The Midwinter Solstice, Yule

June 21-22 (Southern Hemisphere)
December 21-22 (Northern Hemisphere)

Everyone likes this ritual, because it is our Yule Festival our time of giving presents and sharing. this was later adopted by the Christians and called Christmas (well in the northern hemisphere anyway). We start the night usually with those who have requested Wiccaning's and then we sing and dance the Layrinth. We do deck the house with greenery and lots of tinsel and may candles.

It is what we call the "Family Ritual and Feast", we usually keep this festival closed for only our families and inner circle members and their immediate families, this way we make it very intimate and family oriented without having hundreds of people that we do not necesarily know at out feasting.

We have many ganmes, such as pass the parcel (but of course this is for the adults only), we also ask everyone to bring a green candle, this helps us illuminate the land, and each time we light a candle it brings a little more light into the world. We then each in turn have something arty and creative to offer for enternainment, such as jokes, sotries, songs, hances, poems etc.

We each bring a gift to the Circle, and this is for exchange to another who is present. we do not usually have a price setting on the gifts but do prefer if they are made by the individual if possible. We usually finish the night with the mulled mead and dance and sing around the fire-pit until we see the Sun arising upon the horizon, and we honour the new dawn of another beautiful Goddess and God given day.

It is a time of entering the silence,, and ding much Path-working, especially with nature and the forests and the woods. The trees associated with this time are Holly, Ivy, Misletoe and Eudalyptus and Teatree. It is the time of communication with the little brothers and sisters of nature, these being the animal kingdom and the insect world. I is a great time for healings, especialy on the Full Moon.