In the Shire the year is winding down.
Today, December 18th, begins the Yule Days, the six-day celebration of the end of the year. Tolkien writes little of the Yule Days, except to call them one of the chief holidays and a time of great feasting.
One imagines that pipeweed was smoked, ale was quaffed in great quantities, and many foods were consumed.
Winter solstice festivals, like the Shire’s Yule Days, are common to many cultures. What Americans celebrate as Christmas is an accretion of many different festivals — Norse, German, Roman, etc.
Watch a Lord of the Rings film between now and the 23rd, the final day of the Yule Days. 🙂
Happy Yule Days!
Published by Allyn
A writer, editor, journalist, sometimes coder, occasional historian, and all-around scholar, Allyn Gibson is the writer for Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly PREVIEWS catalog, used by comic book shops and throughout the comics industry, and the editor for its monthly order forms. In his over ten years in the industry, Allyn has interviewed comics creators and pop culture celebrities, covered conventions, analyzed industry revenue trends, and written copy for comics, toys, and other pop culture merchandise. Allyn is also known for his short fiction (including the Star Trek story "Make-Believe,"the Doctor Who short story "The Spindle of Necessity," and the ReDeus story "The Ginger Kid"). Allyn has been blogging regularly with WordPress since 2004.
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