13 December 2024Yule: Christmas According to the Vikings. The Ancient Festival of Life
As winter encompassed the earth in its icy embrace and the days grew shorter, pagan tribes gathered around the fire to celebrate Yule, an ancient festival of life, death and rebirth. Its roots go back to the traditions of Germanic peoples, who linked the changing cycles of nature with a mystical sense of existence. It was a time of fellowship and offerings to the gods to ensure prosperity in the coming months. With the growing influence of Christianity, the ancient rituals began to fade, but their echoes still resonate today in the traditions of Christmas. Do the holidays we know today have more in common with the Vikings than one might think?
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