The Biggest Holiday Extravaganza
Hey Everyone! We are setting up for the Biggest, Most Amazing Holiday Giveaway Party Extravaganza Ever! We have lots of games and special Holiday ideas that doesn't just celebrate Christmas, but H...
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In this post, we will be celebrating Yule with a Best in Show contest. You don't have to celebrate Yule in RL to be able to participate. This is open to everyone! There will be several categories to choose from. You can enter one or all or any number of your choosing. This post will cover the Intro to Yule, the intro to the contest, the rules for the contest, the categories and the final Best in Show pictures.
Intro to Yule
The date varies from December 20 to December 23 depending on the year in the Gregorian calendar. Yule is also known as the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere due to the seasonal differences.
Yule, (pronounced EWE-elle) is when the dark half of the year relinquishes to the light half. Starting the next morning at sunrise, the sun climbs just a little higher and stays a little longer in the sky each day. Known as Solstice Night, or the longest night of the year, the sun's "rebirth" was celebrated with much joy. On this night, our ancestors celebrated the rebirth of the Oak King, the Sun King, the Giver of Life that warmed the frozen Earth. From this day forward, the days would become longer.
Bonfires were lit in the fields, and crops and trees were "wassailed" with toasts of spiced cider. Children were escorted from house to house with gifts of clove spiked apples and oranges which were laid in baskets of evergreen boughs and wheat stalks dusted with flour. The apples and oranges represented the sun. The boughs were symbolic of immortality (evergreens were sacred to the Celts because they did not "die" thereby representing the eternal aspect of the Divine). The wheat stalks portrayed the harvest, and the flour was accomplishment of triumph, light, and life. Holly and ivy not only decorated the outside, but also the inside of homes, in hopes Nature Sprites would come and join the celebration. A sprig of Holly was kept near the door all year long as a constant invitation for good fortune to visit tthe residents. Mistletoe was also hung as decoration. It represented the seed of the Divine, and at Midwinter, the Druids would travel deep into the forest to harvest it.
The ceremonial Yule log was the highlight of the Solstice festival. In accordance to tradition, the log must either have been harvested from the householder's land, or given as a gift... it must never have been bought. Once dragged into the house and placed in the fireplace it was decorated in seasonal greenery, doused with cider or ale, and dusted with flour before set ablaze by a piece of last years log, (held onto for just this purpose). The log would burn throughout the night, then smolder for 12 days after before being ceremonially put out. Ash is the traditional wood of the Yule log. It is the sacred world tree of the Teutons, known as Yggdrasil. An herb of the Sun, Ash brings light into the hearth at the Solstice.
A different type of Yule log, and perhaps one more suitable for modern practitioners would be the type that is used as a base to hold three candles. Find a smaller branch of oak or pine, and flatten one side so it sets upright. Drill three holes in the top side to hold red, green, and white (season), green, gold, and black (the Sun God), or white, red, and black (the Great Goddess). Continue to decorate with greenery, red and gold bows, rosebuds, cloves, and dust with flour.
Many customs created around Yule are identified with Christmas today. If you decorate your home with a Yule tree, holly or candles, you are following some of these old traditions. The Yule log, (usually made from a piece of wood saved from the previous year) is burned in the fire to symbolize the Newborn Sun/Son.
Yule Best in Show
Many things represent Yule, and in this contest, the categories will reflect that. This is open to everyone, and all categories are open to everyone. You don't need to celebrate Yule to participate. You also don't need to upload anything at all. For those who wish, after the contest is over, I can create CC paintings of the pictures as a keepsake for in game. You don't have to and I won't use the pictures without consent. Just something for fun if anyone was interested.
The contest will be open until Yule (December 21st) and a community vote will determine who our Best in Show is per category. Most of the pictures will be a sim. So not too much to build with this contest. The winner of the Best in Show will receive 100sp in gifts. If there is a tie, then those in the tie will win.
The Rules
As there is nothing to upload, editing and CC is allowed, but not required.
One photo entry per category, so no CAS shots. Show your very best.
One entry per category per person.
Have fun!
The Categories
1. Deities of Yule: All Newborn Gods, Sun Gods, Mother Goddesses, and Triple Goddesses. The best known would be the Dagda, and Brighid, the daughter of the Dagda. Brighid taught the smiths the arts of fire tending and the secrets of metal work. Brighid's flame, like the flame of the new light, pierces the darkness of the spirit and mind, while the Dagda's cauldron assures that Nature will always provide for all the children.
Goddesses-Brighid, Isis, Demeter, Gaea, Diana, The Great Mother. Gods-Apollo, Ra, Odin, Lugh, The Oak King, The Horned One, The Green Man, The Divine Child, Mabon. Sim Category
2. Symbolism of Yule:
Rebirth of the Sun, The longest night of the year, The Winter Solstice, Introspect, Planning for the Future. Representation/Interpretation Category
3. Symbols of Yule:
Yule log, or small Yule log with 3 candles, evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in doorways, gold pillar candles, baskets of clove studded fruit, a simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, christmas cactus. Scenery Category
4. Herbs of Yule:
Bayberry, blessed thistle, evergreen, frankincense holly, laurel, mistletoe, oak, pine, sage, yellow cedar. Sim Category
5. Foods of Yule:
Cookies and caraway cakes soaked in cider, fruits, nuts, pork dishes, turkey, eggnog, ginger tea, spiced cider, wassail, or lamb's wool (ale, sugar, nutmeg, roasted apples). Dining Area Setup Category
6. Incense of Yule:
Pine, cedar, bayberry, cinnamon. Sim Category
7. Colors of Yule:
Red, green, gold, white, silver, yellow, orange. Open Category
8. Stones of Yule:
Rubies, bloodstones, garnets, emeralds, diamonds. Open Category
9. Activities of Yule:
Caroling, wassailing the trees, burning the Yule log, decorating the Yule tree, exchanging of presents, kissing under the mistletoe, honoring Kriss Kringle the Germanic Pagan God of Yule Photoshoot Category
10. Spellworkings of Yule:
Peace, harmony, love, and increased happiness. Representation/Interpretation Category
Best in Show Links
Vi's Deity of Yule pic
jg2342ar's Deity of Yule pic
Surreal's Deity of Yule
Vi's Activities of Yule
Surreal's Activities of Yule
Vi's Symbols of Yule
jg2342ar's Symbols of Yule
djdragonsgirl's Foods of Yule
Vi's Foods of Yule pic
StephSteb's Colors of Yule
Vi's Colors of Yule
Surreal's Colors of Yule
