Hearthside

  Glad Jól! I find Yule to be such an interesting holytide for Heathenry because of the diversity of modern traditions. Some choose to celebrate it at Christmas, some at the solstice, some at the midwinter moon. Some choose to celebrate it as one day/night, some as 3, some as twelve, or even as a season. For me the Yule season encompasses 2 lunar months. The Yule moon in December, and the Midwinter moon in January. But when I say Old Jól, I mean specifically the 3 days surrounding the full moon in the Midwinter month. For me this is the most focused time of festivity in the Yule season, although other traditions are interspersed throughout the 2 lunar months.  Thinking about Jól, we are coming out of the Dark Time, looking forward to a new cycle. The sun is returning. We think back on all that has happened in the past year, we take stock of our luck, we remember those who have passed, and then we look forward to the next cycle. We gather together with kin and feast, and remini...