For many years now the majority of those that recognize and honor Yule (Jul, Jól, or the Anglo-Saxon geóla) do so around the Winter Solstice or Christmas. Makes sense if you want to condense your celebrations. There seems to be some debate on whether the word Yule or Yuletide was even a pagan term though, rather it may be a word assigned to the event of Christmas observances. I think I read that the Vikings gave the name to Anglo-Saxon Christmas proceedings long ago but I am not sure if that holds water or not. There were attestations that the time of Yule occurred in the December to early January months for those that spoke Old English – having named the months for the season. Early Scandinavians seemed to celebrate mid-winter in January. The idea was to recognize that the days were finally getting longer and winter would soon be over. And while the first part of that idea technically begins on the Winter Solstice, the latter section is not true. So why do most people today observe it at the Winter Solstice?

Modern pagans marked the Winter Solstice (December 21st-23^rd or so) as the date for Yule to match the Wiccan based wheel of the year. It was centered around calendrical dates for the Equinoxes and the Solstices. Those are clearly marked on nearly all modern calendars so it works and no calculations are necessary. However, the feast time centering around the idea of Yule is meant to be a mid-winter celebration. Designed to recognize that the people have survived nearly half of the grueling cold weather months and are now fully on the turn towards spring. The December date marks the beginning of the winter season, not the middle or near end of it. What the heck?

It all, at least to me, starts with the calendars used then and now to mark the months and seasons. At the time that actively practicing pagans of old would recognize their feast days, the calendar used to determine dates is not the same as the ones we hang on our wall every year now. They were based on the Julian calendar system that placed the Winter Solstice on or near December 25^th. Which would make celebrating mid-winter in January ideal as by then the people could actually see the days getting longer. According to writings by the English historian Bede, “The months of Giuli derive their name from the day when the Sun turns back [and begins] to increase,” and this covered both the December and January months. He also wrote that the pagans celebrated mother’s night (Mōdraniht) on the Winter Solstice, which would technically have been December 25^th, or Christmas. Interesting that on a day where a virgin supposedly gave birth to a baby in a barn that it was also when pagans honored the mothers of their lines. Kinda makes it less about the baby and more about Mary, right? Which if you have ever given birth, or supported a loved one giving birth, you recognize that it really needs to have more focus placed on mom. She is doing all the work after all.

But we aren’t on the Julian calendar system today. We mark time with the Gregorian calendar, which is more accurate for the days and weeks to remain consistent, but maybe not so much with the seasonal beginnings and endings. Especially with global warming trends picking up. This shift in calendars impacted when the Winter Solstice occurred and pinned it to the scientifically determined longest night of the year. However, this is NOT mid-winter. Mid-winter occurs sometime between the second through the third week of January. And if January has five weeks it falls between the end of the second week through the end of the fourth week. Gregorian systems use the SOLAR calendar to assign dates. In order to make these dates and events fall closer to when the early Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian pagans celebrated we need to throw out the solar calendar mindset and look at the LUNAR calendar.

There is a bit of a formula to figuring out when the mid-winter feast occurred using the lunar system. I believe there are two interpretations, and you could adjust each year depending on when the moons fell in the December and January months.

1. The Yule, or mid-winter feast, occurs at the three days prior to the first full moon after the Winter Solstice. The third day would fall directly on the full moon. Pretty simple.
2. The Yule, or mid-winter feast, occurs at the three days prior to the first full moon AFTER the first new moon past the Winter Solstice (what a mouth full). The third day would fall directly on the full moon as well.

The difference between these two formulas is a time span or adjustment that could easily be a full month and a half past the Winter Solstice. For the first scenario, if the first full moon occurs any time between New Year’s (or Twelfth Night) and the third week of January you are good. In the second scenario, if the new moon occurs on or just after the Winter Solstice – up to the end of December – then the full moon would fall between the beginning and end of January. Again, not a big deal. What gets tricky is when the full moon occurs too close to the Winter Solstice for the first scenario, or the first new moon occurs too late after the Winter Solstice making the full moon bump up against – or on – another high day. This is where being a little flexible comes in handy.

That mid-winter feast is meant to be celebrated on/near the first full moon after the Winter Solstice. Whether you determine that by implementing the New Moon rule or not is up to you. Trying to get the days sometime in early to mid-January means scheduling ahead of time to prepare yourself. For 2026 the first scenario lands the mid-winter feast of Yule on the January 3^rd full moon. This is well after Christmas and the Winter Solstice but still close to Twelfth Night and New Year’s Day so you may not like that after all the stuffing of self for the past 30-45 days. If you wanted to use the second scenario that will place the mid-winter feast of Yule squarely on January 30^th to February 1^st which hits right on Imbolc/Disablot/Candlemas. Frustrating, right? It’s a modern world so here are some flexible alternatives if neither of these dates suit your needs but you want to try and stay true to the original intent of the mid-winter celebration:

1. Have it on the three days prior to the NEW moon instead of the FULL moon with the feast days hitting on the actual night of the new moon. For 2026 this will fall closer to the middle of January on the 18th. No issues with Twelfth Night, New Year’s, La Belfana, Epiphany, or the Imbolc/Disablot festivities.
2. Look at one of the calendars already built by some detail-oriented heathen and find the Thorri blot. This usually falls in the middle of the month to the end of the third week in January consistently. It’s not a bad thing to link up the blot with the mid-winter celebration unless you work with another pantheon and Thor isn’t your dude. And if that is the case just make the event only about mid-winter. He won’t get offended. 😁

So what is the big deal about celebrating in January instead of December? Really – nothing. It’s whatever calls to you. But a lot of people suffer from seasonal affective disorder and post-holiday depression. January is the longest, dreariest month for them. It just seems to take “FOR-EVER!!!!” even though it is only 31 days just like December. January in the Northern Hemisphere is filled with cold temperatures, snow, ice, freezing rain and all the other things that people just nit-pick and complain about. Anything to justify their misery. But what if they took those complaints and instead incorporated a practice where winter, and the ACTUAL getting over the hump, are celebrated? You’ve taken down your solstice and xmas decorations. So put up some winter themed: penguins, polar bears, tomte/nisse figures, sleighs & their bells, snowflakes, and icicles. Instead of reds and greens, put up softer tones in blues, purples, rose-colored, silver, and glittery whites. It’s just enough color, and sparkle, to lift the spirits and will transition nicely into Imbolc/Disablot themes and Mardi Gras colors (if you decorate for that). This reminds you that winter is actually quite beautiful and it really isn’t going to last forever. Adding a celebration between New Year’s and February 1^st also helps to mark the passing time. Breaking what seems like a long wait into smaller chunks. It’s also another excuse to get together with friends and family or make it solely a family affair to help with those winter doldrums. The middle of January IS technically mid-winter by Gregorian & lunar calendars with the notion that spring begins in March. Honestly, it may be closer to the third week of February depending on where in the Northern Hemisphere you live and the more ending-of-winter-friendly month of April. But mid-January is more fun, I think. After December’s crazy onslaught of multiple traditions and practices having a quiet, or raucous if that’s your thing, celebration to say: “We’re finally moving towards the light and warmth!” seems ideal.

February is jam packed with Imbolc/Disablot, Valentine’s Day, and Mardi Gras. And for the guys: Superbowl Weekend. Then March roars in with Charming of the Plough, St. Patty’s Day, some more sports stuff with a bouncing ball, and then Spring Equinox moving into April and the ability to truly see that winter is over. There is just a ton of stuff going on in the two months before January and the two following. So why not split it up a bit?

In conclusion, how you recognize and celebrate the Yule, or mid-winter, feast is up to you and your schedule. If you like keeping it on or near the 21^st of December then go for it. But if you want to try something a little different, shake up your January a little, and ease some of the onslaught of holiday chaos in December – give this a try. You might find it fits your individual practice very well.

Merry Twelfth Night & Happy New Year to you and yours. May your home be filled with blessings and your sacred breath fill you with ease.

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