The sun low

cold stretches it’s fingers across the land 

Creeping deep down into the earth

silence descends.

Above ground Trees stand naked now

As winter settles in

Crisp air and indigo skies.

Darkness early in the afternoon 

drifts rain in misty swirls 

glinting streetlights shine out of puddles

and people hurry home

It is a time of fires and stories.

low slow quiet still 

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

12th New Moon in Sagittarius and Lussi’s Night

21st Winter Solstice – Sun in Capricorn

23rd

25th Christmas day

26th Boxing Day

27th Full moon in Cancer
Celtic- Cold moon.
Medieval- Oak moon.
Native American- Long night moon.
Cherokee- Snow moon

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 and Twelfth Night 

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, heathens have created a new tradition in the 21st Century known as Väntljusstaken (literally, candles we light to wait) or Sunwait. 

Sunwait began specifically 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 choose instead to have each week fall on the same weekday as the winter solstice does in that given year. 

Still others opt to observe it on Sunday, since that day of the week is named for the solar goddess Sunna.