The Yule log, Yule clog, or Christmas block is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a winter tradition in regions of Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, and subsequently North America. The origin of the folk custom is unclear. The familiar custom of burning the Yule log dates back to earlier solstice celebrations and the tradition of bonfires. Yule log cake log is subsequently placed beneath the bed for luck, and particularly for protection from the household threats of lightning and, with some irony, fire.
According to the Dictionary of English Folklore, although the concept of Yule extends far into the ancient Germanic record long before Christianization, the first “clear” references to the tradition appear in the 17th century, and thus it is unclear from where or when exactly the custom extends. 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. Measure, is still kept up in the Northern Parts. Communal bon-bons with feasting and jollification have a pagan root—ritual bonfires at the beginning of November once signaled the start of another year and the onset of winter.
It is unlucky to have to light it again after it has once been started, and it ought not go out until it has burned away. To sit around the Yule log and tell ghost stories is a great thing to do on this night, also card-playing. Two large coloured candles are a Christmas present from the grocery. The Yule log is also attested as a custom present elsewhere in the English-speaking world, such as the United States. 1947 that a “Yule-Log Ceremony” in Palmer Lake, Colorado had occurred since 1934. For slaves, Christmas had special meaning. December was a slow work month on the typical plantation, and it became the social season for them.