Long, long ago, so the old stories of the North say, frost giants who
lived on the mountains wanted to keep the earth in darkness and cold,
and the gods who lived in the valleys fought with the giants to keep
sunshine and warmth on the earth.
Early in January each year when the nights were longest, the people in
the old days said, “Yule, the frost giant, has won in the battle against
Odin, the god of the sun.” Now the people knew that Odin would win the
next battle, which was always fought in the middle of the summer when
the days were longest; therefore they celebrated Yule’s victory in the
happy thought that Odin would soon triumph over the frost giant. They
lighted fires and made feasts which lasted for weeks. And so began the
Yule-tide celebration which the children of those northern lands today
celebrate each year.
After years and years, the people who lived in these lands became
Christians. They began to celebrate the day the Christ-child was born.
As the years passed, the Christmas celebration and the Yule celebration
came to be one big feast time.
The weeks before Yule time are busy weeks. The houses must be cleaned.
Cakes, cookies, and bread are baked. Sausages are made. Girls are sewing
on gifts and boys are sawing and pounding, making gifts too. The stores
in the cities and towns are bright with decorations and happy buyers
crowd about buying gifts.
The day before Christmas comes at last. And for the girls and boys of
Norway, Sweden, and Denmark the day before Christmas is a merrier day
even than Christmas Day. Everybody is up early on that day. A tree of
spruce or fir is set in place in the living room. No home is too poor to
have a yule-tree in that land of evergreen trees. Norway and Sweden have
enough trees in their forests to supply every home, and ships carry
trees from their forests to the children of Denmark.
As soon as the Yule-tree is up the merriment begins. The girls and boys
help decorate the tree with strings of bright paper, painted cones from
the evergreen trees, colored ornaments, and red candles, or bright
electric lights. The boys place a big log in the fireplace ready to
brighten the room with its glow.
[Illustration: CHRISTMAS BRINGS SKIS FOR OLD AND YOUNG]
Another tree is then decorated in the yard for the birds. The boys set
up a large branch of a tree and help the girls tie bunches of oats and
barley upon it so that the birds will have their Yule-time feast.
After lunch the girls and boys stay away from the Yule-tree. But how
excited they are! For it is then that secret packages are heaped on the
floor underneath the branches of the tree. Darkness comes early in the
northern parts of these countries at Christmas time. In the far north
the sun never shines at this time of the year. As early as three
o’clock, Mother lights the tree and Father starts the Yule-log burning.
Then all the family gather around the tree and the best fun of the day
begins. Those children do not have to wait until Christmas morning to
see their gifts. The packages are passed out as soon as the tree is
lighted on Christmas Eve. Under the tree are presents for
everybody—dolls, toy trains, books, knives, skates, sleds, skis, and
candies and nuts and many, many other gifts too.
After the gifts are unwrapped sometimes Father and Mother and the
children and the servants join hands and sing carols around the tree. By
that time the dinner is ready. And that dinner is one of the best of the
year with fish, potatoes, peas, flat bread, sausages, ham, or maybe a
goose, pudding, and cakes. The children are tired and ready for bed at
an early hour.
The next morning they are up early again. While it is quite dark they go
to church for a Christmas service. Pretty Yule-trees stand beside the
altar and the children carry gifts for the poor and place them beneath
the Yule-trees. They sing songs, repeat their prayers, and listen to the
pastor’s story of the Christ-child.
Christmas Day is a quiet day in most of the homes in Norway, Sweden, and
Denmark. But after Christmas is over the merrymaking begins again. There
are more feasts and parties. The children skate, and ski, and coast on
their sleds as much as they please, for school is closed during the
whole of the Yule season.