Season’s greetings, travelers!  In this holiday-inspired episode of The Enchanted Path, we’ll be exploring the history of Yule traditions and a host of colorful characters unique to this magical time of year.  We begin with a little backstory on how the significance of Yule and the midwinter season came to be.  From there, we kick off this episode's journey in Italy with the legend of La Befana, the kindly Christmas Witch.  Then, we'll head to the Alpine heart of Austria and dive into the rich folkloric heritage of St. Nikolaus, Krampus, and the Perchten.  Our final stop is an adventure to the South of Wales, to unveil the details surrounding the mysterious tradition of the Mari Lywd.  I had a lot of fun with the research for this one, and especially enjoyed writing and recording the musical arrangements.  May a light burn brightly through the darkness of this winter season, and guide you to days of merriment and joy! The Enchanted Path: A Travel Podcast is a production of The Adventures of Jessie and The Grumpy Gnome, LLC.  Original music, transcripts, research, and production by Jessie Howe.  All resources and episode transcripts are available on my website, https://jessieandgrumpygnome.com.  Please consider supporting the show by joining our Patreon, for fun travel-inspired content, monthly gift boxes, and early access to episodes! Show Notes: Our Website: https://jessieandgrumpygnome/the-enchanted-path-home Our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jessie_and_grumpygnome BOOKS: The Krampus and The Old, Dark Christmas: Roots and Rebirth of the Folkloric Devil, by Al Ridenour Resources: https://stores.renstore.com/history-and-traditions/yule-history-and-origins https://nerdist.com/article/yule-curious-past-and-present-day-importance/ https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofWales/Welsh-Christmas-Traditions/ https://youtu.be/YU5pk-Hc758 https://youtu.be/oKZjFH_PEas https://youtu.be/bqW8ioL-Ik8 https://rhinwedd.cymru/blogs/news/the-story-of-mari-lwyd https://www.cbc.ca/kidscbc2/the-feed/the-strange-legend-of-the-swedish-yule-goat https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6290300 https://youtu.be/9VFZqFehsZ8 https://www.aroadretraveled.com/la-befana-festival-in-urbania-italy/ https://youtu.be/AcvvWcDLagY