December 21: Christmas in Scotland, Winter Solstice & Yule!

In Scotland, they would tradtionally light a fire in their hearths on Christmas Eve to ward off any elves who might want to come down the chimey and cause mischief. Most of the holiday celebrations are reserved for Hogmanay, or January 1st. This is the day for the "first-footing" which the Scots believe to be the first person to set foot in a home on January 1st is called the 'first-foot" who greatly affects their future luck. There are many feasts singing, dancing and game playing after the first footer arrives. For this, many hire a stranger to come and enter the home to get the party started. They have history of the Yule in Scotland, and so we will also learn about Yule in more detail.

Read: The 12 Days o Yule Retold by Susan Rennie

What is a Solstice?

Learn more about the 12 Days of Yule in this video:

The 12 Days of Yule

1st Night – Mothers Night

2nd Day – Winter Solstice (Dec. 21)

The next 9 days include the 9 Noble Virtues:

3rd Day – Courage

4th Day – Truth

5th Day – Honor

6th Day – Fidelity

7th Day – Hospitality

8th Day – Discipline

9th Day – Industriousness

10th Day – Self-Reliance

11th Day – Perseverance

12th Day – Twelfth Night (Wassailing)

Learn how the Yule Log evolved from an Ancient Viking Ritual in this video:

I really enjoyed this video sharing more history of the Yule Log, and the 12 Days of Yule.

The 12 Days off Yule became The 12 Days of Christmas. You may want to read the 12 days of Christmas and compare them. Here’s the read aloud of the version by Lara Hawthorne:

Watch this video to see what Edinburgh is like at Christmas!

Also read:

Yule: A Celebration of Light and Warmth by Dorothy Morrison * this book is rich, and covers many countries traditions and has loads of inspiration.

A Scottish Year: Twelve Months in the Life of Scotland's Kids by Tania McCartney

The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson - This book is about a Scottish Family and their beliefs to celebrate the Winter Solstice. We also have included this book for today’s read with our Winter and Snow Learning Pack.

Additional books About Scotland:

Katie in Scotland by James Mayhew

B is for Bagpipes: A Scotland Alphabet by Eve Begley Kiehm
The Softhearted Sheep Dog by Silvia Green - Scotland

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Vinegar Bottle (Traditional Scottish Tales) by Rumer Godden  

We found another read aloud of this story, retold by Ann Douglas:

Paint: Scotland Felt Ornament

Cook: Scottish Yule Bread, recipe included in our 3rd Edition plan.

Also Make: Scottish Breakfast Potato Scones