Yule is a mid- winter festival of Iceland. Icelanders celebrates Yule through different kinds of saga, gifts, food, fun, songs and feasts.
The common feature of Yule celebration was arranging feasts and drinking of Yule Ale. The Yule Feasts varied in size and grandeur. The chieftains invited many people for drinking Yule Ale. At the time of departure gifts were received by the guests of chieftains after feasting for many days.
Yule gifts were given on the occasion of Yule. At Yule the guests regularly received gifts from chieftains. Clothes along with ornate shoes were received by everyone from their employer in the past centuries which were not counted as gifts but as bonus for doing works well. In the last century at Yule it became mandatory of giving candle to every child and every member of the house. A new cloth was considered as a necessary gift of Yule in Iceland. In Iceland children preferred receiving toys as Yule gifts.
In Iceland Rowan was the first commemorated Yule tree. In the Yule of Iceland lights burned on the branches of Yule tree. The light remained as usual even when the wind blew strongly. Afterwards home- made Yule trees became common in Iceland.
Yule Foods of Iceland consists of mutton soup along with porridge or Hangikjöt, Leaf Bread, Smoked Pork Rack, etc.
Yule Cat in Iceland means those who are unable to get new clothes on Yule, they are bound to become oblations of Yule Cat. For making the people of Iceland work harder, the Yule Cat was used as an incentive.
Yule has many symbols. But the most famous symbol of Yule is the newborn baby Jesus in arms of The Virgin Mary.
