Forest Fridays: Yule logs and Yule cakes
- by Guest Contributor
- December 20, 2024
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By Chris Firestone
‘Tis the season for many diverse holidays and celebrations. One that I look forward to is the winter solstice with cultural, religious, and astronomical significance. It is the celebration of light and increasing hours of daylight. Yule, celebrated during the winter solstice, originated as an ancient pagan celebration of rebirth, and welcoming back the light. It is a time for introspection, reflection, and anticipation of the new year.
A common part of the Yule celebration (and now Christmas) is the Yule log, a tree or a piece of wood ceremoniously burned. Some choose to feature a cake that is decorated to look like a log.
When it comes to celebrating Yule, are you Team Fire or Team Cake?
Team Fire
The custom of burning a Yule log varies from country to country and time in history. Burning a log for 12 consecutive days and saving the embers to restart the fire was considered good luck. Perhaps a tree was too large for the fireplace so a log decorated with winter greens and berries could be used. The log itself was often chosen based on symbolic connections unique to the species of wood.
Image: This 1872 drawing illustrates the Christmas Eve ceremony of bringing home the yule log. Culture Club/Getty Images
- Oak: Oak is strong and powerful, representing the Oak King. It symbolizes strength, protection, and good luck for the coming year.
- Pine: Pine represents peace, healing, and joy. It is also evergreen, reminding people that life continues even in the coldest times.
- Birch: Birch symbolizes new beginnings and rebirth. Using birch is like celebrating the new sun and the fresh start that it brings.
- Cherry: Cherry wood is used to attract love and affection. It’s all about bringing warmth and love into the home.
- Ash: Ash wood is about bringing light and is thought to protect against negative energy. It’s like inviting positivity and driving away darkness.
Team Cake
As hearths and fireplaces became less common, a special Christmas dessert originating in France became popular. Known as Buche de Noel, French for Yule log, the dessert is made from rolled sponge cake with buttercream filling and chocolate frosting. Frosting resembling bark, branches, snow, woodland greens, mushrooms, or small forest creatures can highlight a baker’s creativity.
If “Team Fire” or “Team Cake” isn’t your thing, a smokeless and zero-calorie option is to watch a video stream of a burning Yule log, first televised in 1966. Regardless of how you spend this holiday season, we wish you all the blessings the Yule log represents!
About the Author: Chris Firestone
Chris Firestone is a botanist with 28 years in the Bureau of Forestry, working to conserve native wild plants in Pennsylvania through policy, education, and management of habitat and invasive species. She lives in Potter County and enjoys gardening, foraging, hiking and camping.
