Yuleday this friday!

Rather than the obligatory "history of beer" post, which origins can be simultaneously traced back to the Sumarians/Babylonians (Iraq/Iran), Romans, Egyptians, Teutons (Germans), etc. etc. etc., in a very cool 12 monkeys effect I refer to as "God's universal love of all peoples," lets talk celebrations.

The "Alulu" tablet - a Sumerian recipe for "best" beer circa 2050 B.C. (wiki)

Yule Tide is a festival of the winter solstice, of peoples afraid the sun was dying, before witnessing the miracle of its rebirth. It has German, western European, and Scandinavian roots, and though of course those aren't the only countries to celebrate the solstice, they are likely the original countries to do it with lots and lots of beer. In one account of a feast in Valhalla (to the Nords what Olympus was to the Greeks):

An abundance of heavenly mead made from goats' milk and honey was provided for the feasts and on occasions ale, too, was served.

Toasts were usually drunk in honor of Bragi, god of poetry, eloquence, and song. The gods pledged themselves to perform remarkable deeds of courage and valor as they tossed off horn after horn of mead and ale. Each time their mighty valor grew until there was no limit set to their attainments.

Sounds kinda like a drunken festivus, no? Which really is all our Yule celebration aims to be: a drunken pledge "to perform remarkable deeds of courage and valor," usually in the form of tossing off horn after horn of mead and ale. Speaking of which, i need a drinking horn. Any advice on where to find? This has gone off topic but I think we can all agree that'd be preeetty cool.

A (sort of) new holiday: Yuleday

Dear friends of mine are having their annual holiday party this weekend and got me thinking that the run of the mill generic "Holiday Party" is a fantastic event with a void of character and charm. In the spirit of making their party more meaningful, I've asked if we can begin a new tradition celebrating a long lost holiday. I present to you Yuleday, my proposed purpose of Hagel and Merkelson's Holiday Party.

My goal is to establish Yuleday as an annual "paganesque" festival aligning with the Christmas and Hanukkah season. The celebration is to be focused not on the miracles of life and light, but on the miracles Beer and Friendship.

Practitioners will include those looking for a celebration more lighthearted than religion provides and whom enjoy the company of friends, family and beer.

It shall be celebrated for one and one-half days each December starting at Sunset on the Friday evening prior to the second Saturday in December. The celebration shall continue until Sunrise the following Sunday. The first annual Yuleday celebration will start at sunset Friday, December 11th and continue through Sunrise on Sunday, December 13th.

There are no guidelines or set traditions other than revelers spend as much time as possible with friends, family and beer during the day and half long holiday. Friends are encouraged to create their own traditions and to share the holiday with others, especially people tired of having just another "holiday party."

Eric and Matt, I ask, can you begin the tradition of Yuleday?