The Liturgical Home: The Yule Log and Buche de Noel
The Yule Log, or Christmas Log, is a beautiful tradition rich in symbolism and meaning, connecting the joy and celebration of the Christmas season with the deeper story of our faith. Celebrated by Christians worldwide, the Yule Log was more than a festive practice—it was a reflection of the Light overcoming darkness in the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Today, the Yule Log tradition is often adapted in the form of a cake, the Buche de Noel. This cake is decorated to look like a winter log, complete with dark frosting as “bark” and powdered sugar as “snow.” Yes, please!
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The History of the Yule Log
Originally, a large log was selected and brought into the home, where it was burned on the hearth during the Twelve Days of Christmas. Each evening, a portion of the log would be set aflame, filling the home with warmth and light during the sacred nights from Christmas Eve to Epiphany. The Yule Log symbolized Christ’s light entering the world, triumphing over sin and darkness. It was a physical reminder of John 1:5:
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
In keeping with the spirit of renewal and hope, tradition held that a small piece of the Yule Log was saved to light the next year’s log. This act symbolized the continuity of our faith, acknowledging the cycles of life, seasons, and the Church Calendar, all grounded in the constant presence of Christ.
The Yule Log in Poetry and Literature
The practice of burning the Yule Log has a long history, with references found in poetry and literature dating back to at least the 17th century. Poet Robert Herrick, in his 1648 collection Hesperides, refers to it as a “Christmas Log” and describes it being brought into the home with festivity:
Come, bring with a noise,
My merry, merry boys,
The Christmas Log to the firing…
Similarly, John Aubrey, a 17th-century antiquarian, wrote about the “large Yule log or Christmas block” as a key part of Christmas pastimes in his collection of traditions and customs from 1650 to 1687.
In 1725, Henry Bourne wrote that:
Our Fore-Fathers, when the common Devices of Eve were over, and Night was come on, were wont to light up Candles of an uncommon Size, which were called Christmas-Candles, and to lay a Log of Wood upon the Fire, which they termed a Yule-Clog, or Christmas-Block. These were to Illuminate the House, and turn the Night into Day.
Yule Log Traditions Around the World
Although known by different names according to the region and with some fun variations, Christians have burned Yule Logs all over the world from Christmas Eve to Epiphany.
Ireland
In Ireland, the log was called Bloc na Nollag. Traditionally, Fathers and sons dragged home the largest log they could find. They burned the log whole at the back of the fire. It was intended to last for the entire 12 days of Christmas. They kept a small piece of the Yule log to use as kindling for the lighting of the next year’s log.
Portugal
On Christmas Eve, after the Midnight Mass, congregants gather in the courtyard of the church or village for a ceremony known as the “burning of the yule-log” (Madeiro de Natal). The bonfire can sometimes be as high as the church. It is left to burn all night long until it finally goes out. What remains is then stored away for the lighting of next year’s fire.
Spain
In Catalonia, the Yule Log tradition has taken a whimsical turn with the Caga Tió, or “Christmas Log.” The people decorate this hollowed-out log with a painted face and small red hat. Children “feed” the log throughout Advent by placing treats and nuts inside. On Christmas Eve, they gather around the log, singing traditional songs and tap it with sticks until it “gives” the gifts.
France
In Provence, they hold a Yule log lighting ceremony known as a cacho-fio. As night falls on Christmas Eve, the youngest child receives the honor of choosing the biggest, most impressive log from the barn to use as the Yule Log. The log is taken to the fireplace. The family’s oldest member anoints the log with mulled wine as they bless it. The youngest and the eldest place the log in the fire while singing, “May God grant us the grace to see the coming year, and if we are no more, let us be no less.”
United States
On December 24, 1966, at 9:30 p.m., a local New York television station broadcast a six-minute loop of a yule log burning in a fireplace for several hours. It was huge hit! The broadcast, called Yule Log, premiered in full color on Channel 11 in New York City and became a yearly tradition. The station still broadcasts the Yule Log for four to five hours every Christmas morning and, through the years, has inspired many other television stations across the country to do the same thing.
The Bûche de Noël: A Sweet Symbol of Faith
As fireplaces became less central to family life, the tradition of the Yule Log found a new form in the Bûche de Noël, or Yule Log cake. Originating in 19th-century France, this dessert captures the essence of the Yule Log in a sweet, symbolic way.
The Bûche de Noël is a rolled sponge cake filled with buttercream and frosted to resemble a log. Its decorations, such as powdered sugar “snow,” meringue mushrooms, and textured “bark,” are a nod to the rustic beauty of the original Yule Log.
For Christians, the cake holds deeper meaning beyond its festive appearance. It reminds us of the joy and light that Christ brings into our lives. As we slice into the cake and share it with loved ones, it’s an opportunity to reflect on Christ’s invitation to share His light with the world: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden”(Matthew 5:14).
How to Celebrate the Yule Log Tradition as a Family
The Yule Log and Bûche de Noël provide wonderful ways to connect your family to the light of Christ during Christmas. Here’s how you can celebrate:
Make a Bûche de Noël Together:
Gather your family in the kitchen to bake and decorate a Yule Log cake. Talk about the history and Christian significance of the tradition as you work. Let the act of creating something together reflect the light and joy of Christ in your home. (Recipe at the end of this post!)
Burn a Yule Log:
Gather your family together, and allow the youngest in your family to choose the largest log. Gather around the log and ask the Lord to bless it, and then burn a little bit of each night during the 12 Days of Christmas. As you gather around the fire each night, pray as a family, thanking God for sending His Son to be the light of the world.
Reflect on the Light of Christ:
Whether through a devotion or simple conversation, reflect on how the Yule Log represents Christ’s light overcoming the darkness of sin. Invite your family to think about ways they can carry Christ’s light into the world in the coming year.
Carrying the Light Forward
The Yule Log and Bûche de Noël are not just festive traditions; they are rich symbols of the faith we celebrate at Christmas. Just as the original log brought warmth and light to homes, Christ brings hope and renewal to our hearts. And just as the Yule Log’s flame was carried forward year after year, we are called to carry Christ’s light into the world.
As you gather with your family this Christmas, let these traditions deepen your celebration of the true Light of the world. How will you carry Christ’s light this season?
Buche de Noel or Christmas Log
Made on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
Sponge Cake
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup hot water
- Grated rind of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup sifted flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- A few tablespoons of rum (optional)
- confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a jelly-roll pan, 10 by 15 inches. Line the pan with waxed paper and grease the paper.
Beat the yolks until light and lemon colored. Gradually add the sugar, beating until very thick. Beat in the hot water, lemon rind, juice, and vanilla.
Sift the flour with the baking powder and salt, and gradually beat into the egg mixture. Whip the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold gently but thoroughly into the batter.
Pour it into the jelly roll pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until the cake is lightly browned.
As soon as the cake is done, sprinkle it with the rum if you wish. Spread a clean, damp kitchen towel on the counter. Cover it with waxed paper. Sprinkle the paper with confectioner sugar. Invert the cake onto the waxed paper. Peel the paper off of the cake and trim the cake if it is too crusty. Roll up the cake along the long side with the towel and waxed paper. Let it cool to room temperature.
Mocha Cream Icing
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
- 3 sticks of butter, room temperature
Instructions
Beat the yolks until light-colored and thick. Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook to the soft-ball stage: about 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Beating constantly, add the eggs to the syrup. Continue beating until the mixture is cool. Stir in the vanilla extract, coffee, and chocolate. Gradually beat in the butter. Cool the icing in the refrigerator if it is too soft.
Unroll the cake. Spread it with half of the icing. Without the paper and the towel, roll it up as tightly as possible without damaging it. Chill for several hours. Chill the icing as well. Trim the ends of the cake on the diagonal; reserve the scraps. Frost the cake with most of the remaining icing. Cut the scraps to resemble knot holes. Set them on the main log and ice them. Using the tines of a fork, make marks on the surface of the cake to look like bark.
(Recipe from A Continual Feast by Evelyn Bitz.)
Want more suggestions on how to celebrate Christmas with your family? Check out Ashley’s book The Liturgical Home: Christmas, available at Amazon.
Photo by antoninavlasova, courtesy of Canva.
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