Yule 2019

Public Yule Ritual – a Celebration of the Night of Mothers

Saturday, December 21, 2019
Gather at 6:30pm, Ritual at 7:00pm
Living Table UCC
3805 E 40th Street, Minneapolis 55406
https://goo.gl/maps/9aLbbLYrhK42

Gather at 6:30, ritual at 7:00pm.

Bring pictures or rememberances of your mothers to set upon the altar. Bring an offering for the Disen if you are so inclined.

In mainstream society, Yule is almost synonymous with Christmas but this was not always so. If we look into the history books, we find that the roots of the Yule tradition originate in Northern Europe. Mainstream Christmas today is dominated by Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus). But, as with many other Christian saints, there was a Saint Nicholas before there was a physical Saint Nicholas. Tracing this back, we see that the original Father Christmas, was the Yule Father, or the All Father – Odin. Likewise, we find that Yule originates in the Norse lands as well.

Originally, Yule was a two month period of celebrations, sacrifices and ritual. Scholars have connected the events of the Yule time period to the Wild Hunt, the god Odin, and increased supernatural activity, such as the aforementioned Wild Hunt and the increased activities of draugar—undead beings who walk the earth. But in the heart of the Yule season was Mōdraniht, Mütternacht or the Night of Mothers, a festival held during the winter solstice.  In this night the old founding mothers of the clan or tribe are revered, together with ancient mothers of many previous generations, the mother goddess Frigg and other deities of Roman influence known by the name of Matres or Matronae. Those women, also named Disen, were in charge of protecting the countryside and the clan and keep the welfare and fertility growing. They were also the guardians of the field and the ones who helped women to give birth and protected men in war and in the hard work.

So we see that while Modern paganism may emphasize the rebirth of the Sun at Yule, traditionally, it is more a celebration of the Mother, the bringer of life.

Join us this evening for a celebration to celebrate the mother. Bring images of your mothers, that we may honor those of the past. Join us in a ritual to honor the mothers past, celebrate the mothers present and empower the mothers in the coming year to protect our collective welfare.