For the Vikings, Germanic tribes, and other pagan peoples of pre-Christian Europe, this celebration, known as Yule, was originally meant to honor the winter solstice. The Yule or Yuletide ...

Yule is an ancient Pagan holiday that celebrates the sun’s return and the days growing longer again. The Yule festival was first observed historically in Germanic and Nordic countries and in ...

Some Christmas traditions mirror pre-Christian festivities, but some pagan influences may have been overstated.

Many pagan Yuletide traditions were absorbed by Christmas when Christianity spread through Europe, but a more traditional version of the festival is still observed by Wiccans and modern pagans today.

The Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea will host three performances for the festival Jan. 4-5, marking the event's 48th year.

Today's version of Yuletide, however, often represents a fusion of historical pagan roots and Christian celebrations.

In many pagan religions, the day is marked by Yule: a holiday that's a time of both reflection and celebration ...

Like many European Christmas traditions, the burning of the Yule Log is based on ancient pagan rituals – in this case, the celebration of the Winter Solstice just a few days before Christmas.

Christmas goes by various monikers depending on your locale and beliefs. It's commonly dubbed the "festive period" or the "holiday season", but there's another term that's quite prevalent during this ...

Christmas was actually set on Dec. 25 to combat pagan celebrations of Sol Invictus (the unconquered sun), a Roman holiday. Another connection to Christmas is the term Yule, derived from the Norse ...

as the winter solstice marks the shortest day of the year, and was celebrated long before Advent or Christian practices around Christmas. Today's version of Yuletide, however, often represents a ...