12 Traditions of Christmas: Burning the Yule Log

Part ten of a series on the history and traditions Christmas.

The Yule Log, as we have come to know it, is a rather large piece of wood, cylindrical in shape, which is placed inside the fireplace and burned on Christmas Eve. The tradition of the Yule Log can be traced back to Winter Solstice celebrations. In Scandinavia during the Solstice, men and their sons went into the woods to cut a tree down. After the tree had been felled, a nicely sized log was cut out of it, and the men would carry the log back to the home. This log was called a Yule Log, and the Yule log was burned in the fireplace.
Burning the Yule Log was considered a tribute to Odin, the Norse god of war, wisdom, and death. In Scandinavian culture, the name of Odin was actually Jolnir. The first three letters of this name sound like “Yule” when pronounced.

Often times the Yule log might burn for a whole twelve days. The entire time the Yule log burned, the family would feast. During the Yule burning ritual, it was believed that a household would enjoy good luck in one form or another. This meant a life full of health, wealth, and happiness for every member of the home that the warmth of the fire from the Yule Log touched.

As the Yule log burned, the family would count the sparks it sent out of the hearth. Each spark stood for a farm animal (a cow, a goat, a pig, etc.) that would be born on their property that year. Since farm animals were signs of wealth back then, the sparks were seen as a prediction of the family’s prosperity.

This tradition eventually made its way to England, where the gathering of the Yule Log involved the entire family. Family members would venture out into the forest, select a huge tree, chop it down, make one great log from a portion of it, and drag it with ropes back to their home. The log had to be big enough to keep ablaze for 12 days. It was widely believed that if you participated in the dragging, you would have good luck throughout the following year.

After the log had finished it's burning cycle, a small bit of it was saved back for lighting next year's Yule Log. Also, some of the ashes from the Yule Log were scattered throughout home owner's fields to ensure a healthy crop the following year. The French also make a traditional cake called the buche de Noel, or Christmas Log, which is shaped like a Yule log and is part of a late supper called le reveillon held after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

This tradition made its way over to America when our English forefathers arrived and has been part of our country’s Christmas traditions ever since.

Author: Anne Jefferson