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Words We Use: yule
Yule and Yuletide. That old “heathen feast, later taken over by Christianity”, as it is put. Both words are Anglo-Saxon but originated in Norse. They refer to a two-month midwinter season, corresponding to our December and January.
In Norse lore it is recounted how King Haakon I of Norway, who became Christian, rescheduled Yule to coincide with Christmas. Through him, according to the Saga of Haakon the Good, it spread to England.
Variations of the word Yule are to be found in Sweden, Norway, Iceland and the Faroe Island, Finland, the Frisian islands, and Estonia. Additionally, and closer to home, Yule is the traditional name for Christmas in the Scots language.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/words-we-use-yule-1.1634698
