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LIBRARY >>
STORIES
At Christmas we celebrate the return of Light and Life……..
How difficult it has become these days to actually remember the reason for this festivity with as it seems everybody thinking of nothing but gifts, food and Christmas decoration!
Solstice , the Jul fest or also Yuletide, Winter Solstice, Alban Arthan are the various names for the longest night of the year and the re-birth of the Sun God, the Sun—from here on the days become longer….
Pagan ways were maintained when Christianity took over and were converted to i.e. Christmas, the day Jesus was born (although as we know Jesus was born on a day in spring!)
Up until the 4th Century Christian people honored the 25th December as the day of St Thomas—a threatening figure who especially threatened children! In the Thomas night, all houses were smoked out by carrying a pan full of cinders in which one had thrown protective and cleansing herbs such as sage, rosemary, frankincense to chase demons and other unwelcome spirits. A little of this belief is still around in the German areas where “Santa” visits the children and is accompanied by “Rupert” , a fellow in a hooded cloak and fur boots looking rough and carrying a willow stick to punish children who had not been good during the past year…...
The age-old name of Jul (English :Yule) is a word combining a number of days: Solstice, our “Christmas” days ,the new year’s day up to the 6th January……...with New Year’s eve being the most important of all: all lights and fires are extinguished to be re-lit again and to celebrate the return of daylight and sun!
Jul is the blessed night when Baldur was re-born—the sun had reached the southern cross and returns to the north; the branch of mistletoe that killed Baldur, is now transformed in to a healing symbol, and light and warmth now arriving were celebrated with lights and fires.
The Christmas tree developed from the custom of Roman priests who used to cut pine trees the night before a holy day, decorated them and hung a picture of the Goddess Attis on them.
With Solstice the 13 (frosty) holy nights began, the “blessed” (Christ -ening) nights. The night from the 24th to the 25th of December is the night of contemplation, remembering our forefathers and the protective spirits.
In medieval times, women would go through all their rooms to bless the house with frankincense on January 6th. Above the front door they wrote with white chalk: 20K+M+B06—which is the number of the new year and the first letter of the names of 3 holy people. This custom began in the dark times of the Plaque—3 of the healers were Katharina, Margarete, and Barbara. Searching even further back for the origins of these names, we come up with Anbeth, Wilbeth and Borbeth ( Earth, Sun and Moon). So the sign above the front door (on the outside frame) was asking for protection by the Earth, Sun and the Moon from dark energies and spirits !
This is still a tradition in many areas of Europe, where M stands for Melchior, K for Kaspar and B for Balthasar , the 3 holy kings and children come to the door and sing carols, blessing the house with their innocence.
If you are now sitting amongst your family and friends around a Christmas tree alight with (real) candles or in front of a fire surrounded by candles as we are, you might silently meditate for a few minutes, while looking Into the flames ………..you might find that deep within you sense a strange feeling ……..you may be experiencing the same kind of shyness and sense of devotion your forefathers may have felt thousands of years ago when they went to their dead forefathers hill graves to make an offering.
And with this feeling of respect, devotion and love we greet you in friendship : let us enjoy the Yule lights and fires, and welcome back the sun and the longer days ……… Merry Christmas !
Grá
Bearnairdin and Anthony
The Little House Of Avalon Ltd
Holistic Health Farm and Training Center
Ballyreevagh/Taughmaconnell
Ballinasloe
Co Roscommon
Ireland
00353 909 68 3002
www.littlehouseofavalon.com
lhoavalon1@eircom.net
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