The legacy of "christianity" in Christmas seems a checkered one. Greed and violence have gone hand in hand with peace and good will, maybe the pagans had it right first.
The pagans of northern Europe celebrated the their own winter solstice, known as Yule. Yule was symbolic of the pagan Sun God, Mithras, being born, and was observed on the shortest day of the year. As the Sun God grew and matured, the days became longer and warmer. It was customary to light a candle to encourage Mithras, and the sun, to reappear next year.
Huge Yule logs were burned in honor of the sun. The word Yule itself means “wheel,” the wheel being a pagan symbol for the sun. May the spirit of Yule encourage all of us to be better human beings and if the birth of a baby named Jesus represents hope, then I hope for a brighter future.
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