Acronym Definition
PJUL Perfect July
PJUL Perfect J User Licence
PJUL Persian Joint University Libraries
PJUL Persian Jugoslovenska Udruzena Levica (Serbian: Yugoslav United Left;
pro-communist political party in Serbia-Yugoslavia)
PJUL Persian Jules' Undersea Lodge
PJUL Persian Juliaca, Peru
PJUL Persian Julian Date
PJUL Pagans Jul
Of the contested origin of Jól, one popular connection is to Old Norse hjól,
wheel, to identify the moment when the wheel of the year is at its low point,
ready to rise again (compare karachun). This theory however seems based more on
similarities between the words "jul" and "hjul" (with a mute h) in modern
Scandinavian languages, rather than any connection based on older cognates or
historical sources. Linguists suggest that Jól has been inherited by Germanic
languages from a pre-Indo-European substrate language and either borrowed into
Old English from Old Norse or directly inherited from Proto-Germanic.
Considering the original Old English form Geohhol, another suggestion connects
the word to Latin jocus, however this is uncertain.
In the Scandinavian Germanic languages, the term Jul covers both Yule and
Christmas, and is also occasionally used to denote other holidays in December,
e.g., "jødisk jul" or "judisk jul" (tr. "Jewish Yule") for Hanukkah. The word "jul"
has also been borrowed into the neighboring Finnic languages, most notably to
Finnish and Estonian (where it has been modified to "joulu" and "jõul",
respectively, and denotes Christmas in modern usage), although the Finnic
languages have a linguistic origin different from Germanic languages. In Old
English, geóla originally referred to the month of December; although the
ancient Anglo-Saxon calendar had two "tides" of 60 day periods: "Litha Tide",
roughly equivalent to modern June and July, and "Giuli Tide", being essentially
December and January (the remaining months of the year were lunar, 29 day
periods--the New Year began with the second half of that tide, also known as "Wulfmonath").
There was also a period of time, twelve days, intercalary between the two
halves--or "monaths"--the which becoming the traditional Twelve Days of
Christmas. The definition later narrowed to mean Christmas day only, with the
returning of the Latin-based calendar--via the Normans--over time in Christian
Norman and Anglo-Saxon England.
Ancient Yule
Yule celebrations at the winter solstice predate the conversion to Christianity.
It was, in pre-conversion times, the name of a feast celebrated by sacrifice on
mid-winter night of January 12th according to the Norwegian historian Olav Bø.
Though there are numerous references to Yule in the Icelandic sagas, there are
few accounts of how Yule was actually celebrated, beyond the fact that it was a
time for feasting. According to Adam of Bremen, the Swedish kings sacrificed
male slaves every ninth year during the Yule sacrifices at the Temple at
Uppsala. 'Yule-Joy', with dancing, continued through the Middle Ages in Iceland,
but was frowned upon when the Reformation arrived. The custom of ritually
slaughtering a boar on Yule survives in the modern tradition of the Christmas
ham and the Boar's Head Carol.
"On Yule Eve, the best boar in the herd was brought into the hall where the
assembled company laid their hands upon the animal and made their unbreakable
oaths. Heard by the boar, these oaths were thought to go straight to the ears of
Freyr himself.Once the oaths had been sworn, the boar was sacrificed in the name
of Freyr and the feast of boar flesh began. The most commonly recognised
remnants of the sacred boar traditions once common at Yule has to be the serving
of the boar's head at later Christmas feasts".
The confraternities of artisans of the 9th century, which developed into the
medieval guilds, were denounced by Catholic clergy for their "conjurations" when
they swore to support one another in coming adversity and in business ventures.
The occasions were annual banquets on December 26,
"feast day of the pagan god Jul, when it was possible to couple with the spirits
of the dead and with demons that returned to the surface of the earth... Many
clerics denounced these conjurations as being not only a threat to public order
but also, more serious in their eyes, satanic and immoral. Hincmar, in 858,
sought in vain to Christianize them" (Rouche 1987, p. 432).
Contemporary Yule Traditions
Many of the symbols and motifs associated with the modern holiday of Christmas
are derived from traditional pagan northern European Yule celebrations. The
burning of the Yule log, the decorating of Christmas trees, the eating of ham,
the hanging of boughs, holly, mistletoe, etc. are all historically practices
associated with Yule. When the Christianization of the Germanic peoples began,
missionaries found it convenient to provide a Christian reinterpretation of
popular pagan holidays such as Yule and allow the celebrations themselves to go
on largely unchanged, versus trying to confront and suppress them. The
Scandinavian tradition of slaughtering a pig at Christmas (see Christmas ham) is
probably salient evidence of this. The tradition is thought to be derived from
the sacrifice of boars to the god Freyr at the Yule celebrations. Halloween and
aspects of Easter celebrations are likewise assimilated from northern European
pagan festivals.
English historian Bede's Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum ("Ecclesiastic
History of the English People") contains a letter from Pope Gregory I to Saint
Mellitus, who was then on his way to England to conduct missionary work among
the pagan Anglo-Saxons. Pope Gregory suggested that converting heathens would go
easier if they were allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional
pagan practices and traditions, while recasting those traditions spiritually
towards the Christian God instead of to their pagan "devils": "to the end that,
whilst some gratifications are outwardly permitted them, they may the more
easily consent to the inward consolations of the grace of God".
Finland
Joulupukki
Joulupöytä
On the eve of the Finnish Joulu, children are visited by Joulupukki, a Santa
Claus-like character. The name Joulupukki literally means Yule Goat. This name
is likely to come from an old Finnish tradition, where people dressed in goat
hides called nuuttipukkis used to circulate in homes after Joulu, eating
leftover food. Joulupukki's workshop is situated, not in the North Pole or
Greenland, but in Korvatunturi, Lapland, Finland. He does not sneak in through
the chimney during the night, but knocks on the front door during Jouluaatto.
When he comes in, his first words usually are: "Onkos täällä kilttejä lapsia?"
(tr. "Are there (any) good (well behaving) children here?"). Presents are given
and opened immediately. He usually wears red, warm clothes and often carries a
wooden walking stick. He visits people's homes and rides a sleigh pulled by a
number of reindeer. He is married to Joulumuori (tr. Mother Yule). Typical
Finnish yule dishes include ham, various root vegetable casseroles, beetroot
salad, gingerbread and star-shaped plum-filled pastries. Other traditions with a
non-Christian yule background include joulukuusi (tr. "yule spruce") and
joulusauna (tr. "yule sauna").
Norway
Jul (Norway)
The main Jul event for Norwegians is on Julaften on December 24th, the evening
when the main feast, is served and gifts are exchanged. Almost all Norwegian
breweries produce traditional beer, juleøl, and a special soda, julebrus. Jul
dishes are also served on Julebord, where people from work gather around early
December to feast and drink alcoholic beverages. Also, 7 types of deserts,
julekaker traditionally baked by the mother of the house are prepared. There is
also the Julebukk or Nyttårsbukk tradition of which it is common for children to
pay visits to neighbours where they are given candy, nuts and clementines. The
children may dress up and go out every day between Juleaften and New Year's Eve.
Adults as well, dress up later in the evening and Drammebukk by paying visits to
neighbours in much the same way as the children, but the main difference is that
adults are given drinks instead of candy.
Denmark
Jul (Denmark)
In Denmark, Jul is celebrated on December 24, which is referred to as
Juleaftendag. An elaborate dinner is eaten with the family consisting of either
roast pork, roast duck or roast goose with potatoes, red cabbage and plenty of
gravy. For dessert rice pudding is served, traditionally with an almond hidden
inside. The lucky finder of this almond is entitled to a small gift. After the
meal is complete, the family gather around the Juletræ and sing Christmas
carols. When the singing is complete, the children often hand out the presents.
They are opened and this is followed by more snacks, candy, chips and sometimes
the traditionally Gløgg (mulled and spiced wine with almonds and raisins), which
is served hot in small cups.
Sweden
Julbock at Gävle, SwedenAs in many other countries in northern Europe, Jultomten
brings the presents on julafton (Yule Eve), December 24, the day generally
thought of as the main Jul day. Almost all Swedish families celebrate with a
julbord. The common part of almost all julbord is the julskinka (baked ham). The
julbord is served with beer or julmust and snaps, the dishes of the julbord may
vary throughout Sweden. Businesses traditionally invite their employees to a
julbord dinner or lunch the weeks beforehand, and people go out privately to
restaurants offering julbord during December, as well. Swedes also enjoy glögg
like in many other countries of Scandinavia. After the julbord, the presents are
distributed, either by Jultomten or a family member, and usually from a sack or
from under the Christmas tree where they have been laying all day or for several
days. In older days a julbock (yule goat) was an alternative to Jultomten,
nowadays it is used as an ornament, ranging from sizes of 10 cm to huge
constructions like the Gävle goat. The next morning, some people attend the
julotta, an early morning church service on jul day.
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