Pagan Christmas: The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide

Description

An examination of the sacred botany and the pagan origins and rituals of
Christmas • Analyzes the symbolism of the many plants associated with
Christmas • Reveals the shamanic rituals that are at the heart of the
Christmas celebration The day on which many commemorate the birth of Christ
has its origins in pagan rituals that center on tree worship, agriculture,
magic, and social exchange. But Christmas is no ordinary folk observance. It
is an evolving feast that over the centuries has absorbed elements from
cultures all over the world–practices that give plants and plant spirits
pride of place. In fact, the symbolic use of plants at Christmas effectively
transforms the modern-day living room into a place of shamanic ritual.
Christian Rätsch and Claudia Müller-Ebeling show how the ancient meaning of
the botanical elements of Christmas provides a unique view of the religion
that existed in Europe before the introduction of Christianity. The fir tree
was originally revered as the sacred World Tree in northern Europe. When the
church was unable to drive the tree cult out of people’s consciousness, it
incorporated the fir tree by dedicating it to the Christ child. Father
Christmas in his red-and-white suit, who flies through the sky in a sleigh
drawn by reindeer, has his mythological roots in the shamanic reindeer-herding
tribes of arctic Europe and Siberia. These northern shamans used the
hallucinogenic fly agaric mushroom, which is red and white, to make their soul
flights to the other world. Apples, which figure heavily in Christmas baking,
are symbols of the sun god Apollo, so they find a natural place at winter
solstice celebrations of the return of the sun. In fact, the authors contend
that the emphasis of Christmas on green plants and the promise of the return
of life in the dead of winter is just an adaptation of the pagan winter
solstice celebration. Read more

Features:

Product Details:

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Inner Traditions (October 24, 2006)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 20
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.42 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8 x 0.5 x 10 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #650,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #611 in Paganism #678 in Christmas (Books) #1,467 in Folklore & Mythology Studies
• #611 in Paganism