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the reach of snow flurries and zero-degree temperatures, this is still the season in which the earth pauses to regenerate herself for the coming spring.
    This holiday (holy day; sacred day) astronomically marks the waning of winter. After the winter solstice, the hours of light increase each day. Therefore, Yule is associated with the returning warmth of the sun.
    Before the intercontinental shipment of food, this precious substance was usually meager at Yule. Most of it was preserved, dried in the sun; salted; put up in crocks; submerged in honey; buried in the earth; kept covered in baskets; or laid in the snow for natural refrigeration. Because of its scarcity, food was given a high degree of sacralness.
    Over the centuries and in various countries, a wide variety of foods have been associated with Yule. Here are a few of them.
    Apples are sacred foods, associated with many ancient deities (see chapter 11 ). Earlier peoples hung apples on Yule trees (the forerunners of the modern Christmas tree) to symbolize the continuing fertility of the earth. Mulled apple cider is a fine drink to sip on Yule while watching the fire. Any dishes that contain apples are also appropriate, as is wassail.
    Gingerbread is the modern version of ancient cakes made of grain and honey, which were offered as sacrifices to the goddesses and gods at Yule. These cakes were also buried with the dead to ensure the passage of their souls into the other world.
    When ginger was introduced into Europe from Asia, it was soon incorporated into the ritual Yule cake. This was the origin of gingerbread. Though ginger was once more expensive than diamonds, this spice is now easily within reach of us all.
    You may wish to create a gingerbread house at Yule. If so, make it in the image of your own home. If this isn’t possible, visualize your home while mixing, baking, forming, and decorating the house. See your household filled with warmth, love, and happiness—all gifts of ginger and the sun. Eat the house on Yule, sharing it with others who live under your roof, and invite its loving energies into yourself.
    Cookies are standard Yule fare. If you wish to make the ubiquitous sugar cookies, cut them into shapes associated with the season: circles (symbolic of the sun); bells (originally used to drive away evil in pre-Christian times); stars (for protection against negativity); and, of course, trees (representing the continuing fertility of the earth during winter). For more cookie lore, see chapter 9 .
    The idea of creating and eating specially shaped desserts on Yule isn’t new. Prehistoric graves in northern Europe contain cakes modeled in the rough shapes of deities, animals, suns, stars, and moons, and these cakes may have been consumed at the winter solstice in those frigid regions.
    The New Year
    (January 1)
    Many cultures celebrate the New Year, but not always on the same date. Japanese and Chinese New Year festivals, for example, fall on different days each year (according to our calendar). The pre-Christian cultures of Europe didn’t always celebrate New Year’s on January 1. It has been observed on the evening of November 1 and at Yule. The actual date matters little, for the rituals performed at the beginning of the New Year remain quite similar.
    New Year’s was once a time full of magic. Many of the old customs concerned food and its abundance. Past concerns and cares were ritualistically swept away, and good was invited into the home. It was once thought that whatever occurred on the first day of the year forecast the next 364 days, and people acted accordingly.
    In the United States, many people eat cabbage on New Year’s Day. It is often cooked with a small piece of silver. The green color of the vegetable, along with the silver, ensures plenty of food and money in the coming year. 46, 66
    Black-eyed peas are another traditional favorite for “luck” in the New Year, particularly in the southern United States.