We’re counting down the days until Christmas with a list of Traditions that you may or may not have heard of!
This seventh tradition involves the yule log. Have you heard of it before?
You may be familiar with a pastry called a yule log. Before it became known as a pastry, the yule log played a central role during Christmas celebrations in France & Italy. On Christmas Eve, an enormous log of freshly cut wood was cut and carried to the house. The entire process was done ceremoniously. The Master of the House would proceed to “bless” the log and place it on the hearth. Daughters or mothers would then light the log with splinters from the preceding year’s log. It was believed that the cinders of the log would protect the house from lighting and malevolent spirits.
Maybe this tradition should stay gone. It sounds like a lot of work for lighting a simple fire.
Source: Culture.gouv.fr