The Yule Log

While rummaging through some old Christmas Cards last week, I noticed there were a rather large number of cards having cozy scenes of firewood flickering in a fireplace. My inquisitive need to know where and when traditions began set into motion a four-hour quest to learn the roots of the glowing logs commonly known as Yule Logs.

Burning Yule logs is a tradition dating back long before the birth of Jesus. In pre-Christian times, the Yule log was burned in the home hearth on the winter solstice in honor of the pagan sun god Odin, known also as the Yule Father or Oak King.

The winter solstice, known amongst pagans as Yule or Gwyl Canol Gaeaf, falls on December 21 or 22, whichever is the shortest day and longest night of the current year. The Yule festival symbolizes a battle between the powers of light (Oak King) and powers of darkness (Holly King). A Yule log, typically a thick branch taken from an oak tree, would be burned in the hearth beginning on this night as a celebration of the Oak King's triumphant defeat over the Holly King.¹

The traditional Yule celebration would begin at dawn with the cutting of the oak branch, which was then ceremoniously carried into the house. Lit by the father or oldest member of the family, the Yule log would be left to burn for the next 12 days. When evening arrived the family would gather for dinner, which would typically included mutton, goose, pork, beef, special Yule breads, porridge, apples, sweets, nuts and Yule ale.²

As Christianity spread throughout Europe the traditional Yule celebration became associated with the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus, the Yule Father being replaced with Father Christmas.

In Serbia, the Yule log, or badnjak as it is called there, is cut and burned in the hearth as part of its Christmas festivities. In years past, the head of the family would go into the forest on Christmas Eve morning to cut down the badnjak. Before bringing it home he would take the log to the church for a special blessing. In more recent years, the badnjak is usually gotten at marketplaces or from the churches.³

The Yule log is a part of French tradition as well, especially it's Yule Log Cake or Bûche de Noël. This traditional Christmas dessert is made from a sponge cake that has been baked in a shallow pan. After baking, the cake is filled with a creamy frosting, rolled up into a cylinder, and frosted with the remaining frosting along the top and sides so as to resemble a tree log. A small portion of the cake is usually cut off and placed alongside or on top of the larger piece in order to reveal the bark-like appearance of its insides. For some bakers, like Vashti Ross of Black Widow Bakery, adding meringue mushrooms for that extra woodsy look not only enhances the realism of their Yule log but also is a lot fun. "The Bouche d'Noel is my very favorite of all the traditional French cakes, and I always get such delight out of making the little mushrooms."

The creation of this culinary Yule Log, now baked throughout the world, dates back to Napoleon I. A stern believer that cold air caused medical problems, Napoleon issued a proclamation requiring households in Paris to keep their chimneys closed during the winter months, preventing residents from burning the Yule log. French bakers invented the Bûche de Noël as a symbolic replacement. ⁴

In England, according to the Pennsylvania Forest Stewardship Program, "On Christmas Eve, members of the household ventured into the woods to find and cut a great tree, preferably an oak. Size was important, because the Yule log had to burn throughout the twelve days of Christmas. Once cut, the log was dragged home with much celebration. As many people as possible grabbed onto the ropes to help pull, because doing so was believed to bring good luck in the new year. Even passersby raised their hats in tribute.

The Yule log was dragged to the hearth of the great open fireplace-a common household feature in old England. The log was lit with a scrap of burned log carefully preserved from the previous year, a practice that ensured the continuity of good fortune not only from year to year, but also from generation to generation."⁵

As a Christmas tradition, burning the Yule log eventually spread from England to America. Its more popular fame as a tradition in the US, especially New York, comes in the form of a televised Yule log broadcasted first in 1966 at the WPIX television station in New York when Fred Thrower, the then General Manager for the television station, brought the tradition of burning the Yule log into viewers homes. Inspired by a Coco-Cola commercial he had seen depicting Santa Claus in front of a fireplace the previous year, Thrower, and then WPIX-FM programming director Charlie Whittaker, created the Yule Log, a Christmas program featuring an actual Yule log burning in a fireplace. The crackling wood fire, accompanied by the music of Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops, Nat King Cole, Johnny Mathis and others, played non-stop for two hours on Christmas Eve. Filmed at Gracie Mansion, the Yule Log was Thrower's Christmas gift to New Yorkers who hadn't a home hearth. The program aired continuously from 1966-1989.⁶

Breaking traditions is not something most are willing to accept. In most cases it's unthought-of. Canceling the Yule Log was not to be an exception for Joe Malzone, creator of the fan site, Bring Back the Log and others who missed the program. "I had gotten more than 600 emails from people all over the country, which I forwarded each and every one to WPIX. It was becoming quite clear that those who grew up with the log definitely wanted to see its return." Malzone was once again able to enjoy the Yule Log in 2001. Since then similar programs have been broadcasted throughout the country on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. ⁷

Having options such as Thrower's televised program and France's culinary dessert should keep the Yule Log tradition around for years to come, especially in homes where there is no fireplace.

References:

1 Yule Facts and Misinformation. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://www.tylwythteg.com/Yule.html

2 Yule Origins, Lore, Legends, and Customs. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://home.earthlink.net/~wodensharrow/yule.html

3 Badnjak - Wikipedia. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badnjak

4 Bûche de Noël - Wikipedia. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%BBche_de_No%C3%ABl

5 Christmas Tradition of the Yule Log. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/adams/2001/yule_log.htm

6 Yule Log (TV program) - Wikipedia Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_Log_(TV_program)

7 The Yule Log.com. Joe Malzone. Retrieved December 7, 2007 http://www.theyulelog.com