For the Vikings, Germanic tribes, and other pagan peoples of pre-Christian Europe, this celebration, known as Yule, was originally meant to honor the winter solstice. The Yule or Yuletide ...

known as Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year. This year, it falls on Dec. 21. Yule is an ancient Pagan holiday that celebrates the sun’s return and the days growing longer again.

For this reason, pagan and druid communities actually celebrate the first sunrise after the winter solstice. Traditionally, the winter solstice was a time when cattle were slaughtered, to save ...

When the early Christian church celebrated the birth of Jesus, it easily adopted the date of Dec. 25 and the theme of returning light, life and hopeful celebration from ancient ...

Neo-pagan celebrations at Stonehenge gained popularity from the early C20th onwards. The summer solstice is an opportunity to celebrate the long summer days. The winter solstice reminds us that ...