The Whittier Yule Calendar

The Thirteen Nights and Dayes of Yule (13 – 25 December)

-         Geoffrey C Whittier

The Whittier Yule calendar, as our ancestor Egbert Whittier established it and as the family still follows it today, is composed of a series of days, each associated with a particular ‘evergreen’ and its lore:

 The Trees and the Dayes—

1. Rowan Day (Gathering Night, 13 December) 
2. Cedar Day (Lighting Night, 14 December) 
3. Balsam Fir Day (Initiation Night, 15 December) 
4. Hemlock Day (Storytelling Night, 16 December) 
5. White Pine Day (Fire in the Hearth Night, 17 December) 
6. Blue Spruce Day (Visions & Quests Night, 18 December) 
7. Jack Pine Day (Solitude and Silence Night, 19 December) 
8. Pine Tree Moss Day (The Faery Wood, 20 December) 
9. Winterwoodmas, Winter Solstice (Mistletoe Night, 21 December) 
10. Yew Day (Visitation Night, 22 December) 
11. Black Spruce Day (Nemeton and Heath Night, 23 December) 
12. Bayberry Day (Birth of the God Night, 24 December) 
13. Scotch Pine Day (Night of Self-Realization, 25 December)

Beginning in the last week of November and until the 12^th of December, we prepare ourselves to path through the Yule.  We do this in two ways: (1) by deciding whether we want to make a destination or goal-oriented journey and perhaps choosing one, if we are ready, and then (2) by meditating on the trees associated with each of the days as listed above.  We do this in a couple of ways as well!

Some of us have collected photographs of each of the evergreens from various sources.  We seek to learn – or remember; if we have been following the calendar for a number of years – something of each specie’s naturalistic character; its physical botanical aspects and the environment to which it is best suited – and then the symbolic or mythic connections attributed to these evergreens.  Others go out to the woods – each year in the days or weeks before the 13^th of December – visiting live representatives of the Yuletide evergreens; perhaps taking pictures of each tree, bush or moss (e.g., the case of Pine Tree Moss [see the 20^th of December]), smelling its fragrance and perhaps meditating near it as time and weather allow.

As all of these species are planted on or around one or more of our properties on Deer Hill, we are able to collect a cone or small sprig from each fir or pine on our walks or hikes as the Season draws near.  Many of us also create – or add to – a “Specimen Book” in which we mount pictures, pressings of needles, drawings and descriptions – naturalistic, poetic and mythic – of each of the trees.  Some celebrants of the Yule also include stories or quotes about these evergreens that they have found inspiring. 

For a more in depth version of the Whittier Yule Calendar, see pp. 525-558 in Heart and Hearth: Poetic Explorations of Authentic Dwelling in Earth and Spirit (2009):

 

Available at AMAZON, Barnes & Noble and the publisher, Authorhouse: https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/273120-Heart-Hearth

For a more Pagan version of the Thirteen Nights and Dayes, see The Fires of Yule: A Keltelven Guide for Celebrating the Winter Solstice (Second Edition; 2013):

  

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and the Publisher, Authorhouse (https://www.authorhouse.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/417290-The-Fires-of-Yule