Getting Ready For Yule

You can see the beginning of my Yule Decorations above, I have to get some Holly as at the moment the decorations mainly consist of Ivy I cut from my back garden, that and some red ribbon. The non pagans reading this may think "but I decorate my house with Holly and Ivy that's not Pagan" but you'd be wrong! Christians and Catholics nicked the tradition from pagans as they have many, also including the Christmas tree and mistletoe.

I also still have to and go out and find a Yule log (yes they are Pagan too I'll explain this tradition when I have a picture of one to post).

I'll be making the same recipes I made last year too some of which are here, the jewel biscuits were particularly good I'll definitely make some of them again. I found an excellent page talking about Yule traditions for those who are interested too here.

I've also noticed that the lists of Pagan Carols doing the rounds this year don't all include the Boar's Head Carol, which they should do as it's one of the oldest Yuletide songs recorded in history (it was first published in 1521). Technically it's called a Christmas song but it is pretty neutral in it's religious theme, and it mentions some sacred herbs "Bay and Rosemary" suggesting people still cared about Yuletide traditions. I found some interesting information about the song on Wikipedia here, apparently it was written after a student of Queens College London was charged by a Boar and he killed it by ramming an Aristotle text down it's throat! They of course took it home and ate it serving up it's head, and that's what the song is about.

The Boars Head Carol.

The boar’s head in hand bring I,

Bedeck'd with bays and rosemary.

I pray you, my masters, be merry (Or: And I pray you, my masters, merry be)

Quot estis in convivio (Translation: As you all feast so heartily)

CHORUS

Caput apri defero (Tranlsation: Lo, behold the head I bring/The boar’s head I bring)

Reddens laudes Domino (Translation: Giving praise to God we sing/Giving praises to the Lord.)

The boar's head, as I understand,

Is the rarest dish in all this land,

Which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland

Let us servire cantico. (Translation: Let us serve with a song)

CHORUS

Our steward hath provided this

In honor of the King of Bliss;

Which, on this day to be served is

In Reginensi atrio. (Translation: In the Queen's hall)