Source: The San Jose Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-1396-San-Jose-Culture-Examiner~y2008m11d16-Cool-Yule-in-the-South-Bay
As every good culture examiner knows, Christmas has pagan roots.
Amid the modern-day trappings of tinsel, plastic snowmen and competitive Christmas-light decorating, a hearty few still celebrate the traditions of their ancient ancestors, including Yule, a celebration of the sun's rebirth.
"You probably wouldn’t look at us and think, 'That’s a weird person, that’s a pagan,' said Valerie Voigt, 55, a member of the Palo Alto Area Pagan Meetup Group who is helping organize a local Yule event. "But our way of life is based on the cycles of nature rather than on a book."
Christmas comes a few days after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, before sunlight increasingly fills the day till summer. Pagans hold one of their eight yearly sabbats or gatherings on the date.
Historically, ancient Greeks honored the wine god Dionysos around this time with a "festival of wild women," while Druids held their own mysterious ceremonies in Celtic lands.
Many of today's winter holiday customs stem from those of pre-Christians. For example, the Christmas tree was a Middle Eastern totem enjoyed by Bible-era heathens, while red and green decorations symbolized menstrual blood and the coming growing season.
The burning Yule log of old Europe represented solar fire, while a Nordic midwinter feast called Yule morphed after Christianity into what we now celebrate Dec. 25.
Voigt, a software engineer and technical writer, said the South Bay Circle Yule Celebration will include an enactment of the goddess of the earth giving birth to the sun, as well as a charitable collection. The invitation event is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 21 in Palo Alto; more information can be sought through the San Jose Pagan/Magick Meetup Group. A Bay Area-wide solstice festivity also is under discussion.