What is exactly is a Yule log?

Question

Where does it come from, what do you do with it, and what does it symbolize?

Answer 1

A Yule log is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures. The origins of the Yule log can be traced back to the Midwinter festivals in which the Norsemen indulged in nights filled with feasting, "drinking Yule" and watching the fire leap around the log burning in the home hearth. The ceremonies and beliefs associated with the Yule log's sacred origins are closely linked to representations of health, fruitfulness and productivity.

To many Europeans, the Yule log was believed to bring beneficial magic and was kept burning for at least twelve hours and sometimes as long as twelve days, warming both the house and those who resided within. When the fire of the Yule log was finally quenched, a small fragment of the wood would be saved and used to light the next year's log. It was also believed that as long as the Yule log burned, the house would be protected from witchcraft. The ashes that remained from the sacred Yule log were scattered over fields to bring fertility, or cast into wells to purify and sweeten the water.

Answer 2

A Yule log is a large log which is burned in the hearth as a part of traditional Yule or Christmas celebrations in some cultures.

In Northern Europe, winter festivities were once considered to be a Feast of the Dead, complete with ceremonies full of spirits, devils, and the haunting presence of the Norse god, Odin, and his night riders. One particularly durable Solstice festival was "Jol" (also known as "Jule" and pronounced "Yule"), a feast celebrated throughout Northern Europe and particularly in Scandinavia to honor Jolnir, another name for Odin. Since Odin was the god of intoxicating drink and ecstasy, as well as the god of death, Yule customs varied greatly from region to region. Odin's sacrificial beer became the specially blessed Christmas ale mentioned in medieval lore, and fresh food and drink were left on tables after Christmas feasts to feed the roaming Yuletide ghosts. Even the bonfires of ancient times survived in the tradition of the Yule log, perhaps the most universal of all Christmas symbols.



You can find more at this site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log

Answer 3

To expand on what Holly Jolly said, the Yule Log cake (called 'Buche de Noel in French) is a hold-over from the Middle Ages, when an actual log was burned. This very rich cake, obviously, is much easier to handle, especially for those without fireplaces. (My mother also used to make this for Lincoln's Birthday, and called it a Lincoln Log. )

Anyway, imagine a Yodel or swiss roll snack cake, only much larger and with much better filling. The last one I made had yellow sponge cake filled with mocha filling, with dark European bittersweet frosting (from 'Joy of Cooking') outside. I cut off the ends, then stacked them off-center near one end, and frosted them to look like a sawn-off branch, then used a fork to draw lines to simulate bark. A sprig of holly and a liberal dusting of confectioners sugar for snow, and it won the 'Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give a Damn HOW Many Calories It Has' award at a cake contest.

Answer 4

I think it's a dessert. And I think it symbolizes the Christmas season.

Answer 5

Is that A trick question?

Answer 6

iTS SOMETHING YOU LEAVE BURNING ON A NEIGHBORS DOOR STEP AND IT SMELLS OF BURNING SHIIT