Pagan Christmas

The Plants, Spirits, and Rituals at the Origins of Yuletide

Christian Rätsch, Claudia Müller-Ebeling

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English

Inner Traditions Bear and Company
24 October 2006

Religion & beliefs; Ancient religions & mythologies; Mind, Body, Spirit: thought & practice

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.

By: Christian Rätsch, Claudia Müller-Ebeling
Imprint: Inner Traditions Bear and Company
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 254mm, Width: 203mm, Spine: 13mm
Weight: 646g
ISBN: 9781594770920
ISBN 10: 1594770921
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 24 October 2006
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Christian Ratsch, Ph.D., is a world-renowned anthropologist and ethnopharmacologist who specializes in the shamanic uses of plants. Currently serving as the president of the German Society for Ethnomedicine, he is the author of The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants and Marijuana Medicine and coauthor of Plants of the Gods. Claudia Muller-Ebeling, Ph.D., is an art historian and anthropologist and coauthor, with Christian Ratsch, of Shamanism and Tantra in the Himalayas and Witchcraft Medicine. Both authors live in Hamburg, Germany.

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

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