Pagan Christmas
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
Published on 24. October 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-59477-092-0 (ISBN)
Description
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 Raetsch and Claudia Mueller-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.
Christian Raetsch and Claudia Mueller-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.
Reviews / Votes
"The authors and the translators richly deserve congratulations on what is without doubt one of the finest books about Pagan Christmas written in recent times." * Lee Prosser, Ghostvillage.com, Dec 2006 * "The illustrations and photographs are excellent. The text is concise, and accurate. Pagan Christmas is a fine reading experience!" * Lee Prosser, Ghostvillage.com, Dec 18, 2006 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Rochester
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
156 color and 40 b&w illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 231 mm
Width: 202 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
699 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59477-092-0 (9781594770920)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Christian Rätsch | Claudia Müller-Ebeling
Pagan Christmas
The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide
E-Book
10/2006
Simon + Schuster LLC
€27.68
Available for download
Persons
Christian Raetsch, Ph.D. (1957 - 2022), was a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specialized in the shamanic uses of plants. He is the author of The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants and Marijuana Medicine, and coauthor of Plants of the Gods, Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas, and Witchcraft Medicine. He lived in Hamburg, Germany, and lectured around the world. Claudia Mueller-Ebeling, Ph.D., is an art historian and anthropologist and coauthor, with Christian Raetsch, of Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas and Witchcraft Medicine. She lives in Hamburg, Germany.
Content
Preface
The Ethnobotany of Christmas
Traditions, Rituals, and Customs
Christmas Songs of the Hard Winter
A Pagan Feast
Red and White: Colors of Christmas
The Darkness of Midwinter
Sacred Nights, Smudging Nights, and Incense
Wotan and the Wild Hunt
From the Shamanic World Tree to the Christmas Tree
Christmas Trees
Holy Trees
St. Nicholas and His Little Helper, Ruprecht
Baccy Claus: The Smoking Christmas Man
Father Christmas: An Anthropomorphic Fly Agaric Mushroom?
Christmas Tree Decorations
The Golden Apples
Miracle Blossoms for the Winter Solstice
St. Barbara's Boughs
Christ Rose or Hellebore
Christmas Roses
Christmas Stars
Exotic Christmas Flowers
Christmas Greens
The Old Ones of the Woods
Mistletoe: Winter Woods Green
Holly: Frau Holle's Holy Tree
Laurel: The Sun God's Plant
Ivy: Tendrils of the Maenads
The Aromas of Christmas: A Shower of Pheromones
Incense for the Holy Nights
Incense Under the Christmas Tree
Incense Recipes for the Smudging Nights
Christmas Intoxications and Other Delights
Yule Drinking
Love on Christmas Eve?
Chocolate Father Christmas: Ritual Christmas Cannibalism
Mugwort, the Sacrificial Goose, and the Christmas Roast
Rosemary and the Yule Boar
Merry Christmas from Mother Coca, Coca-Cola, and Santa Claus
Christmas Spices and Christmas Baking
Anise and St. Andrew's Night
Saffron: Red Gold for Christmas
Christmas Baking
The Rebirth of the Sun
Sun Gods: Apollo, Mithras, and Jesus
Mystery Cults
Kyphi: Incense for the Smudging Nights
Saturn, the God of Incense
The Erotic Bean Feast
New Year's Eve: The Wild Feast of Sylvester
Protection and Fertility Rites
Lucky Plants
Happy New Year
Thunder and Witch Flour
From Incense to Fireworks
Lucky Mushrooms and Chimney Sweeps
New Year's Day
Magical, Shamanic Clover
The Night of Befana, the Christmas Witch
Holy Bushes that Protect Against Witches
Paradise Plant
Devil's Dirt and Witches' Smoke
Three Kings Day: The End of the Christmas Season
The Pagan Magi from the East
Frankincense, the Secret of Old Arabia
Bibliography
Index
The Ethnobotany of Christmas
Traditions, Rituals, and Customs
Christmas Songs of the Hard Winter
A Pagan Feast
Red and White: Colors of Christmas
The Darkness of Midwinter
Sacred Nights, Smudging Nights, and Incense
Wotan and the Wild Hunt
From the Shamanic World Tree to the Christmas Tree
Christmas Trees
Holy Trees
St. Nicholas and His Little Helper, Ruprecht
Baccy Claus: The Smoking Christmas Man
Father Christmas: An Anthropomorphic Fly Agaric Mushroom?
Christmas Tree Decorations
The Golden Apples
Miracle Blossoms for the Winter Solstice
St. Barbara's Boughs
Christ Rose or Hellebore
Christmas Roses
Christmas Stars
Exotic Christmas Flowers
Christmas Greens
The Old Ones of the Woods
Mistletoe: Winter Woods Green
Holly: Frau Holle's Holy Tree
Laurel: The Sun God's Plant
Ivy: Tendrils of the Maenads
The Aromas of Christmas: A Shower of Pheromones
Incense for the Holy Nights
Incense Under the Christmas Tree
Incense Recipes for the Smudging Nights
Christmas Intoxications and Other Delights
Yule Drinking
Love on Christmas Eve?
Chocolate Father Christmas: Ritual Christmas Cannibalism
Mugwort, the Sacrificial Goose, and the Christmas Roast
Rosemary and the Yule Boar
Merry Christmas from Mother Coca, Coca-Cola, and Santa Claus
Christmas Spices and Christmas Baking
Anise and St. Andrew's Night
Saffron: Red Gold for Christmas
Christmas Baking
The Rebirth of the Sun
Sun Gods: Apollo, Mithras, and Jesus
Mystery Cults
Kyphi: Incense for the Smudging Nights
Saturn, the God of Incense
The Erotic Bean Feast
New Year's Eve: The Wild Feast of Sylvester
Protection and Fertility Rites
Lucky Plants
Happy New Year
Thunder and Witch Flour
From Incense to Fireworks
Lucky Mushrooms and Chimney Sweeps
New Year's Day
Magical, Shamanic Clover
The Night of Befana, the Christmas Witch
Holy Bushes that Protect Against Witches
Paradise Plant
Devil's Dirt and Witches' Smoke
Three Kings Day: The End of the Christmas Season
The Pagan Magi from the East
Frankincense, the Secret of Old Arabia
Bibliography
Index