From the garden ELLEN PEFFLEY
As 2024 nears its end we reflect on the past year and look forward to 2025.
Burning a Yule Log on New Year’s Eve symbolizes a fresh start. As the log burns, it burns away everything that happened the year before.
The Yule Log tradition is believed to have begun with the Nordic peoples. In Norway the Yule Log was originally an entire tree felled from the forest and brought into the home. The hewn end of the trunk was placed directly into the hearth and set ablaze, while the rest of the tree spread into the room. As the trunk was consumed by the fire, the tree was slowly fed into the hearth.
In England, rather than one long log, twigs of ash trees are bundled and fed into the fire, while in France the tradition is to cut a tree into logs and burn some each night. The Irish tradition, rather than burning a log, burns a large candle on New Year’s Eve.
In Scandinavia and northern Europe, Yule is the name of Winter Solstice festivals. Winter solstice marks the Northern Hemisphere’s shortest day and longest night; this year it occurs on Saturday, December 21.
In the Celtic tradition, the trunk of an oak tree was kept ablaze for 12 hours on the solstice eve to protect the household with good health and an abundant harvest A piece of the log was saved to start the next year’s fire and as the old log was consumed problems from the old year went with it (almanac.com).
This may be the year to start your own tradition of a family Yule Log. Begin with a log of any size. The wood can be purchased or harvested from tree prunings. Add candles by drilling holes the size of the candle base into the top of the log, deep enough to hold the candle upright. Decorate with evergreen boughs, berries, pine cones and other botanic items, even feathers.
On New Year’s Eve as the candles burn down, place the log into the fireplace and watch as the fire consumes the wood. As the smoke swirls up the chimney, visualize the flames whooshing away lingering problems from this old year, bringing in the new year with hope and happiness.
Wishing all South Plains readers a fresh, Happy New Year!
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
