Why Do You Burn a Yule Log

Burning a log in celebration of Yule started well before medieval times. … The Yule log would feed the fire through the 12 Days of Christmas (from Christmas Day through the evening of the 5th of January—known as Twelfth Night). The ashes of Yule logs were said to be very good for plants.

What is the story behind the Yule log?

It was originally a Nordic tradition. Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals in Scandinavia and other parts of northern Europe, such as Germany. … In some eastern European countries, the log was cut down on Christmas Eve morning and lit that evening. In Cornwall (in the UK), the log is called ‘The Mock’.

Why do we eat Yule log at Christmas?

The ancient Norse used the Yule log in their celebration of the return of the sun at winter solstice. “Yule” came from the Norse word hweol, meaning wheel. The Norse believed that the sun was a great wheel of fire that rolled towards and then away from the earth.