The 12 Nights of Yule ~ Night Twelve: Night of Oaths & Revelry

[BryWisteria]

THE TWELFTH NIGHT OF YULE:

Day of Oaths & Revelry

Twelfth Night - Final Night of Yule

Welcome to the grand finale - eleven days and nights have come and gone, and we find ourself at the end of Yule celebrations. But just like the solstice, although one period is ending, something new is about to begin. The Sun is growing and gaining strength and we are now ready to leap into a brand new year.

Today marks the Final Night (Twelfth Night) of Yule and the Gregorian New Year’s Eve before the first day of 2026.

Oath Night

The custom of swearing oaths during Yule is likely from Nordic customs, via a practice of Heistrenging.

Heitstrenging (pl. heitstrengingar) is an Old Norse practice of swearing of a solemn oath to perform a future action. They were often performed at Yule and other large social events, where they played a role in establishing and maintaining good relationships principally between members of the aristocratic warrior elite. The oath-swearing practice varied significantly, sometimes involving ritualised drinking or placing hands on a holy pig (referred to as a sónargöltr) that could later be sacrificed. While originally containing heathen religious components such as prayers and worship of gods such as Freyr and Thor, the practice continued in an altered manner after the Christianisation of Scandinavia. ~ Wikipedia: Heistrenging](Heitstrenging - Wikipedia)

These oaths may be partially to thank for the modern tradition of setting new year’s resolutions and making goals (or promises/oaths to oneself) to achieve in the new year.

Picture from Wikipedia: Hogmanay

Hogmanay

Hogmanay is a vibrant celebration in Scotland to welcome in the new year.

@Cosmic_Curiosity

Very soon, we will approach Hogmanay. This is the name given to New Year’s Eve in Scotland. We dont really k ow the orgins of the word but some say its from the French phrase hoguinané, which is a gift given at New Year. It may have been brought to Scotland by French-speaking soldiers during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. Another theory links Hogmanay to the Old Norse phrase höggo-nótt, which means the night of the last day of the year. It may have been brought to Scotland by the Vikings.

Many of our traditions go back to the when the Vikings were in Scotland. They celebrated Yule and over time, these traditions merged with Gaelic ones to form what was done on Hogmanay. This includes lighting fires and torches to ward off evil spirits and negativity. People would march through the street with torches to cleanse themselves and “burn away” evil spirits and negativity, thus purifying them for the New Year …

Slow Cooker Wassail

Night of Wassailing

Wassailing is part of the old tradition of making noise to welcome in the new year. It is both rowdy caroling and a seasonal drink that was given to wassailers.

During Yule, the tradition of wassailing played a significant role in celebrating the season. Wassailers would go from house to house or orchard to orchard, singing songs, offering blessings, and sharing bowls of wassail—a spiced cider or ale. This act was both a joyous celebration and a ritual of goodwill, meant to bring luck and prosperity to the households and trees they visited. ~ Spells8: Yule Symbols & Pagan Traditions

Consider singing songs and making a bowl of your own homemade wassail to celebrate the night.

Celebration Spells & Ideas

Want to celebrate? Here are a few spells and other ways to honor the energies of the day.

Hogmanay Rituals from the Pagan Grimoire

Spells8: Wassail Recipe Printable Page

Good Luck Rituals in New Year's Eve

The New Year brings an opportunity to a fresh start. Here are a few New Year Rituals for Good Luck (mostly folk) that I’ve gathered throughout the years. The 12 Grapes of Luck Being from South America, I know this one very well: A Spanish tradition that consists of eating a grape with each clock bell strike at midnight of December 31 to welcome the New Year. [Spanish Tradition Grapes New Year] The origins of this ritual are debatable but the story says that growers in Alicante had a…

Weekly Witchy CHALLENGE- Passage Into the New Year

New Year’s Eve Cleansing Bath Fill a bathtub of warm or hot water with rosemary leaves or rosemary essential oil. Light a white candle beside the bathtub. As you soak in the bathtub, think back on everything that has happened in the past year. Were there times you might have said or done something that caused harm to others, consciously or unconsciously? When the answer comes to your mind, say the following: As the old year ends, I wish to make amends for any harm I have caused, cons…

TWELVE NIGHTS OF YULE COUNTDOWN:

0. Intro and History of the Twelve Nights
1. Mother’s Night and The Longest Night (Dec 20)
2. The Winter Solstice and The Wild Hunt (Dec 21)
3. Day of Light & Reflections, Sacred to Ancestors (Dec 22)
4. Day of Family, Sacred to All-Father Odin (Dec 23)
5. Day of Gifts & Miracles, Jolabokaflod, Night of Animals Talking (Dec 24)
6. Day of Hearth & Home, Sol Invictus, First Day of Rauhnächte, Sacred to Frigg (Dec 25)
7. Day of Cleansing (Dec 26)
8. Day of Snow, Sacred to Deities of Winter, Skadi & Ullr (Dec 27)
9. Day of Preparation & Wishes (Dec 28)
10. Day of Community (Dec 29)
11. Day of Mischief, Sacred to Tricksters (Dec 30)
12. Oath Night, Twelfth Night, Day of Wassailing, Gregorian New Year’s Eve (Dec 31)

Thank you for joining us on our Yule Countdown!

And that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed this exploration of Yuletide festivities and that you had fun with your own celebrations. Wishing you a smooth transition into the new year. May 2026 be a wonderful one for you. Blessed be!