Lantlig jul
Yule (also called Jul, jól or joulu) is a winter festival historically observed by the Germanic peoples that was incorporated into Christmas during the Christianisation of the Germanic peoples. In present times adherents of some new religious movements (such as Modern Germanic paganism) celebrate Yule independently of the Christian festival. Its origin is from Germanic paganism and has existed in many variants during Scandinavian history.
Modern representations of the Yule goat are typically made of straw. While its origins are unclear, a popular theory is that the celebration of the goat is connected to worship of the Norse god Thor , who rode the sky in a chariot drawn by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr ; it goes back to common Indo-European beliefs. The last sheaf of grain bundled in the harvest was credited with magical properties as the spirit of the harvest and saved for the Yule celebrations, called among other things Yule goat Julbocken.
This connects to ancient proto-Slavic beliefs where the Koliada Yule festival honors the god of the fertile sun and the harvest. This god, Devac also known as Dazbog or Dažbog , was represented by a white goat, [ 3 ] consequently the Koliada festivals always had a person dressed as a goat, often demanding offerings in the form of presents.
How Swedes Celebrate Christmas – Swedish “Jul” Traditions
Other traditions are possibly related to the sheaf of corn called the Yule goat. In Sweden, people regarded the Yule goat as an invisible spirit that would appear some time before Christmas to make sure that the Yule preparations were done right. The function of the Yule goat has differed throughout the ages. In a Scandinavian custom similar to the English tradition of wassailing , held at either Christmas or Epiphany , young men in costumes would walk between houses singing songs, enacting plays and performing pranks.
This tradition is known from the 17th century and still continues in certain areas. The group of Christmas characters would often include the Yule goat, a rowdy and sometimes scary creature demanding gifts. During the 19th century the Yule goat's role all over Scandinavia shifted towards becoming the Christmas gift-bringer , with one of the men in the family dressing up as the Yule goat. The Yule goat in Nordic countries today is best known as a Christmas ornament.
This modern version of the Yule goat figure is a decorative goat made out of straw and bound with red ribbons, a popular Christmas ornament often found under or on the Christmas tree. Large versions of this ornament are frequently erected in towns and cities around Christmas time; a tradition started with the Gävle goat in This tradition has been plagued by vandalism and arson. This has resulted in more creative attempts to burn it down.
Julebukking is a Christmas tradition of Scandinavian origin. In one version of Julebukking, people go door to door singing Christmas songs. After they have sung, they are usually rewarded with candy. Another tradition requires that at least one person from the visited household join the band of Julebukkers and continue to the next household. In certain aspects, the custom resembled the modern-day tradition of Halloween trick-or-treating.
Offering people holiday treats and something to drink is customary. Once identities are known and the food is eaten, the Julebukkers continue to the next home. The Christmas goat is mentioned in many older Christmas songs dated back to the late 19th and early 20th century, when the Santa Claus tradition had not been fully established throughout Sweden.
It’s All Jul: Danish Christmas Traditions
Among the songs are " Julbocken ", " Julpolska " and " Raska fötter springa tripp, tripp, tripp ". Contents move to sidebar hide. Article Talk. Read Edit View history. Tools Tools. Download as PDF Printable version. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item. Scandinavian decorative Christmas straw goat. For the Alice Tegnér song, see Julbocken song. History [ edit ]. The modern Yule goat [ edit ]. Julebukking [ edit ].
Main article: Julebukking. Popular culture [ edit ]. See also [ edit ]. Depictions [ edit ].