Yule

In modern times, Yule is an alternative name for Christmas. It was originally the name of a month on the Nordic calendar. The Anglo-Saxon calendar included the month geola or giuli, according to Bede, an 8th century writer. In the 9th and 10th centuries, it referred to a Scandinavian Midwinter festival. When Norway adopted the Christian calendar in the 10th century, King Haakon I rescheduled Yule to December 25 in order to coincide to Christian celebrations at that time, according to The Saga of Hákon the Good. The name of the festival is given as yol in Middle English, geōl in Old English, and jōl in Old Norse.