7. The Yule Log was lit to celebrate the rebirth of the Sun- and to keep fires burning while people partied.
Today, people enjoy Yule logs at Christmas as a chocolate dessert. However, in the times before Christmas trees and when an open fire was the only form of heat in winter, a Yule Log burning in the hearth was the centerpiece of the Christmas festivities. Robert Herrick, writing in England in the 1620s or ’30s described how gangs of young men introduced the Yule log to the house with great ceremony. It was hauled indoors, accompanied by song and toasted as the master of the house lit it with a piece of the previous year’s log as kindling.
None of this sounds very Christian- because it wasn’t. Some believed the Yule log was a hangover from Anglo Saxon fire ceremonies held at the Winter Solstice. However, the custom of the Yule log wasn’t exclusively Germanic- because it was found all over Europe. No one can say for sure what the symbolism of the Yule log was. Its light and the time of its burning at midwinter suggest it celebrated the returning power of the sun. Its ashes were also usually scattered across the fields, indicating it was believed to protect and enhance fertility for the year ahead. However, the Yule log could also have had a more prosaic purpose. For its sheer size made sure it would burn all day- meaning no one would have to rebuild the fire during the midwinter festivities.