December Almanac

December, in the Roman calendar was Ærra Geola or the month “before Yule,” before the feast.

Natures calendar – Teasel brush silhouettes, robins defend winter territory, skeletons & sky, mistletoe & holly. The black month deepens until dark & light hold hands.


1st New Moon in Sagittarius & 1st Sunday in Advent

7th Dà xuě Chinese season of Heavy snow

12th Lussi’s Night

15th Full Moon in Gemini Celtic- Cold moon.
Medieval/ Druid- Oak moon.
Native American- Long night moon.
Cherokee- Snow moon

21st Winter Solstice – Dōng zhì Chinese season of Winter extremity

21st Sun moves into Capricorn

25th Christmas day

26th Boxing Day

30th New moon in Capricorn

31st New Year’s Eve

Yule

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule

12th December is Lussi’s Night, a Northern European goddess light bringer in the darkness. She is connected with a wild hunt horde called the lussiferda (lucifer?) rebranded and syncretised with Saint Lucia

lussevaka, the night long vigil, to stay awake in vigil through lusinatt light carried around to ward off evil animals would talk and tell lysis of the evil they’d seen. People rewarded or punished accordingly. By morning mood shifts from vigilant to celebratory with family feasting and lussekatter rolls.

https://wyrddesigns.files.wordpress.com/2022/12/lussi.jpg

The twelve days of Yule are bookended by Mother’s Night 20/12 or Christmas Eve and 1/1 or Twelfth Night 5/1

Throughout this time there are other celebrations like Krampusnacht (Saint Nicholas’ Day rebranded as Oski’s Day), Lussinatt, and more throughout December and through the wassailing season, which concludes by early January (12th night)


In modern times, a new tradition has emerged known as Väntljusstaken (literally, candles we light to wait) or Sunwait. Sunwait began in Sweden, and it quite intentionally was started to echo Christian advent style countdowns towards Christmas. It starts six weeks before the winter solstice, and is an anticipatory lead-in towards Yule. One candle is lit per week leading up to Yule. 

Each candle is also symbolically tied to the first few elder runic letters: ᚠ – Fehu, ᚢ – Uruz, ᚦ – Thurisaz, ᚨ – Ansuz, ᚱ – Raido, ᚲ – Kenaz. (Futhark)

Traditionally Thursday evening’s at sunset is when each candle would be lit, but others have created timings that work for them instead. Some Friday’s because of work schedules, or on the same weekday as the winter solstice does in that given year, or on Sunday, since that day of the week is named for the solar goddess Sunna.


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