YULE - Merry Christmas all!

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Dr. Goodword
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YULE - Merry Christmas all!

Postby Dr. Goodword » Thu Dec 25, 2008 10:04 am

• Yule •

Pronunciation: yul • Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun, proper

Meaning: Christmas, Noel.

Notes: Dictionaries disagree as to whether this word should be capitalized. The Oxford English and Merriam-Webster dictionaries list it uncapitalized; the American Heritage and most others capitalize it. Since it is the name of a holiday, we think it should be capitalized. The period around Yule is Yuletide, paralleling Christmastide, using the original meaning of tide, "time".

In Play: Before the advent of central heating and climate control, when renewable wood was the primary fuel for heating homes, the biggest of the logs cut for winter heating was saved for Christmas: the Yule log. It would make Christmas the warmest day of the winter and burn the longest, so that those living in the house could focus their attention on other things.

Word History: Today's Good Word was passed down to us from Old English geól, the predecessor of Christmas, which replaced it in the 12th century. It originally referred to a heathen Winter Solstice feast. The Old Norse (Viking) correlate of this word, jól, may well have been borrowed by late Latin and formed into an adjective jol-ivus. If so, it would explain the Old French word jolif "gay, festive", which today is joli "nice, pretty". The original jolif was borrowed by Middle English and ultimately converted into jolly, as in, coincidentally, Jolly Old Saint Nicholas. (We wish an especially happy Yule to Rodger Collins for suggesting such a Good seasonal Word.)
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Bailey
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Postby Bailey » Thu Dec 25, 2008 12:50 pm

Yule (Winter Solstice)
Known as Yule or Winter Solstice, the end of December is a traditional Pagan holy day and Witches' Sabbath. Explore the following links to find out more about this magical time of year.

Code: Select all

http://www.witchology.com/contents/december/yule/index.php
B.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life, Make the most of it...
kb









sluggo
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Re: YULE - Merry Christmas all!

Postby sluggo » Thu Dec 25, 2008 1:36 pm

... Dictionaries disagree as to whether this word should be capitalized. The Oxford English and Merriam-Webster dictionaries list it uncapitalized; the American Heritage and most others capitalize it. Since it is the name of a holiday, we think it should be capitalized.
We agree. Hard to figure how a proper name would not be capitalized.
It originally referred to a heathen Winter Solstice feast.
(heathen of course meaning "rural" (adj.) or "country dweller" (n.), as does pagan. On the Solstice the daylight stops 'dying', holds position for three days and 'round about today, 'resurrects' to ascend on the horizon, giving the promise of new life in a new growing season- hence the winter celebrations such as Yule, replete with decorative lights and evergreen adornments, all symbolic sympathetic magic for our forebears. Here's wishing a Yule log-like warm a healthy and happy Christmas/Hanukkah and New Year to all :wink: )

Yule find the first Yule entry here.

Well, here in the Thitherstyx there's no need of a log as the moody weather is having one of her hot flashes. In time, though, one of them big logs is destined for the wood stove. Not sure where to get the mulled wine.

Sluggo the woodchopper
Stop! Murder us not, tonsured rumpots! Knife no one, fink!


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