Posted to a mailing list I'm on; very interesting, wonder how much is fanciful vs real? I could use some non-Judaeo-Xtian traditions to celebrate, despite my liking for lighting a (virtual) menorah.
“12 days of Solstice
Here is a rundown of the twelve days of Christmas (just for Yule sake):
Dec 26: Boxing Day/Day of the Wren/St. Stephen's Day. On this day, the
tradition of giving a gift box to others is observed.
Dec 27: Mother's Night/St. John's Day. On this night, Frau Holle/Gode
rides around in her sled of dogs dispensing gifts
Dec 28: Childremass. This day, parents exchanged token beatings on their
children to ward away evil spirits, and thus spare them the rest of the
year. A traditional day of bad luck.
Dec 29: The Feast of Fools. A day when most traditional moral values are
suspended, and no punishment will result. A day of letting off steam and
having unbridled fun.
Dec 30: Bringing in the Boar. This is the day when the traditional winter
meat (boar) was brought into the house for the following day.
Dec 31: Hogmanay. All unfinished business of the year is wrapped up. The
biggest holiday of the year in Scotland, and is the celebration of the
druid mistletoe rite. The wild board is eaten today, and heavy drinking and
partying ensue.
Jan 1: New Year's Day/The Kalends of January. The ceremony of wassailing
the trees is performed on this day.
Jan 2: Snow Day. A day of rest.
Jan 3: Evergreen Day. A day to appreciate the year round greenery, and
reminder of spring
Jan 4: Rock Day/Plough Day/St. Distaff's Day. A day the ploughs were
blessed by the priests, and people generally went back to work.
Jan 5: Eve of Epiphany/Three King's Day. Need I elaborate?
Jan 6: Epiphany/12th Night. A cake is traditional baked to celebrate the
official end of Yule, and all the decorations come down.
source: Matthews, John; The Winter Solstice; The Sacred Traditions of
Christmas, Quest Books, 1998”
Relentless Inquiry 
Leave a Reply