December Post: A Christmas Vignette

Laughter rang through the wooded hillside above Llawgwalch valley, each voice and laugh, distinct in the crisp morning air. Bundled up in woolen mantels and shawls the women of the manor chattered like magpies as they walked through the woods with baskets gathering winter greenery. Soon baskets overflowed with sprigs of red berried holly. Small children bundled up also, dragged pine boughs down the slope to the horse drawn sleigh that waited on the path with its leather collar bedecked with bells and gay ribbons. Agile boys climbed trees to gather mistletoe high in the branches, calling out to those below as they lowered the bundles. The air was perfumed with the fragrance of cut pine, while from the grey laden sky large snowflakes gently drifted down.

Today was the start of the festivities, and the longest holiday of the calendar year. Villeins, cotters, and all the manor folk stopped their daily work to celebrate the twelve days of Yuletide. The women returning from the woods busied themselves with decorating the hall. Brightly colored ells of fabric draped around garlands of pine and mistletoe while the red berries on holly branches jeweled every trestle board transforming the hall in to a scene of joy and good cheer.

In the lower valley the men and older boys felled a fine broad tree and were busy sawing off the limbs, readying it to be loaded on the ox-drawn wagon, then it was taken to the manor hall. It had to be long and broad enough to feed the hall fire continuously through the twelve days of Yule until the twelfth night. It took every strong able-bodied man to heft it through the main doors to the fire pit. Grunts and shouted orders accompanied its placement and when it was finally set down a cheer went up.

Families arriving from the village with gifts for the Pennaeth, joined those who lived at the manor for the traditional lighting of the Yule log, to be followed by music, feasting, dancing and spiced ale. Everyone gathered in a circle, children anxious to see, squirmed between legs to pop up red cheeked in the front row. A hush fell over all, as the Pennaeth’s voice rang out offering the Yule log blessing. Wine was splashed across the tree welcoming it into the hall. With great ceremony Rhain approached with a lit torch, fashioned from the end of last year’s Yule log to light this year’s log. Soon the flames licked up around the wide base of the tree and the crackle and pop of sap could be heard in the quiet hush of the hall. The fire would be tended day and night, moving its length steadily into the fire pit, for everyone knew it was bad luck if the fire were to go out.

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In medieval times the Celts believed that for twelve days at the end of December and the beginning of January, the sun stood still (which is why the days grew shorter and shorter.) If the yule log could be kept burning bright for those twelve days then the sun would be persuaded to move again, and make the days grow longer. Traditionally the twelve days started on the 26thof December. Christmas day was considered a holy day, so feasting and revelries did not commenced until the day after and continued until the 6th of January which is Epiphany.

The first Monday after Epiphany was called Plough Monday, the day when workers went back to tend the fields.

Yule is the name for the old Winter Solstice festivals.

Merry Christmas

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 Marilyn

The post first appeared on Storyteller.