover from another pagan custom which involved sympathetic magic to lure the sun's warmth back to the earth. A giant four-spoked wheel with an effigy of a person bound to it, is lighted on fire and rolled down a hill. (The effigy probably hearkens back to a time when human sacrifices were made in plea to the sun.) In some traditions, Yule was a more important holiday for honoring the Sun God than Midsummer. In Winter, Mother Earth was cold and barren without the fertilizing power of Father Sun.

Mistletoe

Mistletoe was also known as the golden bough and was held sacred by both the Celtic Druids and the Norse. Mistletoe was used by the Druid priesthood in a very special ceremony held around this time...five days after the New Moon following winter solstice, to be precise. The Druid priests would cut mistletoe from a holy oak tree with a golden sickle. The branches had to be caught before they touched the ground.

Celts believed this parasitic plant held the soul of the host tree. The priest then divided the branches into many sprigs and distributed them to the people, who hung them over doorways as protection against thunder, lightning and other evils. The folklore, and the magical powers of this plant, blossomed over the centuries A sprig placed in a baby's cradle would protect the child from faeries. Giving a sprig to the first cow calving after New Year would protect the entire herd. Now for the kissing part. Although many sources say that kissing under the mistletoe is a purely English custom, there's another, more charming explanation for its origin that extends back into Norse mythology. It's the story of a loving, if overprotective, mother.

The Norse god Balder was the best loved of all the gods. His mother was Frigga, goddess of love and beauty. She loved her son so much that she wanted to make sure no harm would come to him. So she went through the world, securing promises from everything that sprang from the four elements -fire, water, air, and earth - that they would not harm her beloved Balder. Leave it to Loki, a sly, trickster spirit, to find the loophole. The loophole was mistletoe. He made an arrow from its wood. To make the prank even nastier, he took the arrow to Hoder, Balder's brother, who was blind. Guiding Holder's hand, Loki directed the arrow at Balder's heart, and he fell dead. Frigga's tears became the mistletoe's white berries. In the version of the story with a happy ending, Balder is restored to life, and Frigga is so grateful that she reverses the reputation of the offending plant -making it a symbol of love and promising to bestow a kiss upon anyone who passes under it. Balder is sometimes seen as the sacrificed and resurrected god, who is restored to his people after the Battle of Ragnarok.

Lights

Winter was a time of death and stagnation in the eyes of early humans.The earth was barren and unproductive, shelter was drafty, disease was common, and food was scarce. Little wonder they did all in their power to assure the Sun's return each year. During the festivals of the waning year, fire became a form of sympathetic magick to entice the Sun back to the earth. Bonfires were lit; Flaming wheels rolled down hillsides; Burning candles were placed in windows. Candles were later placed in the boughs of evergreen trees, later evolving into lights on our holiday trees.

Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols. If you have an indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log and save a bit to start next year's fire. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights. Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.

Saint Nick, Old Nick & The Good God Thor
Talk by Rel Davis,
Minister of the Unitarian Fellowship of South Florida,
1812 Roosevelt Street, Hollywood, Florida 33020,
December 18, 1993.

The festival of Christmas has always been a controversial one in Christianity. The Puritans banned Christmas altogether and during the Cromwellian period in England, anyone celebrating Christmas was jailed for heresy. Probably the most hated of all Puritan laws was the one abolishing Christmas and probably led to popular acceptance of royalty - at least the king allowed the masses to celebrate Yule!

In America, Christmas was generally outlawed until the end of the last century. In Boston, up to 1870, anyone missing work on Christmas Day would be fired. Factory owners customarily required employees to come to work at 5 a.m. on Christmas -- to insure they wouldn't have time to go to church that day. And any student who failed to go to school on December 25 would be expelled. Only the arrival of large numbers of Irish and northern European immigrants brought acceptance of Christmas in this country.

Even today, large segments of the fundamentalist movement oppose Christmas as a pagan holiday. In some homes, Santa Claus is called "Satan Claus" and St. Nick is considered to be identical with Old Nick. So who is this Santa Claus character who is really the main emblem of Christmas? The Church says that Santa Claus is nothing but Saint Nicholas, an austere bishop of Asia Minor who lived in the fourth century. There are two stories about Nicholas. One, the expurgated version taught by the modern church, and the other, the colorful one taught by early Christians. Let's look at the modern version first.

Nicholas was born into a rich family in the city of Parara but his parents died while he was only a child. He was raised an orphan and became a priest. When he did so he gave all his possessions to the poor, and especially to orphans. He made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and on the way a storm threatened to swamp his ship. He prayed and the storm was calmed. He is now patron saint of some sailors. When he returned he was elected bishop of Myra. Under Diocletian he was imprisoned but freed under the Emperor Constantine. That's the story. According to the church, his feast day of December 5 was transferred to Christmas by the Dutch, who called him Sinter Klaus.

The older story is a lot juicier. In reality, of course, there is no historical record of a "Nicholas" ever having been born. The story went that he was born a saint, fasting even as an infant. They said he would only take his mother's breast on Wednesdays and Fridays. According to the stories, he became a bishop because his predecessor predicted it in a dream, and he was the first person to enter the church the next day. He was said to bring back the dead from a magic cauldron. He could stop any storm at sea by ordering it to calm. He miraculously multiplied a shipment of grain so it could feed his entire diocese for two years, with enough left over for a new crop of grain. When he died, his bones exuded a huge quantity of holy oil capable of curing any known disease. One of his most famous acts of charity was the throwing of money through open windows to provide dowries for unmarried women. He really did not like spinsters and believed all women should accept the slavery of lawful marriage!

One group of Christians followed Nicholas' teachings. They were a gnostic sect called the Nicolaites who believed that the only way to salvation was through frequent intercourse between the sexes. Though they were brutally suppressed by other Christians, they recognized Nicholas, and his cauldron of regeneration, as a pagan fertility god. In fact, Nicholas was nothing but the ancient Roman God Poseidon in new guise. Poseidon was the god of the sea, possessor of a magic cauldron and capable of calming the sea with his voice. The Teutonic equivalent was called Hold Nickar, king of the nixies. A nixy was a sea nymph, like a mermaid or water fairy. He was the Danish sea-god. The English called him Old Nick and when the Europeans brought their "St. Nicholas" to England, they instantly recognized him as their own. By the way, the symbol of St. Nicholas in the church is either a phallus in a yoni (the older symbol) or three golden balls (later the symbol of the Medici family and now of pawnbrokers). Both of these are ancient fertility symbols.

Today, we think of Old Nick as synonymous with the devil, the Christian anti-Christ. Old Nick is a bad guy. His alter ego, St. Nick, however, is a good guy. Let's get back to Santa Claus, or Sinter Klaus, the real hero of Christmas. Christian scholars claim that the Dutch "Sinter Klaus" was really Saint Nicholas, and that "Sinter" is Dutch for "saint." Well, don't you believe it. The best evidence is that the term was originally "Klaus of the cinders," that is, the man from the chimney. This explains the color of his clothing (red and white, the color of fire.) The Dutch really weren't so stupid as to confuse December 5 (St. Nicholas' day) with December 25 (Yule). Santa Claus never was St. Nicholas. So who was he?

Let me quote from a nineteenth century book on nordic mythology, H.A. Grueber's Myths of Northern Lands, published in 1895. He wrote:

“Thor was the god of the peasants and the common people. He was represented as an elderly may, jovial and friendly, of heavy build, with a long white beard. His element was the fire, his color red. The rumble and roar of thunder were said to be caused by the rolling of his chariot, for he alone among the gods never rode on horseback but drove in a chariot drawn by two white goats (called Cracker and Gnasher). He was fighting the giants of ice and snow, and thus became the Yule-god. He was said to live in the "Northland" where he had his palace among icebergs. By our pagan forefathers he was considered as the cheerful and friendly god, never harming the humans but rather helping and protecting them. The fireplace in every home was especially sacred to him, and he was said to come down through the chimney into his element, the fire. Every Yule, the good god Thor would visit every home with an altar to him (i.e., every home with a fireplace!) and bring gifts to children, who would put out their sabots (wooden shoes) the night before. Good children would receive gifts of fruit, candy and pieces of coal to burn in the fireplace. “

He had another name to the ancients, Kris Kringle, Christ of the Wheel. This was his name as solar deity, reborn at the winter solstice, as the wheel (yule) of the sun turned slowly around. Again, the church pretends that Kris Kringle is the germanic expression, Kristkind (Christ-child). But if that is true, why has it always applied to Santa Claus, and not to the baby?

Yule was a time of feasting and celebrating the eventual end of the winter. The word Yul meant wheel and the day of Yul was the first day the sun visibly turned in its long drop toward the horizon, the day the sun-wheel turned. The month of December was also called Yule, but it was a different word, the word Geol or feast. December was a month of feasting to our ancestors. The aspects of Yule or Christmas are all of pagan origin. The mistletoe (banned by the early church, by the way) was an ancient symbol of rebirth, being associated with the menstrual blood of the mother. Traditionally, couples "kissing" or making love under the mistletoe would have a child of their own in the coming year. Later, the mistletoe was symbolic of engagement.

The holly was also sacred, maintaining its greenness on the sacred oak. It symbolized eternal life. The fir tree was the ancient grove of the Goddess brought into the house. We call it a Christmas tree, but the Germans use the old word, tannenbaum, literally "fir tree." Gift-giving, feasting, burning the yule-log, displaying circular wreaths (symbol of the sun's wheel), and singing carols (literally, "dances"!) are all of pagan origin. Even the creche, the manger scene, is of traditional origin, for this was always the season for the birth of the child- god. The infant surrounded by adoring gods (wearing the halo or sun-symbol on their heads) predated Christianity by many thousands of years as well. Baal was honored by similar scenes in ancient Palestine. Osiris in Egypt. Even the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus was borrowed unashamedly from ancient tales. Clouds of singing angels, the virgin birth, even the obligatory flight of the small child and the death of other infants - all occurred in similar tales long before.

There is really very little in Christmas that would not have felt completely comfortable to our pagan ancestors. Just remember when you sing the carols that the "virgin mother" is nothing less than the primal queen of heaven: Mariamne, mother of god; Aphrodite-Mari, mother of the ocean foam; Stella Maris, Isis' name as Star of the Sea; Maya, the oriental mother of the savior, and all the other forms of the ancient goddess.

Worried about the name of the holiday, Christmas? The Mass of Christ. That's an ancient term as well. Christ merely meant "the anointed one" and originally referred to the oiling of the god's phallus before intercourse. "Thou anointest my head with oil" had an altogether different meaning than today's theologians like to admit! A Christ was anyone who had been treated with oil -- usually a god. And the word "mass" is also pagan in origin. The Latin word is missa and was derived from the Persian word mizd, which was the communion cake used in Mithraic ritual. The mizd cake was said to contain the divine flesh and blood of the sacred bull-god sacrificed by Mithra. (Mithra, by the way, was born on December 25, of a virgin. His birth was witnessed by shepherds and magicians [magi]. Mithra raised the dead and healed the sick and cast out demons. He returned to heaven at the spring equinox and before doing so had a last supper with his 12 disciples [the 12 signs of the zodiac], eating mizd, a piece of bread marked with a cross [the symbol of the sun]. Any of that sound familiar?)

So Christmas is simply the "bread feast of the anointed god's phallus." Pretty darned pagan, wouldn't you say? The yuletide is a time of peace. Of joy. Of giving to others. It's a beautiful old holiday that Christianity has never quite been able to stamp out.

* The Yule tree (lore, correspondences, decorating, and consecrating) *
From the Earth Witchery Website; Source no longer Available : (

Lore

The Celtic Druids venerated evergreen trees as manifestations of deity and as symbols of the universe. To the Celts, these trees were sacred because they did not die from year to year like deciduous trees. Therefore they represented the eternal aspect of the Goddess who also never dies. Their greenery was symbolic of the hope for the sun's return. The Druids decorated the evergreen trees at Yule with all the images of the things they wished the waxing year to bring. Fruits for a successful harvest, love charms for happiness, nuts for fertility, and coins for wealth adorned the trees. These were forerunners to many of the images on today's Christmas trees. Candles were the forerunners of today's electric tree lights. In Scandinavia, Yule trees were brought inside to provide a warm and festive place for tree elementals who inhabited the woodland. This was also a good way to coax the native faery folk to participate in Solstice rituals. Some believed the Saxons were the first to place candles in the tree. Gradually sacred tree imagery was absorbed and minimalized by the Christian church--but it was never able to destroy trees' resonance within our collective unconscious completely. We realize when we plant a tree we are encouraging the Earth to breathe. And when we decorate our evergreen trees at Yule, we are making a symbol of our dream world with the objects we hang upon it. Perhaps a chain or garland, reflecting the linking of all together on Earth. Lights--for the light of human consciousness, animal figures who serve as our totems, fruits and colors that nourish and give beauty to our world, gold and silver for prosperity, treats and nuts that blend sweet and bitter--just as in real life. The trees we decorate now with symbols of our perfect worlds actually animate what we esteem and what we hope for in the coming year; as from this night, the light returns, reborn.

 Decorating the Tree

It's best to use a live tree, but if you can't, you can perform an outdoor ritual thanking a tree, making sure to leave it a gift when you're finished (either some herbs or food for the animals and birds). Start a seedling for a new tree to be planted at Beltane. If apartment rules or other conditions prevent you from using a live tree indoors, be sure to bring live evergreen garlands or wreaths into the house as decorations.

• String popcorn and cranberries and hang them on the Yule tree or an outdoor tree for birds.
• Decorate pine cones with glue and glitter as symbols of the faeries and place them in the Yule tree.
• Glue the caps onto acorns and attach with a red string to hang on the Yule tree
• Hang little bells on the Yule tree to call the spirits and faeries.
• Hang robin and wren ornaments on the tree. The robin is the animal equivalent of the Oak King, the wren of the Holly King. Each Yule and Midsummer they play out the same battle as the two kings.
• Hang 6-spoked snowflakes on the branches of the tree. The Witches Rune, or Hagalaz, has 6 spokes.
• Hang sun, moon, star, Holly King, faery, or fruit decorations.
• String electric lights on your tree to encourage the return of the Sun.

Consecrating the Tree

Consecrate the Yule tree by sprinkling it with salted water, passing the smoke of incense (bayberry, pine, spruce, pine, spice, cedar, or cinnamon) through the branches, and walking around the tree with a lighted candle saying:

"By fire and water, air and earth, I consecrate this tree of rebirth."

Christmas Tree Legends
(unknown source)

Many legends exist about the origin of the Christmas tree. One is the story of Saint Boniface, an English monk who organized the Christian Church in France and Germany. One day, as he traveled about, he came upon a group of pagans gathered around a great oak tree about to sacrifice a child to the god Thor. To stop the sacrifice and save the child's life. Boniface felled the tree with one mighty blow of his fist. In its place grew a small fir tree. The saint told the pagan worshipers that the tiny fir was the Tree of Life and stood the eternal life of Christ. Another legend holds that Martin Luther, a founder of the Protestant faith, was walking through the forest one Christmas Eve. As he walked he was awed by the beauty of millions of stars glimmering through the branches of the evergreen trees. So taken was he by this beautiful sight that he cut a small tree and took it home to his family. To recreate that same starlight beauty he saw in the wood, he placed candles on all its branches. Yet another legend tells of a poor woodsman who long ago met a lost and hungry child on Christmas Eve. Though very poor himself, the woodsman gave the child food and shelter for the night. The woodsman woke the next morning to find a beautiful glittering tree outside his door. The hungry child was really the Christ Child in disguise. He created the tree to reward the good man for his charity. Others feel the origin of the Christmas tree may be the "Paradise Play." In medieval times most people would not read and plays were used to teach the lessons of the bible all over Europe. The Paradise Play, which showed the creation of man and the fall of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden was performed every year on December 24th. The play was performed in winter creating a slight problem. An apple tree was needed but apple trees do not bare fruit in winter so a substitution was made. Evergreens were hung with apples and used instead.

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.

Tuesday Try A New Taste – Yule/Christmas Feast!

Well, the big day is almost upon us! For today’s post, I am going to give you a full Yule/Christmas meal, complete with appetizers, salad, main course, dessert, after dinner drinks, before dinner drinks, witchlet drinks *grin* and of course, what would a Christmas dinner be without fudge..?

Appetizers

* Holiday Cheese Balls *
Posted by Susie

Ingredients:

• 1-8 oz pkg cream cheese
• 2 green onions (chopped)
• 1 pkg Carl Buddig beef (chopped)
• assorted crackers

Directions:

Combine all 3 ingredients together and form a mixture into a ball. Let set overnight in the fridge. Serve with a variety of crackers.

Dawtch’s Cheese Ball
by Me :)

Ingredients:

• One lg. container of Cream cheese with chives & onions (yes, I cheat…lol)
• One pound of deli shaved Honey Ham
• Ritz, Townhouse or Club – I prefer the Ritz in Holiday shapes for this particular situation…or whatever kind you like. You can use several different kinds for a pretty presentation :)

Directions:

Empty the cream cheese into a medium sized mixing bowl. Mash & mix until softened (I use a wooden utensil for this, but is personal preference, really). Take the ham out of the bag and place on a cutting board. If it was well shaved by the deli, all you need to do is pile it up, and make thin slices, each direction,  to get the perfect size pieces. Once the cheese is softened a bit, add the ham to it and mix well – this can take some serious energy to complete…When it is mixed well, form into a ball shape, and place in the center of a plate, or one of those serving dish thingys, and surround with crackers. I always try to let it sit out for about an hour or so to make it soft enough to serve. Always a big hit!

Salad

* Yule Salad *
Recipe by Joanna L. Davis (aka Althaea)
from Storm Wing’s Wicca Page

Ingredients:

• 1/2 bag fresh cranberries
• 3 lg stalks celery
• 3-4 large carrots
• 1 large orange
• 1 can crushed pineapples
• 1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts, your preference)
• 1 large (or 2 small) box raspberry, or raspberry-cranberry Jell-O
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water

Open can of pineapples and drain, saving the juice. Put aside. Mix the saved juice from the pineapples and 1 cup of cold water together. Prepare Jell-O according to directions, but where the directions call for 2 cups cold water, use the 1 cup cold water/pineapple juice mixture. Before you add the cold mixture to the hot, add the sugar to the hot Jell-O mixture, and dissolve, then add cold water/pineapple juice mixture, combine well and refrigerate. Be sure to put into a large salad or mixing bowl. Shred the carrots finely - put aside. Finely chop celery with a knife or food processor. (I only like the flavor of celery, not the texture, so I use the blender to chop it up very fine). Chop or crush walnuts. Grate orange peel with fine grater (a cheese grater will do). Peel orange and clean as much of the pith (the white stuff) away as possible, and section by hand. In a blender put the cranberries, one handful at a time into the water and chop finely. Add the orange sections and chop more coarsely (using the pulse button on your blender). Add to the Jell-O mixture. Add all other ingredients to the Jell-O mixture and mix well. Refrigerate over night.

Topping for salad:

You may top with whipped cream or Cool Whip, but I love this topping the best, it is a nice accent to the sweetness of the salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup real mayonnaise

Blend well and place by the tablespoonful on top of the jelled salad. Enjoy!! Happy Yule!

Breads

* Sweet Bread for Yule Rituals *
From Talmira Lowe

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz Active Dry Yeast
• ½ cup Sugar
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs, well beaten
• 2 ½ lbs. (10 cups) flour (I use unbleached flour)
• 1 pint milk
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ lb. Butter or margarine
• ½ pt sour cream
• 1/4 lb shortening
• 1 tsp vanilla

Soften yeast in lukewarm water. In large bowl, place flour, butter and shortening; mix with hands. Add sugar, milk, salt and sour cream; continue mixing. Add softened yeast; mix. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Knead well for 10 minutes. Roll into a long roll and cut in 6 equal parts. Roll each part thin; brush with melted butter and fill with desired filling. Roll as a jelly roll; place on greased cookie sheet. Let rise in a warm place for 2-3 hours. Bare at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. When done, brush with melted butter.

Fillings:

*Nut Filling

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground nuts (I prefer walnuts for this)
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 1 cup white raisins
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• warm milk

Add enough milk to make a spreading consistency. Combine ingredients and spread on dough.

*Poppy Seed filling:

Ingredients:

• ½ lb ground poppy seeds
• ½ cup scalded milk
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tbs melted butter

Combine all ingredients well. Spread on dough.

This bread is also great with prepared plume butter, apricot butter, apple butter try many different filling you will love them.

Main Course Choices

*Chicken Wreath*
Posted by Susie

Ingredients:

• 2-8 oz cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
• 5 oz can chicken drained
• 2/3 can cream chicken soup
• 4 oz Monterey jack cheese
• 1 onion
• 1 red pepper
• 3/4 cup sm broccoli cuts
• 1/4 cup water chestnuts

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop all veggies very tiny or use food processor. Flake chicken up small as well. Combine all but the dough in a bowl. Arrange crescent triangles in a pan so the bases are overlapping a little and the points are pointing out. Scoop filling onto widest part of each triangle. Fold each point of dough over filling and tuck under the base at the center. Filling will not be completely covered. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cut with pizza cutter and serve.

 

* Brazos Turkey Chili *
Posted by Susie

Ingredients:

• 4 red chili peppers
• 4 green chili peppers
• 1 onion
• 6 garlic cloves
• 2 tblsp cumin seeds
• 3 tblsp chili powder
• 1 tblsp coriander
• 1 tblsp cinnamon
• 1 tblsp pepper
• 2 lb ground turkey
• 3 tblsp oil
• 4 cups tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup beer
• 7 oz jalapeno
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1 tblsp green onions
• 2 tblsp cilantro
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:
Lightly toast red and green chili peppers on a griddle. Cover with boiling water and let sit 15 mins. Drain and blend in a food processor, adding just enough soaking liquid, to make a paste; set aside. In a lg. skillet, sauté chopped onion, crushed garlic cloves, and cumin seeds over medium heat for about 10 mins. Add the chili peppers paste, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, and pepper, sauté for 5 mins., set aside. In a large kettle brown ground turkey in oil, add chopped tomatoes, chicken broth, beer, and chopped jalapenos. Add the vegetable mixture and bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30-45 mins. Just before serving, stir in unsweetened baking cocoa. Garnish with chopped green onions, cilantro, and sour cream

 

Dessert

* Granny's Dark Christmas Cake *
From Sam

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 1 lb softened butter (room temp not melted)
• 1 lb flour ( all purpose sifted)
• 1 lb sugar (white)
• 2 lbs currants
• 2 lbs raisins
• 1/2 lb of cherries (candied)
• 1/2 lb of mixed peel or dried candied fruit
• 1/2 lbs of nuts (any kind - optional)
• 2 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1/2 tsp clove (ground)

Choose one or other: 1 10-12 oz bottle of maraschino cherries (juice and all) *or* 1 med can of crushed pineapple (juice and all) Choose one or other: Booze of any kind 4 oz in cake and the remaining 8 oz for marinade (Brandy or Dark Rum are very nice) *or* 4 oz of orange or pineapple or apple juice.

This recipe makes a small 3 tiered wedding cake or 2 medium fruitcakes in 8x8x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place a small tin of water in the bottom of the oven. Line the cake pans with oiled brown paper or parchment paper. In a very large bowl mix all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the eggs into the softened butter until creamy. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients along with all the fruit, fruit juices, and 4 oz of liqueur. Mix well. You may need a spare pair of arms to mix the batter as it is heavy and stiff and very tiring to mix well. Spoon into pans and bake. Bake until wooden skewer stuck into middle comes out clean.

Approximate Cooking times
For a 3 tiered cake: Small tins approx. 2 hours
Medium tins approx 3 hours
Large tin approx 4 hours
2 8x8 squares treat - 2 hours and test for doneness.

To Marinade
Let cake cool in pans. Lift out. Place on plate with a rim and peel off the paper. Prick all over with skewer on both sides and pour 4 oz of liquor over the cake. Turn cake over and repeat with the remaining 4 oz. Use pieces of cheesecloth to soak up all the remaining liquor and wrap each cake. Then wrap each package in foil and store in back of fridge or in cake tins in cold storage. Turn them over every 2 or three weeks. Add more booze or fruit juice to moisten cheese cloth if it feels dry. Eat anytime after 2 months. Keeps well for 4-6 months refrigerated. May be iced with almond paste or steamed and served with hard sauce like Xmas pudding.
* Hard Sauce Recipe

Note: for a perfect sauce beat long and hard until it is fluffy and smooth. This takes time.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup of butter (Let stand at room temp until soft but not melted)
• 1 cup of sifted icing sugar (powdered or confectioner’s sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Cream butter thoroughly Gradually beat in sugar Beat until as light as whipped cream. Beat in vanilla. Chill or serve at room temperature.

Variations on Hard Sauce:
For richer sauces beat 1/4 cup heavy cream or whipping cream and add to the Hard Sauce once made. For Brandy or Wine Flavored Sauce flavor with 1 tsp brandy or 1-3 tsp sherry instead of vanilla.
For Lemon Flavored Hard Sauce add 1/3 tsp lemon extract or 1 tsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp grated lemon rind instead of vanilla.
For Mocha Hard Sauce flavor with 2 tbsp strong coffee and 2 tsp dry cocoa instead of vanilla.
For Orange Hard Sauce use 2 tbsp orange juice and 2 tbsp grated orange rind instead of vanilla.

Beverages

* Christmas Cappuccino *
by Yvonne Womack, found at Pastry Wiz

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c Espresso beans
• 3 c Boiling water
• 2 tbs Sugar
• 1 Vanilla bean, split
• 4 c Milk
• 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate chopped
• Whipped cream - optional

In a coffee mill, finely grind the beans. In a coffee maker, brew the espresso with the boiling water. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon and set aside. Using a small knife, scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into a medium saucepan. Pour in the milk and scald over moderate heat, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, add chocolate and stir until melted. Cover and keep warm over very low heat. Divide the hot espresso into 4 cups. In a blender, begin whipping half of the warm chocolate milk at low speed. Gradually increase the speed to high and blend until frothy, about 1 minute. Pour the chocolate milk into the cups of coffee, stir briefly and top each serving with some of the milk froth. Sprinkle the reserved cinnamon sugar on top. Serve immediately with a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

* Colonial Hot Buttered Rum *

found at Recipe Source

Ingredients:

To serve 2:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar                  
• 4 teaspoons butter – softened
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole clove
• 1 dash ground cinnamon
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 cups warm water
• 1/2 cup rum

To Serve 15:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2 cups rum

For both:

• heavy cream, whipped
• nutmeg

For 2 servings: In a 2-cup measure stir together the brown sugar, butter or margarine, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir in the warm water. Micro-cook, uncovered. on 100% power for 3 to 4 minutes or till steaming hot. Stir in the rum. Serve in mugs. Garnish with lemon slices, or cinnamon stick, broken in half to make 2, if desired. Or top with heavy cream, sprinkled with nutmeg

For 15 servings: Put all ingredients, except rum, cream and nutmeg into crockpot. Add 2 quarts hot water. Stir well. Cover pot and cook on low for 5 hours. Add rum; stir to blend. Serve from pit in warm mugs with a scoop of whipped cream & a dusting of nutmeg.

* Wassail Bowl With Baked Apples *
Posted by Kriss

Ingredients:

• 3 large cooking apples cored
• 1 gallon of Cider, apple
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole allspice
• 2 tsp of ground nutmeg
• 16 ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate
• 16 ounce can of frozen lemonade concentrate.
• 1 cup of brown sugar, packed sugar
• short cinnamon sticks

Preheat oven to 350' Cut apples in half crosswise and place cut size down, in a 13"x9" baking dish (see ya cut them crosswise, you have our Mothers Pentagram!). Bake 25 minutes or until the apples are fork tender. Meanwhile, in covered 6 quart saucepot, over low heat, simmer 2 cups of cider, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg 10 minutes. Add remaining apple cider, undiluted lemonade and orange juice concentrates and brown sugar. Heat until hot, but no boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour hot cider into a heated large punch bowl (always heat the punch bowls or they can crack when you pour hot liquid in them. Just put it in the oven on warm, not directly on the oven rack, but on a kitchen towel that is on a cookie tray.) Float apples, skin side up, and sprinkle tops with a little sugar. To serve, ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot punch in a punch cup and add a short cinnamon stick to each serving.

* Hot Chocolate A La Jena *
Posted by Jena

Need:

• Hot chocolate mix - any kind
• Milk (has to be milk or a milk -soy thingy)
• Wallymart's Sam's Choice Mint Cups (the ones covered in chocolate that are waaaaayyyy hip-spreading when you eat the whole bag in one sitting)

Heat your milk to scalding, add two or three of the mint cups, stir until they are melted in, and add your hot chocolate mix to it. If you put whipped cream on top it is even nummier!

* Spiced Pumpkin Fudge *
Posted by Nem

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. butter
• 3 c. sugar
• 2/3 c. evaporated milk
• 1/2 c. canned pumpkin
• 1 t. pumpkin pie spice
• 2 c. butterscotch baking chips
• 7 oz. jar marshmallow cream
• 1 c. chopped toasted almonds or desired nuts
• 1 t. vanilla

In heavy saucepan, combine first 5 ingredients; bring to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 234 Degrees on candy thermometer (about 4 minutes at a roiling boil). Remove from heat; stir in butter scotch chips and marshmallow cream until melted and smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into buttered 9x13 or larger pan. cool completely, cut into squares.
Makes about 3 pounds.

* Bailey's Irish Cream Fudge *
Unknown source

• 24 ounces milk chocolate chips
• 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 14 ounces marshmallow cream2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2/3 cup Bailey's Irish Cream liqueur
• 2 cups chopped nuts
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 12 ounce can evaporated milk
• 1/2 pound butter

Line a jelly roll pan (10 x 15 x 1 inch) with foil. Butter the foil. In a very large heavy bowl, place all the chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, vanilla, Bailey's Irish Cream and nuts. In a heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook slowly, stirring constantly for 11 minutes. Pour the hot milk mixture over the chocolate chip mixture, stirring by hand. The hot milk will melt the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream. Continue to stir until everything is well blended. Pour mixture into the prepared pan and chill until set. Turn out onto a large cutting board and peel off the foil. Cut into small squares.

Store refrigerated.

Yield: about 5 pounds of fudge

Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader's personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.