Winter Solstice

Bayberry candles — and candles of all types — honor the solstice and harken the rebirth of the Sun God at Yule. Honoring the return of the sun and the rebirth of the Sun God was believed to ensure bountiful crops, healthy livestock and an abundant new year to come. The traditional Yule candle is very large, colored red, green or blue, and decorated with sprigs of holly or some other evergreen. The candle was lit on Yule and left to burn throughout the twelve-day festival, extinguished on the Twelfth Night. While the candle burnt, it was believed to shed a blessing on the household, it was considered a sign of ill omen or misfortune for the candle to go out or blown out. It was also considered unlucky to move it or blow out the flame when the time came to extinguish it, it was done by pressing the wick with a pair of tongs. In some households only the head of the family could perform this task, it is considered unlucky for anyone else to touch it whilst alight.