There's a lovely scent in the air....

I can smell autumn on the breeze...it's only August, but I already feel like I'd quite like to light the fire. The blackberries in the hedgerows outside are fat and juicy, there are pumpkins growing in my veggie patch and the leaves from next door's pretty, ornamental cherry tree are blowing wildly around my garden in their hundreds. I love this time of year, I love it when you can feel the season's blending, summer giving way to autumn, my absolute favourite season...I feel warm and secure and full of a contented glow, and I know that all is well in my world.

Yule ~ The festival of rebirth

Ok, I realise this is more than a little bit late, I was half tempted to leave it out altogether, but I'd been doing so well at blogging about the Festivals, and it seemed a shame to quit when I'd almost made a whole year...so VERY briefly, here are a few words about what Yule means for me:



The Winter solstice (C.21st Dec), the shortest day and longest night of the year. After this night, the days shall grow just marginally longer and the sun begins it's ascent once more. This is a festival of great jollity & feasting ~ an affirmation of hope in dark times, when people buy treats and package them in bright colours and ribbons. The house is filled with greenery to represent life ongoing, and yule logs are burnt to celebrate warmth and welcome back the sun. Altough this festival celebrates the returning light, we recognise the importance of both light and dark, and it is fitting to set aside some time before all the merriment commences to honour the darkness ~ now is a dormant time, all the world is resting & without time to rest ourselves and recharge, we couldn't possibly acquire the strength we need to live.



Traditional symbols and associated bits and bobs...

Colours: White, Green

Flowers/Foliage: evergreen trees, holly, ivy, mistletoe

Gods/Goddess: sun gods, virgin goddesses

Symbols: yule log. shiny things (representing light, and lots of it!)

Foods: fruit cake, spiced biscuits, rich meats



(Beware, scary photo ahead...!)