Prior to Christianization, the Germanic peoples (including the English) celebrated a midwinter event called Yule (Old English "geola" or "giuli"). With the Christianization of Germanic Europe, numerous traditions were absorbed from Yuletide celebrations into modern Christmas. During this period, supernatural and ghostly occurrences were said to increase in frequency, such as the Wild Hunt, a ghostly procession through the sky. The leader of the wild hunt is frequently attested as the god Wodan (Norse Odin), bearing (among many names) the names "Jólnir", meaning "Yule figure", and "Langbarðr", meaning "long-beard", in Old Norse.