What is the historical relationship between Yule and Christmas?
score:2
It is probably somewhat, but not entirely coincidental.
We aren't 100% sure exactly why Christmas is celebrated when it is. The leading theory is that the date of Christmas was set to match (or rather, co-opt) a pagan Winter Solstice festival. The specific festival most point to was Sol Invictus. Historians going as far back as the 12th century were reporting this theory. Sol Invictus being the Roman sun god, the timing of his festival just after the Winter Solstice (the day with the least sunlight all year), is no coincidence.
Another prominent theory is that it is tied to the date of the Vernal Equinox (exactly 9 months later to be precise), which of course indirectly also ends up placing it just after the Winter Solstice.
So while the date was set before the Germanics were converted, the fact that it coincides with (and perhaps helps co-opt) their own "Yule" solstice festival, isn't exactly a coincidence.
Upvote:0
You may want to read the following related question: Were there Gifts on the Days Leading Up to Christmas?
To paraphrase what it says there:
In Scotland, the twelve days of the Yule festival, called Da latha dheug na Nollaig, were celebrated according to the traditions of the viking invaders and they had the custom of giving gifts on all twelve days from Christmas Day to the Day of the Epiphany. You can find a long rundown of these and similar customs in Keary's book "Outline of Primitive Beliefs" (1882). The Golden Bough by James Frazer also has a long article on it.
More post
- 📝 Do the Chadwyck-Healey baronets have a coat of arms?
- 📝 Did Johann Tetzel really claim to be able to give indulgences even for the sin of violating the Mother of God?
- 📝 Why was record keeping forbidden in Ancient Sparta?
- 📝 How were British tea taxes collected in Boston in the early 1770s?
- 📝 How did early farmer societies "know" about protein contents of peas and lentils?
- 📝 What's paradoxical about British free trade in 20th century partitioning of Africa?
- 📝 During the French Revolution, how did the French address non-citizens?
- 📝 Who were some famous Vietnam War Hawks and Doves?
- 📝 When and why did "Near East" become "Middle East?"
- 📝 Significance of division of Caledonia by Northumbrian Advance
- 📝 How is the year "753 BC" given in ancient legends about the founding of Rome?
- 📝 Have any of the Presidents of France taken advantage of its co-princeship of Andorra in a significant way?
- 📝 How long was the Treaty of Versailles intended to be in order?
- 📝 Could Polish people who didn't live in Poland get Polish citizenship after Poland's revival in 1918?
- 📝 Were women in 17th century France as cloistered as suggested here?
- 📝 Was the decrypting of communications in WW2 a one-sided effort, or did Germany also do it?
- 📝 3rd party (foreign nationality) forces active in Iran-Iraq war?
- 📝 What is the earliest known writing associating the number three with the dimension of the world?
- 📝 Is there evidence that the annual pilgrimage to Mecca facilitated cultural exchanges?
- 📝 How often would monks leave their monasteries in the Middle Ages?
- 📝 The Triple Alliance vs The Allied powers vs The Allies
- 📝 Why is Anubis given a scarf in some representations?
- 📝 Was the post-WW2 form of globalisation a historical abberation?
- 📝 Of which countries was Ludwig von Mises a citizen?
- 📝 Did the German authorities respell Polish personal names to be more German during the time of the German Empire?
- 📝 Who revoked their signatures from the union agreement at the Council of Florence?
- 📝 What was different about the "right" (recto) side of papyrus sheets compared to the other side?
- 📝 What advantages have motorized infantry enjoyed over standard infantry besides speed?
- 📝 What were the rights of various classes of people in the Roman Republic?
- 📝 Why did families in 6th century Mecca send their babies to be raised in the desert?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 What is the historical relationship between Yule and Christmas?
- 📝 What was the shortest time between a historical event occuring and a museum opening dedicated to said event?
- 📝 What was the relationship between Indian caste system and martial skills?
- 📝 What is the relationship between the Kurds and the Balochi?
- 📝 What was the impact of Fischer vs. Spassky 1972 on the relationship between the USA and the Soviet Union?
- 📝 What was the personal relationship between Benito Mussolini and Hitler?
- 📝 What is the relationship (if any) between Skøyen and Skøyenåsen in Oslo?
- 📝 What was the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Carolingian emperors?
- 📝 What was the relationship between Angles, Saxons, and Jutes; and the Vikings?
- 📝 What is the historical name(s) for area between Syria and Mesopotamia?
- 📝 What was the relationship between slaves and poor Romans needing jobs in Rome's labour market?
- 📝 What was the relationship between Ottoman emperor Murat IV and his mother Kosem Sultan?
- 📝 What was the relationship between ancient Egyptians and Hebrews in documented hieroglyphs?
- 📝 What is the relationship between land claims and ranks of nobility?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Ancient Greek religion and the Ancient Roman religion?
- 📝 What is the difference between the Middle Ages and the Dark Ages?
- 📝 What is the earliest evidence of contact between Ireland and Egypt?
- 📝 What is the small country between USSR and Mongolia in 1935?
- 📝 What are the historical reasons for religious and political negative attitudes towards h*m*sexuality?
- 📝 Is there a relationship between the Pelasgians and Sea Peoples?
- 📝 What is the origin of Khans? Is there any link between South Asian Khans and the Mongols?
- 📝 What is the difference between NKVD and OGPU (USSR)
- 📝 What is the difference between a professional historian and an amateur?
- 📝 What is considered to be the pivotal battle between Caesar and Pompey?
- 📝 In the British empire, what was the difference between a Governor General and a Viceroy?
- 📝 What transit restrictions were in place in Occupied Germany limiting military and civilian movement between the four occupation zones?
- 📝 How did the US "Greek" fraternity system at universities arise and what is its relationship with ancient Greece?
- 📝 What were the key differences between United States' and Indian revolutions?
- 📝 Is there a relationship between Portugal and Spain being able to discover the New World and the Moor occupation?
- 📝 What is the historical evidence for asserting Huns were one and the same as Xiongnu?