yuletide & x-MAs
how did The Winter solstice become christmas?
One of the oldest and most widely celebrated holidays approaches in December: The Winter Solstice. It may not seem like it yet, but once the solstice hits the days are getting longer and the nights are getting shorter; this continues until the Spring Equinox (Ostara) hits. Humans have been observing this date around 12/21 since before antiquity, ancient evidence of such present in the Great Pyramids and Stonehenge. In present day, these Winter Solstice celebrations exist in almost every culture in the Northern Hemisphere, making it known globally as “the Holidays.” Though diverse and often obscured by religion & politics, all the traditions of this time can be related back to this simple, earth-based concept of the returning Sun. Similar themes run through all of these celebrations, both independently and often with each other’s influence, including:
fertility, rebirth & renewal
death, aging & the “Crone” archetype
danger, sin, suffering, and introspection
gifting, charity, community
magick, miracles, love
So in that sense, the Winter Solstice became all of the “Holidays,” and for the purpose of this blog post I’ll be focusing on how it evolved into Christmas!
Saturnalia
The oldest solid record of what we now know as Christmas is likely Saturnalia, in Ancient Rome. This was a holiday named after the planet/god Saturn, who was associated with overlapping properties of the Sun like abundance & fertility. Roman celebrations were quite strange & lewd, seeking to appease the more ancient Greek gods in the form of drinking, feasts, gambling, giving gifts, and lots of ritual sacrifices. Thousands of people came to Rome from nearby towns to celebrate around the 21st-25th of December, finishing on a day that likely commemorated the return of the Sun and thus Sun gods like Mithras or Sol Invictus.
2. YUle
The other celebration that heavily influenced Winter Solstice traditions is Yule, popular across many Northern European pagan cultures by the 1st century. Indigenous nomadic tribes of Germanic peoples, the Norse & later Celtic, were among the first to celebrate Yule. The name is at least partially derived from the Old Norse word, “Jul,” which was the name of a month around this time, before it denoted the festival. Yule was a great agricultural party, not unlike Samhain as the preceding sabbat on the Wheel of the Year. But while Samhain celebrated the abundance of the last harvest, this was a celebration of the return of the Sun and the light half of the year.
In northern agrarian societies it would be clear at this point if you had rationed enough food to last through the winter. Plenty of food and no work to be done out in the cold called for celebration in the form of feasting, relaxing, drinking, and honoring the dead plants & animals. This was mostly done around the warmth of the hearth or community bonfire, emphasizing the themes of ancestor veneration & fire magick at the Winter Solstice. Besides serving as a gathering point, the light of the fire symbolizes the return of the Sun & warm days, as well as protection and purification for the home. Fire magick’s strong association with winter is also due to its transformative and destructive nature that parallels the death of the dormant season.
Examples of fire magick and ritual involve a transfer of fire or ashes to the home hearth from the communal bonfire, and keeping ashes or the remainders of a sacred burned log as protection until the Spring. There is also emphasis on keeping a fire lit in the hearth from Yuletide Eve and up to several days after, sometimes as an encouragement to the Sun to return. In Scandinavia, a smoldering fire is necessary for several days to keep the faeries warm as they migrate through the Earth plane for the Winter. This is where the still popular tradition (more so in Europe or with Neo pagans) of a Yule Log comes from. Sometimes a sacred Yule log is decorated with candles & other adornments as a center piece before being burned. The resemblance and theme bears parallels to the miracle of the Hanukkah menorah. Today the symbolism is sometimes captured in a Yule log dessert, which I’ve made the past few years!
3. Monotheistic Religious Groups
As the Abrahamic faiths rose in popularity, traditions began merging- both naturally and forcibly. As early as the second century B.C., Jewish followers were celebrating Hanukkah near the Winter Solstice. This was not a celebration of the earth, but a demonstration of religious fundamentalism: a celebration of their separation & conquest of the pagans, specifically Hellenism. But I think it’s super interesting to note the overlap in themes of fire magick, miracles, and gift giving.
When Christianity emerged in the Roman Empire centuries later, it would have been convenient for authorities to say that the Son of God’s birth was also December 25th so that it coincided with the return of the existing Sun gods and celebrations. And while pagan influence is likely part of the reason Jesus’ birth is celebrated at Christmas, there is also a variety of theological explanations. This is source of much debate among Christian and historical scholars, as the Bible (considering it a primary source document) does not say when Jesus’ birth or death was, and a variety of calendar systems existed at the time.
The spread of Christianity around Europe at this time is often called the Great Conversion, and is far more messy and non-linear than I could possibly portray in one blog post. Knowing that imperial control is the backstory to assimilation, I found it painted the fullest picture to track the evolution of earlier pagan festivals into our modern day Christmas celebrations, tradition by tradition.
What are the origins of our modern Christmas traditions?
Santa Claus
One of the most iconic figures recognized today is Santa Claus, and his history is vast. His origin is the primitive personification of Old Man Winter, or Father Winter across northern earth-based peoples. As a diety, Winter’s qualities are dualistic: harshness & dangerous conditions outside demand respect, but also a renewing, warm & cozy rest indoors.
1. Father Winter as a danger
All northern mythology talks about some kind of deities that further encouraged people to stay home in the winter months, or at least take extreme caution if you must leave to hunt food, and do so with groups. This evolved into the Wild Hunt, an old Germanic mythos connecting the vague idea of Father Winter to more specific gods of animals/hunting & winter, like Odin, Thor, or the Holly King. Sacrifices, prayers, and offerings were made before a community midwinter hunt would begin, traditionally for wren, goat, or wild boar (this evolved into ham on Christmas). If you weren’t careful and respectful, you might get swept up into the Wild Hunt of monsters, ghosts, faeries, and witches that parade through the sky and woods, especially around Yule.
Various scary figures emerge from this, sometimes seen as an evil counter-part to Santa. Stories often focus on rewarding/punishing children, probably because their lessons are meant to keep kids safe in a dangerous time & season with high child-mortality. In Austria, a horned goat-like Krampus figure emerged, known for kidnapping misbehaved children. It should be noted that though his legend was always a trickster encouraging naughty children to behave, the Church further demonized his image. A more tame & Christian-accepted Santa counterpart might be Jack Frost, known in a variety of folklore to “nip at the noses” of winter travelers (or worse), or the Grinch, who ruins Christmas.
The Yule Witch was also known for stealing naughty children from their bed, scooping them up in her massive sack, and flying through the night sky on her broom stick. Sometimes even she led the Wild Hunt, herself. There are various iterations of a wintertime Witch carrying various levels of threat, but most well known from the Alpine region are Befana & Frau Perchta, or Greyla from Iceland. Befana, well known and celebrated in Italy today, is also called the Christmas Witch. One interesting thing to note here is the demonization of witches in the biblical Christmas story, due to an interaction between Befana & the Three Kings or wisemen on their way to meet baby Jesus & have the Epiphany Feast, as recorded in the Gospel of Mathew’s.
2. Father Winter a Healer
The warmer qualities of Father Winter- introspective healing time spent at home- evolved into an association with shamans across Europe, traditionally wisemen with long beards and robes, worn as noble distinction. Known as the medicine men of their times, they would travel between towns & agrarian communities offering healing at a time when medical and spiritual health were very much one and the same: some 12,000 years ago. Gifts would usually be shared with the medicine men in return, which could be as simple as food & the warmth of your house. This (and the widespread practice of appeasing deities with an offering) is where the idea of leaving out milk and cookies on Christmas Eve originates.
Around this time there is an emergence of diverse folkloric iterations of a figure who comes bearing gifts around the Winter Solstice, usually for children. Presents (or punishment!) are often left sneakily at night, in an old sock, shoe, or boot. He’s often a man in the image of Father Winter, though in some Yule folklore he’s more animalistic. Certain Scandinavian myths tell of a Yule Goat, or an elf on a goat drawn sleigh, evolving from the original personification of the Wild Hunt, and/or association with Thor- known to ride a chariot of goats. The image of real-life shamans merged with Yule folklore and by the 17th century was actually being carried out by men of various communities as a treat for children to get a glimpse of the Yule Father- or sometimes to taunt children with the scary figures (see Christmas Caroling below).
In places like Serbia, where it’s very cold and snowy, these medicine men would also travel in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, and enter the smoke hole (aka chimney) of homes whose door’s would be covered with snow drifts for weeks at a time. A favorite plant medicine of many shaman in this area were the familiar red & white capped Amanita muscaria mushroom: known cross-culturally as healing for humans due to the psychoactive nature. In some regions the association with the mushroom may have grown so strong that the shamans red robes were to match his mushroom of choice. Because they’re moderately toxic to humans- and they can induce a powerful healing state- a shaman is to necessary for safe preparation and consumption. It’s also widely documented as part of reindeers’ diet, with some suggestion that shamans would gather the urine of the reindeer who’d eaten the fungi, in order to make it less toxic for humans. Maybe this is where some account of seeing reindeer flying high originates…(though the sleigh in the sky has similar imagery to the Wild Hunt).
3. Saint Nicholas to Santa Claus
When these shamanistic wisemen merge with the Christian Saint Nicholas, we begin to see the emergence of a formalized image and name we’d recognize as Santa Claus today. Saint Nicholas was a real person: a wealthy bishop born in present day Turkey in 283 C.E. By most accounts, his parents died when he was young, and he remained childless throughout his life. Because of this, he became known as a protector & gift-bearer for children, especially the poor. As a follower of Jesus, was granted Saint status for his charity and became the patron saint of many cities and countries around Europe. This exemplifies how well-known and widely celebrated he was, with his own holiday involving gift-giving on the day of his death, Saint Nicholas’ Day on 12/6. His fame being the source of much legend, the folklore merged with older Father Winter & shamanistic figures over centuries, again due to the Great Conversion and existing similarities in traditions.
One very clear example of Saint Nicholas’ legend Christianizing that of the shamans & medicine men is the much later (1830 C.E.) development of “Christ-child” angel bringing presents down the chimmeny for children instead, often associated with baby Jesus. In German, this is “Krist-kindl,” which gives us the etymology of Kris Kringle. He was also called Belsnickel in Germany, adding “bel” or “fur” to the beginning of his name due to his furry winter robes. You may remember him if you are fan of Dwight on The Office.
Belsnickel folklore maintained a more scary side and in some accounts he is actually a companion of friendly Kris Kringle or Saint Nick, but he punishes the kids who had been bad that year instead. In that way, he bears similarities to the dualistic Krampus, as well as the Christmas & Yule Witch. In some instances Belsnickel’s counterpart was also known as the Christmas Woman, who may have evolved from, or merged with the Yule or Christmas Witch. The milder Italian version of the archetype is tolerated by Christians and pagans alike, with a whole city and national holiday named after her. The Christmas Witch emphasizes this dualistic nature of the winter, as she is known to give small gifts to the good children and coal or onions to those who were misbehaved- or maybe hit you with her broomstick.
Around 1744 C.E., Sint Nikolaas was shortened to Sinter Klaas in Dutch, finally giving us the etymology of Santa Claus. This was brought to areas like New York and Pennsylvania in America, primarily by Dutch colonizers. It was actually outlawed in the colonies until 1681 (oh the irony of “religious freedom”) by Puritans for the association with paganism & lack of biblical evidence for the holiday. There’s a lot you can dig into about how his image has been commercialized and secularized to capitalize on- primarily by Coca Cola- though I do find many of those discussions lack the depth of thousands of years of pre-American history that we’ve just discussed, implying this has all been made up for profit in the past few centuries. But I do think it’s important to consider how Christmas is now mostly a secular holiday, and there’s an attitude among some [more conservative] Christians of “needing to put the Christ back in Christmas” and demanding ownership of the “Christmas spirit” when almost every single tradition is of no Christian origin. His name Father Christmas may refer to the Son of God being celebrated at this time, but also connects us back to the origin of Father Winter.
Santa’s elves
The elves we know are a Christianization of many of the many ancient house spirits who may be afoot when the veil is thin. They can thought of as similar to the fae, or most accurately the gnome archetype. In some colder landscapes like Scandanvia, they are tomte or nisse: small, friendly spirits who help watch over and live in the home or barn (esp. the attic, sauna, fireplace, oven, or corners of rooms). They might be thought of like the winter counterpart to faeries in the garden- who were either sleeping or migrated until Beltane. Offerings of porridge and cakes would be left for nisse, especially around Yule, maybe in hopes they would fill your stocking left by the hearth with treats, but more so simply as a thank you for protecting you & your animals, as you slept.
The name nisse may be of Old Norse origin meaning “little relative,” and/or from the Scandinavian name for Nicholas, Neils or Nills, which draws strong connections to the Santa figure himself when you see their little red pointed hats and white beards. The other significant parallels of the gnome archetype to Santa’s elves are mainly to the Swedish Jultomten- sometimes pictured as a miniature, instead of a full grown man that delivers presents. Other Germanic folklore also tells of small spirits who brought presents as helpers of the Yule Goat or Yule Witch, called the 13 Yule lads in Iceland.
The etymology of elves is different, but draws a close enough similarity in appearance & lore to assume they’ve influenced each other. The Fair Folk podcast shares an interesting link between the 18th/19th century convergence of much older pagan gnomes with Santa’s elves in his workshop, and the Industrial Revolution, which turned the urban poor into factory workers and increased reliance on commercial goods. As mentioned, there are very practical reasons for winter folklore that emphasizes gifting well-behaved children, but it’s safe to say that the post-modern secular globalization of a Santa as a gift-giver, hundreds of years later, has strong capitalist ties.
Christmas trees
Trees are sacred to most every earth-based culture, largely as a symbol of life and wisdom. Trees, their wood, and oils, are involved in lots of magick, folklore, and sacred ritual. The type of wood burned, or used to cook animals that had been sacrificed on the Winter Solstice festival was of particular importance to many. The choosing of an evergreen tree like pine, spruce, cedar and fir, was intentional, as they’re one of the only plants that remain visibly alive throughout winter. These woods are also known for their spiritual healing & protective properties, connected to this symbolism. Various groups also started bringing these trees inside the home at some point, decorating with candles (the original & most dangerous Christmas lights), fruits, ribbon, etc.
Other Medieval association is also tied back to the shamans of Siberia, as Amanita muscaria mushrooms were known to grow under Spruce trees, abundant during the winter months. These same mushrooms may have been hung along side other things like meat and fruit to dry on the Spruce’s branches inside by the fireplace after the Wild Hunt.
Even before this, there is evidence of the Egyptians bringing green Palm fronds inside during the winter months. Though less harshly cold near the Equator, the dry season was still comparatively scanty with life. The persisting greens served as both decoration for the home, and symbolized the sun god’s return, persistence, life & rebirth- similarly to those in the Alpine regions.
Christmas CarolING & Gift giving
The origins of Christmas Caroling are similar to trick-or-treating, which I shared at Samhain. Mumming, guising, wassailing, and julbukking are more or less showing up at someone’s house, usually as a group, and playing a prank or a game, signing a song, or acting out a skit. The homeowner would usually be encouraged to leave money, alcohol, or a treat- or in the case of Julbukking [Yule Bucking], join the group and go to the next house!
Sometimes people would be dressed up in masks and costumes, stemming from the idea of disguising oneself from the spirits from the Wild Hunt that are known to be about when the Veil is thin. In some places these costumes evovled into bird like masks, honoring the Wren who is notorious for surviving the sparse winter. This also evolved into goat-like costumes, worn to julbuck. Masks were an important part of julbukking, involving various games where the homeowner tried to guess who was under the masks.
Even scarier are Krampus costumes, used to taunt children on Krampusnacht, the night before Christmas. In some towns and cities there would be a parade of Krampus costumes that night, which eventually became a rowdy display against the Church, reclaiming the figure they demonized. Krampus celebrations still happen today, mostly as parades, drinking parties, and goat ephigeys. In Sweden, a giant one is built of straw yearly and almost always burned down (illegally) before Christmas lolll. 2021’s was burnt down the day I am writing this and looked it up.
Though definitely fun and games, the idea of going door-to-door (specifically wealthy people’s doors) was also popularized in the Winter months, due to food & other goods becoming sparse. The whole idea of charity may very well come from this time, as an act of doing good to the poorer members of the community, who suffered the most in the cold months. As class separation grew larger and mobility shrank, this became an informal understanding between wealthy feudal lords and peasants arriving at their door. Whether the lords had class consciousness and felt guilty, or were trying to avoid a curse & trickery to their property, it’s not easy to say. But lords & churches alike were willing to give away more food during holiday feasts. It’s fair to assume that this, along with the gift-giving shaman archetype, are the major origins of presents on Christmas, and the idea of “giving back” around the holidays, which is in large part supported & organized by churches to this day. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day, a national holiday celebrated in the UK, Australia, and Canada. Though it’s a more commercialized event akin to Black Friday- it has historical basis in the Medieval Church charity, and is still celebrated as Saint Stephens’ Day in Ireland.
Modern Ways to celebrate
watch the sun rise and/or set. Its the simplest & least time-consuming, yet can still be the most moving. A walk at sunrise is probably most traditional and still widely practiced in groups, but this practice can be easily modified. Whether you want to meditate, say a prayer, or just pause for a moment of silence- it’ll be worth it, I promise.
fire magick is the main type of magick at this time of year, elementally speaking. While both Yule & Samhain are focused on bonfires and gathering with the community around it, Yule is more about the fire in the home & hearth, where it’s warm. The light of the fire symbolizes the return of the sun & warm days, as well as protection and purification for the home. Candle magick is also a common application of fire magick at this time of year, allowing you to connect with a color, or even anoint a symbol or oil of your choice that compliments your intention- no fireplace needed.
honor & connect to animal spirits. Maybe feed the animals some left overs (depending on what’s appropriate where you live) as an offering to the local animals as a thank you for their role in the ecosystem & an acknowledgment of the local animal spirits. If that’s not possible you can also do this metaphorically, by leaving seeds, apples, nuts on your altar for a little.
kitchen magick is perfect for the holidays! Traditionally sacred berries, herbs, & fruits (oranges, cinnamon, frankenscence ) would be used in the making of food around this time of year, largely considered so due to their ability to persist in the barren winter months, or dry & store well. In this way, cooking was infused with enchantment; you can do the same by working with traditional herbs and/or infusing your intention in whatever way feels meaningful to you.
homemade gifts are my favorite & definitely a historically accurate way to celebrate! In days of the Old Way, winter months were spent indoors- with outdoors offering dangerous conditions & not much physical labor to be done- it was a season of working with your hands on projects that you may not have had time, money, or materials for when the harvest was underway in the warmer months. Mothers might bake treats or knit and sew their family new clothes; a wood-working father might build his children a sled or clock. Homemade gifts are not only traditional but generally more sustainable, practical, & filled with love & intention!
decorate with natural decor. Along the same lines as homemade gifts, decorations & ornaments you make yourself just feel good- for you, the earth, and your ancestors. See below for my ideas!
family & communal celebrations are probably the most popular and wide spread way to acknowledge this time. As we’ve seen in this post, all the Holidays were more or less one and the same, prehistorically. Togetherness is what your [“well & good”] ancestors would have wanted. So celebrate whatever winter holiday you resonate with, and though it may call for group celebrations at a different date, it can still hold your intention. I think of the Winter Solstice’s date as an opportunity to begin celebrating the Holidays in my own spiritual way, before the days get busy with travel, drinking, and family time later that week on Christmas Day & Eve.
HOW I’M CELEBRATING (2024)
Cookie baking AND GINGERBREAD HOUSE MAKING
This year we are going to spend time baking cookies together as a family before Christmas and then just after it spend some time with friends making gingerbread houses on a ski trip with friends!
Sunrise walks
On the solstice eve this year it actually snowed for the first time of year! It ws just a light dusting but it stuck around until the morning and I was so happy to get up at sunrise and go on a quick walk around the pastures.
Yule Log & other crafts
We foraged a Yule log as always and decorated it with the seasons berries and oranges and lots of sacred spices and pines. I also just spent a lot of time crafting and making presents for loved ones, as well as other natural decor for around my home.
HOW I’M CELEBRATING (2022)
Connect to animal + nature spirits
The themes of the animal spirit are especially prevalent to us this year, as our current backyard has several families of whitetail deer that frequent it. I am familiar with the creatures, having grown up with several large groups of deer roaming the neighboring farms and sleeping in our lawn for as long as the multiple decades we’ve been living there, at my family home in PA. Here in MI, we see a few impressive bucks almost daily and I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not one of their antlers we have wrapped around the Yule log already. We’ve haven’t seen them in several weeks, so I suspect the time has come for them to drop their antlers, a sign of food/mating supply thinning.
Sunset & Sunrise walks
On the Solstice we’ll do a traditional sunset walk and take a look for the antlers. The sunset walk is a way of honoring nature & the shortest day of the year, by soaking up every second until the sun fully sets. This is often done almost ironically, despite the bitter cold and lack of sun to “soak up,” to acknowledge that the days will get longer from here. It could also be done at sunrise, but we save the sunrise walk for Epiphany morning, Jan 6th, when the Sun is closest to the earth.
Yule Log & Candle Ritual
We foraged a fallen oak log that we decorated with red & black candles, pinecones, orange slices, mushrooms, cinnamon sticks & anise stars. The candles have been lit pre-dawn for my AM rituals & reading, each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas. On the morning of the solstice the black one is allowed to burn out fully into the daylight, as an encouragement to the sun’s return. A fresh black one will be lit briefly solstice night at dusk, and allowed again to burn fully out on Jan 6th.
How I’m Celebrating (2021)
Rituals for Cleansing & protection
This time of year it feels beyond necessary to cleanse of stagnant energy, with the windows being closed & the air and chi literally getting stuck in the house. Even if its just for a moment if its frigid cold, I’ll open the windows and let some air move out. On the night of the solstice I also love to spin fire, which I view as a type of fire magick and movement medicine all in one. Journaling, even if just to document what/how I’m doing, is always a priority on the sabbats for me.
Crafting & Baking & gifting
I love to hand-make gifts using natural decor and plant-based baked good to share with my loved ones throughout the holiday season. I really begin this around Mabon or Samhain, foraging for the materials like pinecones, berries, & pine branches. I also dry fruits like oranges, apples, and grapefruits at this time which I use in candles, altar decor, smoke cleansing wands, gift wrap, and more. Brett & I will probably exchange a small gift on the solstice and maybe bake some cookies or a Yule Log.
I also always decorate my altar for the sabbats! For Yule I use natural decor, as well as other found items that remind me of the changing season. I have many relics and meaningful jewelry from my family members, both alive & passed on- which I’ve really had since Samhain. Crystals I always feel called to around this time (snowy quartz, calcite, garnet, emerald, bloodstone, obsidian, hematite, tourmaline, kyanite, and other black stones) are often arranged in a grid, with some oracle and my Egyptian Tarot card deck to connect to the ancient Ra celebrations. An offering for the nisse is kept fresh, with my gnome ornament hanging above the altar. Traditional sacred herbs of the season are hanging nearby or in oil form like frankensensne, cedar, myrrh, sage, rosemary, pine needle, which I may use in smoke cleansing or anoint myself or candles with throughout the Yuletide month.
Family time
I’m grateful to be able to spend time with my family and friends over the course of Christmas Eve to Boxing Day. Over the past few years that I’ve been observing the Old Way, Christmas truly has a whole new meaning- in the best way possible. It’s literally still the same activities of presents & family dinners, but with my own knowledge of the rich cultural history and newfound spiritual significance it elicits.
