Yule

Two days in the calendars of the Hobbits that marked the end of one year, and the beginning of the next. On a modern calendar, they fell on the 21 and 22 December3. Around them, the six-day festival of Yuletide was held, running from 29 Foreyule to 2 Afteryule.

Due to a peculiarity of the Shire Calendar, the Yuledays always fell on the same days of the week. The last day of the year, 1 Yule, was always a Highday (Friday), while the first day of the following year, 2 Yule, was always a Sterday (Saturday).

The formal use of Yule in the Shire calendar cannot, by definition, predate the foundation of the Shire in III 1601. However, its appearance there represents a survival of an older tradition, and the name 'Yule' for a midwinter festival was known as far from the Shire as Rohan and Gondor.