Yule or Yuletide is a festival observed by the historical Germanic people; it later underwent Christianized reformulation resulting in the now better-known Christmastide. Despite that Yule has undergone a Christianized reformulation, Yule is still a celebrated holiday. Paganism and Asatru are two religions that celebrate this holiday as the original not as the birth of Jesus Christ. Pagans and Norsemen claim that these traditions are theirs, but any claim they may have is indirect at best.

Celebration about Yule is different or even similar to each. Yule falls on December 21^st. On that day it is most important for Pagans and Norsemen to celebrate light as Yule is a celebration of the sun. This is a day of feasting, merry making and in Icelandic saga, a time of sacrifice. When it comes to feasting, the foods vary to a bunch of delicious dishes. Some of the foods include cookies, caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, and turkey; some of the drinks include eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, and wassail and lamb’s wool. When it comes to scents around the house, there are usually scents of pine, cedar, bayberry, and cinnamon. Decoration colors are similar to Christmastide but have more variety besides green and red. Colors are representation of fertility and sex due to the fact of worshipping Freyja the Goddess of Love. Red for blood from a woman, green represents growth and nature, gold represents the sun, and white represents snow and also fertility from a man. The day consists of several activities such as caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, exchanging presents and honoring Kris Kringle.

Traditions of Yule are known everywhere even the burning of the Yule log. The Yule log is a specially selected log burned on the hearth. Decorating a tree was originally a Yule tradition but adopted by the Christians. There’s a tradition of drinking alcohol called Wassail which is a spiced ale. Even though it is a tradition to drink this alcohol, they would never get drunk.

Christmastide is the celebration of the birth of Christ. But on Yule the worship is between gods and goddesses. Freyja, Brigid, Jord, and Mabon are the goddesses worshipped and the gods are Odin, Lugh the Oak King, the Horned One, and the Green Man.

Yuletide and Christmastide are two similar holidays that are worshipped and celebrated in very different ways. Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus and Yule celebrates the return of light.